The revolutions of 1917 : 1.2 The growth of opposition Flashcards
When was “Bloody Sunday” and explain the events
On Sunday 22nd January 1905 - Father Gapon led a peaceful march of about 200,009 people to the Tsar’s Winter Palace in St Petersburg, for better working conditions. The soldiers panicked and as the Tsar was not in the palace, they opened fire, killing hundreds and wounding thousands.
What was the 1905 Revolution?
Bloody Sunday and the defeat against Japan in war sparked revolution in Russia, February 1905. There were several strikes and mutinies across the country - as a response, Tsar Nicholas signed the October Manifesto which stated:
1) Freedom of speech
2) An end to censorship
3) A National Parliament (Duma)
It was a warning to the oblivious Tsar about the need for change and reform, which he ignored and continued to go about his rule as before
Consequences of the October Manifesto?
Stolypin was PM and he made certain reforms to education and agriculture. However, he also dealt with any opposition very severely, sending 3000 people to execution - the gallows became known as “Stolypin’s Necktie”.
There was the election if the first Duma in 1906, but the Tsar then declared he had the power to dissolve the Duma and change the rules by which it was elected. He refused to share power with the Duma and continued to rule like an autocrat, stimulating further opposition, especially from different political parties.
Who was Rasputin?
A supposedly enlightened individual who had mystical powers, able to heal any disease - the Tsar brought him in to heal his son’s haemophilia and it worked! Rasputin became very close to the royal family and stories about his hedonistic lifestyle soon broke out to the public. When the Tsar went out to be commander in chief of the army, the Tsarina was left under the influence of Rasputin, who was the only one she listened to (ending up firing many ministers) - it was evidence of corruption and incompetence.
Social Democratic Party
1) Founded in 1901 like the SRs
2) Separated into two parties ; Mensheviks and Bolsheviks
3) Mensheviks were led by Trotsky and were prepared to take things slowly, allow revolution to come the way Karl Marx had predicted it (from the peasants in the countryside).
4) Bolsheviks were led by Lenin and they thought the Proletariats should rush the revolution and it should occur in the urban areas (towns and factories) rather than waiting in the countryside.
Socialist Revolutionaries
They were led by Kerensky and firmly believed in the revolution of the peasants : all land should be shared among the peasants so that it could be farmed into small peasant communities.
Octobrists
They represented the middle class (Tsarists) and believed that the Tsar would carry out his October Manifesto of limited reform. They were founded in October 1905 after the Tsar issued his October Manifesto and were led by Alexander Guchkov.
Cadets
They were founded in 1905 and wanted to have a constitutional monarch + an elected parliament, as in Britain. They were led by Paul Milyukov.
