The revolutions of 1917: 1.1 Reasons for discontent

Question 1

How many people (out of 10) were foreign and give a reason for their discontent

Answer 1

6/10 foreigners ; they were unhappy as they were forced into Russification (making non-Russians speak Russian, wear Russian clothes and follow Russian customs : a cultural revolution)

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 (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.

Question 5

How did the Tsar suppress opposition?

Answer 5

He. Gave very little freedom - newspapers and books were all censored by the government. He also actively used his secret police force called the Okhrana : you could be imprisoned or exiled without trial if part of a union of workers or if on strike.

Question 6

What were some of the Tsar’s weaknesses?

Answer 6

1) He was not a strong character (had witnessed the assassination of his grandfather)
2) 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
3) His son and heir suffered from haemophilia (likely to die young).

Question 7

List some economic problems

Answer 7

1) 85% of population lived in rural areas, yet only 5% of the land was used for agriculture/farming.
2) Scattered strip farming encouraged subsistence farming using primitive technology - resulted in low food production and thus frequent famines

Question 8

What were some problems with industrial development?

Answer 8

1) Industrialisation only occurred by the end of the 1800s - long after the rest of Europe
2) Manufacturing output low, although Russia had many natural resources
3) Infrastructure was severely undeveloped - there was a very bad system or roads/railways and no effective banking system either : restricted growth of industry
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) modernised Russia’s economy, though in the process also causing discontent with poor living conditions for workers.

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

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, frequently visiting theatres etc
Peasants had very poor living conditions and had a staple diet of bread, porridge and cabbage soup. Full of starvation and disease (typhus) - life expectancy was less than 40 years.
The Proletariats (town peasants) were another rapidly increasing group who lived in overcrowded slums and had a similar diet to the peasants; low wages, forbidden to go on strikes, filthy dormitories and no trade unions. All protests and strikes were crushed brutally by the Okhrana/army.