The nature of government: Nicholas II

Question 1

When did Nicholas rule?

Answer 1

1894-1917

Question 2

Was why Nicholas’ reign in turmoil by 1905?

Answer 2

1. Increasing peasant unrest.
2. Industrial strikes.
3. Student protests.
4. War with Japan.
5. Bloody Sunday.

Question 3

What was Bloody Sunday caused by?

Answer 3

Caused by a dispute over the sacking of a group of iron workers at St. Petersburg, in reaction, father gapon organized a protest march to the winter palace to petition the tsar for change.

Question 4

What happened during Bloody Sunday?

Answer 4

It was supported by 150,000 workers who marched to the winter palace. Palace guards opened fire on protestors, leading to 76 deaths.

Question 5

Give four consequences of Bloody Sunday

Answer 5

1. The tsar lost support from all sections of Russian society.
2. Industrial strikes and peasant revolts swept the country.
3. Mutinies in the armed forces increased, with the crew on the battleship Potemkin killing their officers and sailing to Romania.
4. Peace was agreed with Japan in august.

Question 6

When was Bloody Sunday?

Answer 6

9th January 1905

Question 7

What was set up in reaction to Bloody Sunday?

Answer 7

The St. Petersburg soviet 13thh October 1905, they ordered a general strike and the tsar was left with no choice but to make concessions.

Question 8

Give five terms of the October manifesto

Answer 8

1. It established a national state Duma. 2. No UKASE could become law without duma consent. 3. All classes could participate in the duma. 4. Freedom of speech and assembly. 5. Abolition of redemption tax.

Question 9

What were four reactions to the manifesto?

Answer 9

1. It preserved tsarism and split the opposition groups. 2. The groups who accepted it and waned to work with the tsar became known as the Octoberists. 3. The group who thought it could be used to bring farther reforms became known as the Kadets. 4. The marxists outright rejected it

Question 10

What happened to the Bolshevik revolution in November 1905?

Answer 10

It was easily crushed, along with the general strike, the manifesto had saved the tsar.

Question 11

What were three problems with the dumas?

Answer 11

1. Their complex voting system prevented peasants and workers from being properly represented. 2. In his fundamental laws of 1906, Nicholas reasserted his autocratic powers and took back the ability to rule by decree. 3. Each duma had less influence then the last and prime minister after 1911 kokovsov completely ignored them.

Question 12

What had happened to the Dumas by 1914?

Answer 12

They were totally unrepresentative of the Russian people and it was clear that the system was not working.

Question 13

What was the problem with Rasputin?

Answer 13

He was a mystic who could apparently heal the tsar’s hemophiliac son Alex I, he was allowed a large amount of influence over the royal family and government, it was even alleged that he was the tsarina’s lover. His shady private life brought the royal family into disrepute.

Question 14

What happened to Rasputin?

Answer 14

He was assassinated by prince felix yusupov in December 1916, but the damage to the royal family had already been done.

Question 15

Give three facts about the first duma April-July 1906

Answer 15

1. Its main discussions were on land redistribution, the tsar said that compulsory redistribution was not an option, angering the Duma. 2. As the Duma became more radical, Nicholas accused the lower house of illegal acts and dissolved them. 3. Between the first and second duma, Stolypin introduced a speeded up trial system for civil rioters in the form of field court Marshalls, the series of trials and executions were known as stolypin’s neckties.

Question 16

Give three facts about the second duma February-June 1907

Answer 16

1. There were fewer Kadets and more SDs, SRs and rightists. 2. The tsar and Stolypin continued to mistrust them over land reform. 3. An SD was framed for trying to arrange an army mutiny, so the duma was dissolved.

Question 17

What were three features of the third duma November 1907-June 1912?

Answer 17

1. Because of electoral reforms, it was full of tsarist supporters. 2. It made major reforms such as the reintroduction of JPs, insurance schemes for workers and the abolition of land captains. 3. It served its full term in office.

Question 18

Give three features of the fourth duma November 1912-February 1917

Answer 18

1. It was dominated by rightists and coincided with a time of violent oppression of opposition (Lena goldfields massacre.) 2. It put a lot of pressure on the tsar to abdicate. 3. Its members would form the short lived provisional government.

Question 19

What was the progressive bloc and when did it emerge?

Answer 19

Socialsit members walked out of the forth duma in 1914, the members who remained became known as the progressive bloc, they demanded that the tsar hand control of the war effort over to them. Nicolas reacted by suspending the duma in august 1915.

Question 20

What led up to the February revolution?

Answer 20

Demonstrations were held in St. Petersburg on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, calling for the removal of the tsar. Conditions were growing desperate. A demonstration on international women’s day 23rd February brought thousand of workers onto the streets.

Question 21

What had happened by February 25th?

Answer 21

St. Petersburg was in chaos, Nicholas ordered the army to regain control of the city. However, the army mutinied and joined the rebels, the tsar’s advisors urged him to make concessions, but he refused.

Question 22

What happened February 27th?

Answer 22

The Petrograd soviet was formed alongside the provisional duma committee, this was a clear indication that many saw the tsar as unfit to rule.

Question 23

What four things happened after the army mutinied?

Answer 23

1. Demonstrators occupied government buildings and prevented the tsar from returning to St. Petersburg. 2. Ministers fled the city and told the tsar to abdicate. 3. With a lack of military and political support, Nicholas abdicated on 2nd march 1917. 4. He left the crown to his brother Michael who refused the crown.

Question 24

What did Nicholas do to censorship?

Answer 24

He reintroduced glasnost and the number of publications increased three fold, with newspapers aimed at the proletariat such as the Kopek newspaper emerging.

Question 25

What happened to censorship during WWI?

Answer 25

It was reintroduced, especially for troops. The tsar did not want citizens to know how badly Russia was doing in the war.

Question 26

Give three facts about Marxism

Answer 26

1. It came from german philosopher Karl Marx in his writings The communist manifesto 1848 and das capital 1867. 2. Marx saw the world as in a constant state of struggle between the owners of capital, the bourgeoisie and the exploited proletariat. 3. As exploitation increased, there would come a time when the proletariat would rise up against the oppression.

Question 27

How did Marxism see revolution?

Answer 27

The only way to improve the position of the proletariat, once revolution had occurred, a dictatorship of the proletariat could be formed, it would redistribute land and wealth and all private ownership would end.

Question 28

Why did Marxism grow in popularity during this period?

Answer 28

It coincided with industrialization and the growth of the urban working class, who were prime targets for Marxist ideas. That said, some Marxists felt that the time for revolution was not yet because Russia had not yet industrialized enough.

Question 29

Who were the SRs?

Answer 29

They emerged from the populist movement and were formed in 1901 by Chernov. By 1905 they had split into the radical left SRs and the moderate right SRs. They appealed largely to the peasants and had the most support and posed the greatest threat to the regime up to 1917.

Question 30

Who were the SDs?

Answer 30

They were formed in 1898 by plekhanov and emphasized the need for a working class consciousness. By 1905 there were signs of divisions between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.

Question 31

What did the radical left SRs do?

Answer 31

They were responsible for 2000 political assassinations, including the grand duke Sergei and Vyacheslav plehve

Question 32

What happened 1906-07?

Answer 32

Peasant revolts in the black earth regions where peasants burned their crops and destroyed machinery, they were initially put down with force, but Stolypin subsequently carried our reforms to address their grievances.

Question 33

What were peasants’ main protests from 1916?

Answer 33

1. High food prices and the pressure put on them to provide more food for cities. 2. A lack of technology and machinery. They launched attacks on land owners and destroyed public utilities in towns, they joined up with army rebels and formed peasant soviets.

Question 34

Who were the liberals?

Answer 34

Duma members who wanted to westernize Russia and run it in a similar way to a western democracy. In 1904, Pyotr Struve founded the union of liberation which demanded freedom and justice for all workers.

Question 35

Why was opposition unsuccessful prior to 1917?

Answer 35

1. A lack of unity between the opposition groups. 2. The cancelling out of reforms by the fundamental laws. 3. The tsar retained army support.