The revolutions of 1917: 1.1 Reasons for discontent

Question 1

what were the subject nationalities

Answer 1

• rusia had 20 different ethnic groups and every 6 out of 10 were forign langauge speaking
• groups were called SUBJECT NATONALITIES and resented being in russia
• also did RUSSIFICATION: process of making non russian wear russian clothes and adopt russian cultures

Question 2

What is an autocracy?

Answer 2

A system of government with only one person in charge with absolute power : in this case it was the Tsar Nicholas II who firmly believed he had a divine right to rule and could do anything he wanted (chosen by the Gods).

Question 3

During Tsarist rule - what was the Parliament/government called?

Answer 3

It was the Duma and it had barely any power

Question 4

Percentage of people who were members of the Christian church? How did the church behave?

Answer 4

70% of people were members of the Orthodox Church and the church was very closely linked to the Tsar, following his way of rule.

this created discontent

Question 5

How did the Tsar suppress opposition?

f was his secret police here

Answer 5

• banning unions and protests
• censoring newspapers
• supressed through OKHRANA secret police

Question 6

What were some of the Tsar’s weaknesses?

Answer 6

1) Autocracy only good if leader strong, yet He was not a strong character (had witnessed the assassination of his grandfather) and at one point didnt even want to be tsar
2) however He was ignorant of the extent of opposition to Tsarist rule - was very one dimensional on him being the chosen one and no one having the right to oppose him and also STUBBORN
3) His son and heir suffered from haemophilia (likely to die young). made him sad

Question 7

List some economic problems what often happened and what did this lead to

Answer 7

1) 85% of population lived in rural areas, yet only 5% of the land was used for agriculture/farming.as AGRICULTURE WAS BAD
2) Scattered strip farming encouraged subsistence farming (when producing only just enough to live on without having anything else to sell over) using primitive technology
- resulted in low food production and thus frequent famines

Question 8

What were some problems with industrial development?

Answer 8

1) was oil rich yet industrialisation inly happened at end of 19th century (much later than other European countries)
2) even at the beginning of twentieth century not good- due to big size of country, poor transport system and absence of banking- so industrial growth remained poor
BUT
By WW1 Russia had experienced rapid growth in industry (with deliberate government policies increasing the output of coal and oil).
Count Sergei Witte (Munster of Finance) said he was going to carry industry and invited many foreign ministers and his reforms did improve, but this rapid industrial growth came at a price of poor working conditions for workers= discontent

Question 9

Explain the hierarchy

Answer 9

Royal family - We rule you
Nobles - we govern you
Clergy - we fool you
Army - we shoot you
Capitalists - we do the eating
Peasants - we hold up the whole chain (protest about lack of freedom)

Question 10

Provide some social problems of the time

the social construct

Answer 10

• The Aristocracy made up 1% of the population, yet owned 25% of all the land. They lived in lavish country homes with many servants.
• The middle class were growing (due to industrial development) and they also had a pleasant life, and were becoming decent
• Peasants had very poor living conditions = 4/5 were peasants and life hard (disease etc)and- life expectancy was less than 40 years.
• The Proletariats (town peasants) were another rapidly increasing group who lived in overcrowded slums . these were peasants who ran to the countryside in hopes if more work and money.

All protests and strikes were crushed brutally by the Okhrana/army.