The rule of Tsar Nicholas II

Question 1

what did tsar Nicholas II believe in and what was his personality like

and how will this impact on the way he would rule

Answer 1

belief in autocracy: this would not allow the powers of this all to be reduced and if he is struggling to make a choice, it would never get chosen.

Family orientated: he could sympathise but he won’t rule as well as he could if he wasn’t. He will rule in the interest for his family, rather than the country

unable to make independent choices “he never had an opinion of his own “: not autocratic

very young 26: inexperienced and bound to make mistakes

he often prioritised other things he enjoyed like drinking and was “ignorant about governmental matters “.

he had a troubled relationship with his dad as Alexander III beat him and Nicholas wants to be the dad that he never had.: This therefore gives nicholas a negative view on the Czars

he has a strong belief and divine right: therefore he thinks everything he does is right and is therefore entirely intolerant of others

he has a desire to maintain autocracy and wanted to strengthen Russia’s position economically (to modernise without revolution)

Nicholas’ repressive attitude for example his anti-Semitism and devoted orthodox views came from the tutor his abusive dad appointed him to and his name was pobedonostsev

Nicholas also feared that if he changed too much I made too many reforms, that the same would happen to him that happened to his grandad who got assassinated

Question 2

What is a reactionary

Answer 2

someone who believes that Russia does not need to change. That it should continue as it is, with a strong centralised government, and an autocratic tsar supported by the church to keep the “dark masses“ under control

Question 3

what is a reformer

Answer 3

they believe that Russia needs a gradual reform. And that this reform should be led by the government and should be gradual.

That the tsar should remain as the head of state, but he needs to share some of his power with elected representatives.

Nicholas was a reformer economically and military but not politically. He doesn’t want to share power so politically he was a reactionary

Question 4

what is a revolutionary

Answer 4

that Russia can only survive with radical change. The tsar needs to go and that it is time for the proletariat to take control and transform Russia. And the okhrana would kill you if you said this

Question 5

what is a Slavophile

Answer 5

they believed that Russia had its own culture and history, distinct and separate from the rest of Europe, and should therefore pursue its own path. They believed in the values of the Orthodox church and that Russia should remain strong and build on its traditions. Politically Nicholas believed in this but economically he wants advice from Westerners

Question 6

what is a westerner

Answer 6

they believed that Russia, although different different from Europe, should look to Western Europe to develop local structures and industries. They were convinced that this was the way to secure a strong and powerful Russia for the future

Question 7

how did the army function

Answer 7

criminals and peasants were often conscripted and they were subjected to harsh conditions and discipline

The army was the largest government annual expenditure as around 45% was spent on the army and around 1.5 million men were in the Russian Armed Forces during the 19 century. Highest ranks were given to members of aristocracy and there was little room for promotion as commissions were not earny but sold. The conditions were so bad that the biggest killer was disease

Question 8

The role of the church

Answer 8

The church was one of the main pillars of Russian society in 1894, the tsar believed in divine right which therefore meant challenging him was an insult to God. The Russian Orthodox church was extremely influential among the large peasant population as they couldn’t read

Financial rewards were given to the church from the Czar for propaganda which reinforced his laws and the church was the centre of local communities

Question 9

what was the social structure

Answer 9

Russia was very behind socially compared to the other countries as the vast majority 82% of the Russian population were peasants which did not have access to education

The working class was significantly smaller than both the peasants and the upper-class as Russia had not been industrialised and there were a very small number of working-class jobs available. If you were born a peasant you stayed a peasant and there was a lack of social mobility

Question 10

What was the economy like

Answer 10

Russia was subject to slow economic development as the number of peasant workers was largely disproportionate to urban workers. However the Urals region produced a considerable amount of iron but it became a problem to economically export them because of transportation issues

in contrast the huge village population engaged in the cottage industry producing wood or wool goods but any manufacturing done was at home and extremely slow. Russia also found it hard to raise capital and found it hard to take a loan out and this essentially halted rapid economic growth

The infrastructure was supremely underdeveloped in Russia and as a whole the sluggish rate of economic expansion discouraged entrepreneurialism as the economic climate only allowed basic means of production such as farming

Question 11

levels of threat posed by national minorities to tsar nicholas II

minority group : how were THE POLES threatening

Answer 11

The poles wanted to break away from Russian influence and the workers’ political parties were formed and nationalism reemerged. which could threaten Nicholas however this was not that threatening to Nicholas as they didn’t actually act upon what they wanted

Question 12

levels of threat posed by national minorities to tsar nicholas II

minority group : how were THE UKRANIANS threatening

Answer 12

The Ukrainians wanted to build a separate culture identity and this was reflected in their literature and the arts however Nicholas wanted to keep them as Ukraine had the most fertile land. however the Ukrainians were not very threatening as they didn’t act upon what they wanted

Question 13

levels of threat posed by national minorities to tsar nicholas II

minority group : how were THE CAUCASIANS threatening

Answer 13

populist movements emerged to oppose Nicholas II’s repressive measures. For example Dashnaks organised self defence military units to combat Russian intrusions and Mensheviks in Georgia campaigned for Georgia to ally with Germany in the hope that if Germany won, Georgians would automatically be freed from Russian control also there was religious separation a split between Christianity and Muslims

therefore the Caucasians were of significant threat as they were a continuous threat and acted upon what they wanted for example they organised self defence military units

Question 14

levels of threat posed by national minorities to tsar nicholas II

minority group : how were THE FINNS threatening

Answer 14

The finns gained independence in 1917 but throughout the mid 1800s, separate finnish parliaments were made, in 1865 they wrote their own constitution which illustrates that politically they were breaking away and in 1905 Finland was given full autonomy however this does get taken away by stolypin

this therefore meant that the finns were the most threatening to Nicholas due to the fact that independence was created which was a loss for the Empire but Nicholas did neglect their demands for greater freedoms and clamped down on the attempts to resist the Russification process

Question 15

levels of threat posed by national minorities to tsar nicholas II

minority group : how were THE PEOPLE FROM THE BALTIC PROVINCES threatening

Answer 15

they sparked a rise in nationalism/separatist movement possibilities.

they were rich in natural resources and this made Russification easy as many native Russians migrated there in search of higher wages and more regular employment. So Russian economic influence naturally increased in the area

German influence weakened by the end of the century which appeared to spark arise in nationalism among the native Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians but pressure from these areas were still not enough for full independence to even be considered

Question 16

levels of threat posed by national minorities to tsar nicholas II

minority group : how were THE JEWS threatening

Answer 16

The Jews never appeared to pose much of threat to Nicholas but Nicholas was anti-Jewish and perceived them as a threat. They were accused of being revolutionaries as someone affiliated to the SD and a separate Jewish SD party called the Bund. 70% of the Jewish population lived in the Russian Empire

Question 17

HOW EFFECTIVELY DID NICHOLAS DEAL WITH NATIONAL MINORITIES

minority group: THE POLES

Answer 17

effectively : he allowed the political activity which meant he trusted Polish politicians as long as they didn’t challenge Nicholas

not effectively : but he did attempt to russify them and it led to the policy of control being implemented on a wider scale

Question 18

HOW EFFECTIVELY DID NICHOLAS DEAL WITH NATIONAL MINORITIES

minority group: THE UKRANIANS

Answer 18

not effectively: Nicholas continued the policy of russification in Ukraine but it was not effective because this would make the Ukrainians want to break away even more

Question 19

HOW EFFECTIVELY DID NICHOLAS DEAL WITH NATIONAL MINORITIES

minority group: THE CAUCASIANS

Answer 19

effectively : russification was easy and effective as most were illiterate

not effectively: Nichola’s Russification caused opposition

Question 20

HOW EFFECTIVELY DID NICHOLAS DEAL WITH NATIONAL MINORITIES

minority group: THE FINNS

Answer 20

not effectively: he may have neglected demands for greater freedom but it happened anyway and there was also inconsistent freedom

Question 21

HOW EFFECTIVELY DID NICHOLAS DEAL WITH NATIONAL MINORITIES

minority group: PEOPLE FROM THE BALTIC PROVINCES

Answer 21

effectively : Russification became inevitable as the Russians migrated to Latvia for higher wages and there may have sparked a rise in nationalism but there was not enough for full independence to be considered

not effectively : but overall Nicholas didn’t actually do that much to deal with them

Question 22

HOW EFFECTIVELY DID NICHOLAS DEAL WITH NATIONAL MINORITIES

minority group: THE JEWS

Answer 22

effectively : In 1903 a wave of pogroms meant that in two days 47 Jews were murdered, 400 wounded and 1300 houses and shops were destroyed. in 1902 the protocols of the Elders of Zion was anti-Semitic propaganda and also the Czar encouraged the black hundreds group to attack Jews but Nicholas did make the concession by allowing them to sit in the Duma

not effectively : Nicholas turned a blind eye to people hating Jews so Jews therefore would oppose him

Question 23

How successful were the economic policies of the tsar’s government from 1894 to 1914 (20 marks)

how effectively did son Nicholas the second deal with the economic problems he faced from 1894 to 1914 (20 marks ) = ASKING THE SAME THING

Answer 23

witte had a bigger impact than stolypin

Question 24

PROBLEM : BANKING

what did witte do, what did stolypin do and explain how effective they were

Answer 24

problem = there was a lack of an organised banking system, poor flow of capital and Russia was in a state of inertia

WITTE = he focused on industry. The French loans were designed to get the flow of capital flowing. By putting the currency on the gold standard in 1897 it was easy for other countries to convert their money. But witte didn’t actually do much and didn’t solve the problem he only made it easier to get loans. Therefore he got the investment in but didn’t develop loaning.

EXPLANATION: witte does very little and he didn’t solve the problem he only made it easier for Russia to get loans

STOLYPIN: stolypin mainly focused on agriculture so in terms of banking he only founded peasant land banks.

explanation: this allowed peasants to buy more land but didn’t improve the flow of capital overall, it was just good for the peasants who wanted land. It didn’t make better harvests and therefore didn’t have the intended effect

Question 25

PROBLEM : AGRICULTURE

what did witte do, what did stolypin do and explain how effective they were

Answer 25

problem: Russia used outdated farming techniques for example each family were strip farming. this was not only inefficient but also meant there was a poor food supply. Nicholas also had no control of what people grew and it was difficult to transport food as there was poor infrastructure
witte: agricultural needs were ignored, which caused rural discontent and disrupt in government
stolypin: he wanted to abandon strip farming to make farming more efficient. however he did not achieve this as only 16% of peasants stopped strip farming. He wanted to spread the peasants out to make farming more efficient but this didn’t lead to better harvests and he created kulaks but there was a small amount and it did not increase support
explanation: stolypin had a limited impact as harvests didn’t increase, farming only got better from the ideal weather conditions (coincidence) and the kulaks didn’t even support

Question 26

PROBLEM : INDUSTRY

what did witte do, what did stolypin do and explain how effective they were

Answer 26

problem: Russia was incredibly behind, it was more of a cottage industry where people were at home working. the urban population was small, 82% of the population were peasants so they lacked the workforce. Also transportation was very unreliable as the trans-Siberian railway was only one track and so food would quickly go out of date. Moreover there was a lack of government control and Nicholas had such a lack of education in the economy and due to the fact that Russia was in a state of inertia, development of industry stopped due to the bad flow of capital as Russia could not take loans out
witte: he encouraged foreign exports to come to Russia, he put protective tariffs on foreign goods to protect against competition from Europe. He created an attraction of foreign capital in the shape of loans especially from the French and placed currency on the gold standard in 1897 to achieve financial stability and therefore to encourage further foreign investments. He was also squeezing resources out of the peasantry and workers through Low wages, high taxes and exporting surplus grain. this therefore meant Russia was now dependent on foreign loans which could be recalled at short notice and they had to pay interest payments. Also other industries for example textiles when addicted. Agricultural needs ignored which cause rooted discontent and distrust in the government

which also believed in state capitalism, he argued Russia could successfully modernise by planning along the same lines used by Britain, France and USA. He also stressed the importance of railways. he used much of the foreign investment to develop an effective railway system : trans-Siberian railway. It boosted exports and was able to sell items abroad more easily also it connected the railway to remote areas like Moscow and therefore the kms of the railway doubled . The fact that the railway doubled was impressive but it was costly and not as impressive as other parts of Europe for example Russia had 11 times fewer kilometres of tracks than Germany and it was also unreliable and took too long so food rotted

there was economic growth and this was called the great spurt. It improved balance of trade as for example in 1901 to 1910 Russia exported 186 million rubles more than importing and the railway enabled him to exploit its natural resources for example oil and gas from Siberia more effectively. witte also increased industrial output for example in 1890, 5.9 and in 1910 26.8 million tons and by 1900 Russia took over to France as the fourth largest Iron producer in the world and this led to rapid expansion of cities, as large-scale manufacturers attracted people seeking employment. for example Saint Petersburg doubled in size from 1890 to 1914 from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 and the income from industry rose . however in 1902 an international slump occurred and Russia could not sell their products and Russia still lagged behind other major powers from sample Austria Hungary expanded national income by 79% from 1894 to 1913 compared to Russia’s 50% and as a result thousands of new industrial workers lost their jobs. also the harvest of 1900-1902 was so bad there was a lack of food and this led to peasant uprisings

EXPLANATION: therefore witte tried to transform Russia from being a cottage industry to an industrial, by implementing lots of good ideas like extending the railway system for transportation and to increase exports. Despite his ideas sounding very good and beneficial for the economy, it actually turned out that they were quite unreliable and he completely neglected the peasants and agriculture itself which led to peasant uprisings. Russia also suffered the consequences of boring loans from France

STOLYPIN: there was an industrial boom because of improvement in global trade but this was not from stolypin if anything during stolypin workers lives got harder and there was an increase in strikes for example in 1911 there were 24 strikes and in 1914 there were 2401 strikes

EXPLANATION: therefore witte had a much bigger impact than stolypin

Question 27

HOW SERIOUS A THREAT TO NICHOLAS WAS THE OPPOSITION IN THE PERIOD FROM 1894-1905

opposition group: LIBERALS

Answer 27

The liberals wanted reform

evidence they were a threat: they demanded that Russia should be governed in a similar way to western European democracies and they wanted a representative constituent assembly and wanted freedom of speech which dilutes the authority of nicholas

evidence they were NOT a threat: they don’t have the ability to pursue their ideas as they can’t challenge Nicholas’ autocracy and their meetings needed to be a secret

explanation : therefore the liberals were a slight threat as they threatened Nicholas’ autocracy and caused problems in the duma. but the fact that they couldn’t actually pursue their ideas as it was illegal limits their threat to Nicholas

Question 28

HOW SERIOUS A THREAT TO NICHOLAS WAS THE OPPOSITION IN THE PERIOD FROM 1894-1905

opposition group: OCTOBRISTS

Answer 28

Octobrists also wanted reform

evidence they were a threat: they wanted changes to the system of government and this challenged Nicholas autocracy

evidence they were not a threat : they displayed loyalty to the Czar and supported Nicholas’s October manifesto

explanation : very slight threat as they challenged Nicholas’ autocracy but the fact that they displayed loyalty to the Czar and supported the October manifesto meant they’d never actually physically threatens the tsar and never act on their ideals

Question 29

HOW SERIOUS A THREAT TO NICHOLAS WAS THE OPPOSITION IN THE PERIOD FROM 1894-1905

opposition group: KADETS

Answer 29

evidence they were a threat: they wanted a constitutional monarchy and opposed the first duma which challenges Nicholas’ autocracy

evidence they were not a threat: they had a very small number of people and they were mainly middle-class. they had no organised political party and little support from peasants which limited the influence on policies

explanation: therefore the kadets had a slight threat as they threatened Nicholas’ autocracy and caused problems in the Duma. but the fact that they lacked numbers and had limited influence meant that the physical threat from the kadets like an uprising was very unlikely

The liberals Octobersits and kadets were very disunited as they had the same views but didn’t work together: they all wanted reform and if they had have worked together they may have had a bigger threat to Nicholas

Question 30

HOW SERIOUS A THREAT TO NICHOLAS WAS THE OPPOSITION IN THE PERIOD FROM 1894-1905

opposition group: POPULISTS

Answer 30

evidence they were a threat: from the populist movement the SRs emerged. They argued that agricultural communes and cooperative workshops would provide a base for the Russian economy to develop without restoring to capitalism. they said what the people wanted to hear and were revolutionaries

evidence they were not a threat: they failed to mobilise large-scale support, and were successful in preaching to peasants. They wanted to spread the message as peasants were the largest group so they could’ve changed things but peasant groups were isolated and lacked collective unity to ever deliver change

explanation: therefore they were more than a slight threat because despite the populists themselves not having much luck in mobilising large-scale support the peasants, the SR’s emerged from the populists which had a hugely significant impact/threat

Question 31

HOW SERIOUS A THREAT TO NICHOLAS WAS THE OPPOSITION IN THE PERIOD FROM 1894-1905

opposition group: SRs

Answer 31

evidence they were a threat : by 1905 the group had split into a more radical left-wing and moderate right-wing. The left to use violence ( for example 2000 political killings from 1901-1905 including the grand Duke sergei). The right worked with other parties/groups gathering support and they appealed to the peasants. And they had the most support from opposition parties and were the biggest threat to czarist rule before 1917 October revolution. also the okhrana was constantly chasing them and they wanted to improve the living conditions of the poorest in society and they were violent revolutionaries

explanation : the sr’s were the biggest threat as the left used physical force which vastly threatened the Czars autocracy. and Despite the right not using physical force, they did gain the support of opposition parties which still threatens autocracy and therefore they were the biggest threat to Nicholas

Question 32

HOW SERIOUS A THREAT TO NICHOLAS WAS THE OPPOSITION IN THE PERIOD FROM 1894-1905

opposition group: SD’s

Answer 32

evidence they were a threat: lenin 1901 produced a pamphlet and it outlined the idea that a complete overthrow of the tsarist system of rule could be achieved by workers. Bolsheviks frequently used terrorism to achieve their aims for example the robbery of banks to gain funds but the authorities did not take them that seriously and the highest figures only added up to 25,000 figures. The rising worker radicalism caused the tsar to allow the legalisation of political parties in 1905

evidence they were not a threat: overall the SDs wanted to improve pay and lower working hours and improve conditions for workers = not that threatening. but lenin’s 1901 pamphlet had minimal impact because lenin’s views caused a division in the SD movement between the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks SO they were divided not united

explanation : therefore the SDs were a huge threat as they used physical force which significantly threatened autocracy however the pamphlet had minimal impact and therefore the SRs were a more greater threat than the SDs

Question 33

WHICH WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSE OF THE 1905 REVOLUTION

cause: russo- japanese war

Answer 33

description: Poor performance of the Russian military added to the discontent of the people. The sense of patriotism was lost and the peasant/working-class mutinied ( for example the sailors of the battleship Potemkin mutinied in the summer of 1905 which alarmed the government and there was a fear for more mutinies) which threatened the stability of Russia’s government. The Battle of the tshushima where 2/3 of the Russian Navy were sunk by the Japanese and the Battle of mukden where 89,000 of the 300,000 Russian soldiers involved died- clearly illustrates that the military was weak and poorly lead and was extremely inferior to other powers and had serious flaws. Nicholas‘s popularity decreased and anti-war protests and strikes in Saint Petersburg occurred

explanation : there was a fear that if sailors mutinied, more would follow and do the same. And the fact that Nicholas‘s popularity in the army decreased weakened his ability to deal with the troubles in other areas and therefore the Russo Japanese War was not the most important cause of the 1905 revolution (the urban industrial problems were ) but they were of an important cause

Question 34

WHICH WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSE OF THE 1905 REVOLUTION

cause: political problems

Answer 34

there was a growing support for political groups that were influenced by populism and Marxism for example the SRs, SDs etc, and this growing support was in response to the war. struve and fellow liberals wanted greater freedom to the people eg freedom of speech. There was a formation of pressure groups like the union of peasants in July 1905, liberal intelligentsia and the middle-class. The union of peasants wanted land reforms and wanted a democratic constituent assembly, union of unions were a group of leaders representing professionals and the zemstive wanted a democratic constituent assembly. workers started to attack government buildings and the commercial class seeing other people seeing political advances, started to join the kadets, Sr’s etc because they wanted reforms like freedom of speech. the commercial class was the middle class and they wanted capitalism so overall people are disunited and were being watched by the okhrana

EXPLANATION: therefore the people wanted to have a fair constitution, not just Nicholas choosing and creating laws. This increased political groups but the political groups were disunited and watched by the okhrana so therefore the political problems were extremely important but the fact that they were unable to make a change on their own and couldn’t act on their beliefs as it was illegal, does not make the political problems the most important. the urban industrial problems were the main reason

Question 35

WHICH WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSE OF THE 1905 REVOLUTION

cause: urban (industrial) problem

Answer 35

putilov strike 2nd of January 1905, 12,000 workers in Saint Petersburg went on strike over 4 workers being sacked due to the fact that they joined a trade union as they were illegal. Strikes were common but they were illegal but putilov did not seem to suggest the start of a revolution. Bloody Sunday putilov workers and others met on 9th of January 1905 to March and present a petition demanding an eight hour day, freedom of speech and an elected assembly. It was led by father gapon. 150,000 arrived and Chaos insured. armed infantry rather than Cossacks fired upon protesters and killed over 200 people and injuring more. Therefore demand for industrial reform became unified after 1904 where plehov allowed some workers to legally form a trade union. In September 1905 a wave of strikes also occurred for example there was a general strike in October campaigning for improved wages, shorter working hours and better working conditions. Moreover the cost of living went up by 20% which highly affected workers and there was a high tax for peasants and high mortgages for peasants and therefore the living and working conditions deteriorated. for example workers had a 10 to 12 hour day, minimum of six days a week and the working class in Saint Petersburg doubled from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 so they were already living in cramped living conditions and poor quality housing. and therefore unemployment following the 1902 trade occurred and there was a lack of support for the unemployed

explanation: The putilov strikes intention was not to overthrow the political system they just wanted reforms and the fact that 200 people were short on bloody Sunday would inevitably cause opposition to Nicholas as it deteriorates the little father image they had of him. also lots of illegal strikes followed despite them being illegal and therefore the urban industrial problems were the most important cause of the 1905 revolution as without workers Russia would be and have nothing. and also they acted on their beliefs whereas political parties couldn’t as it was illegal so without the war there would’ve been no inspiration for workers and the fact that they are the base of power and the key supporters was the most important reason too as they’re the largest groups

Question 36

WHICH WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSE OF THE 1905 REVOLUTION

cause: agricultural problems

Answer 36

peasant protests linked to poor harvests in 1902 as 1 in 4 harvest failed.

also there were high taxes and mortgages for peasants and poor commune action so they couldn’t join together

and therefore agricultural problems were the least important as they were illiterate and had poor communication so they couldn’t unite or cause a revolution

Question 37

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

political: mutiny on potemkin

Answer 37

in June 1905, the crew of the Potemkin mutinied while at sea. The incident began as a protest by the sailors having to eat rotten meat. The sailors then elected a representative to complain to the captain and his immediate response was to have the man shot. In retaliation the crew attacked the officers, killed several of them and then took over the ship. They then sailed to the Port of Odessa and the people especially anti-government strikers welcomed the sailors as heroes. However troops were ordered to disperse the crowds but they trampled on people and drove hundreds into the sea so the death toll was thousands. and the Potemkin then left Odessa and sailed around the Black Sea for safer land

explanation : this was deeply troubling to Russian authorities. A government that cannot rely on the loyalty of its armed services particularly during war is in a very vulnerable position and witte feared the returning troops would join the revolution but the mutinies did not spread and didn’t continue after the war

Question 38

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

political: witte encouraged tsar nicholas II to negotiate peace with japan

Answer 38

this was successfully completed but witte remained frustrated by the inability of the Czar to understand the crisis Russia was in. The end of the war did little to ease the situation and with fear that the returning troops would join the revolution and “then everything would collapse “. witte referred to the government as a “mixture of cowardice, blindness and stupidity “

explanation : even witte, Nicholas’ chairman of the Council of ministers, is criticising the government. So people may be losing faith/respect for Nicholas‘s rule

Question 39

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

political: the august manifesto

Answer 39

it was on witte’s advice that there tsar issued a manifesto in August. This was an attempt to lessen the tensions by making concessions but it didn’t specify how the Duma would be elected or what powers it must have. They did not work as in September a series of strikes had begun

explanation : The fact that strikes began could mean Nicholas is incompetent as everything he does backfires on him

Question 40

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

political: the october manifesto

Answer 40

A liberal scheme proposed by witte. it grants civil liberties life freedom of speech, the need for a Duma or Parliament and for political parties to form. But Nicholas just proposed this, it didn’t actually happen so it never became law or true. The October manifesto was to please the liberals

explanation: Nicholas was satisfying the liberals appetite for reform and the liberals did see it as a success but the Duma was not intended to be, nor did it become a limitation on Nicholas‘s authority or autocracy

Question 41

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

political: fundamental laws

Answer 41

majority of the laws were about maintaining the status quo except 67 “freedom of religion is granted not only to Christians of foreign denominations also to Jews, Muslims… etc”

explanation: Nicholas is insuring he maintains full autocracy

Question 42

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

urban: formation of soviets

Answer 42

by October 1905, the industrial unrest had grown into a general strike. In a number of cities workers formed themselves into an elected Soviet. The soviet began as organisations to represent the workers demands for better conditions

explanation: this threatens Nicholas‘s rule as they are demanding and people are coming together. Also general strikes hurt the economy

Question 43

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

urban: siege of the st petersburg soviet hq

Answer 43

The government felt strong enough to crush the Soviets. After a five day siege the HQ was stormed and the ringleaders including Trotsky were arrested

explanation: this could make Nicholas feel secure in his rule as the threat has been arrested which made his rule a lot easier

Question 44

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

urban: uprising in moscow

Answer 44

7th of December, Mensheviks and SRs came together in the Moscow Soviet to organise a general strike. Encouraged by their success in this, they then seized post offices, railway stations etc in an attempt to take over the whole city. However czarist regiments were rushed to Moscow. There they used heavy artillery to force the insurgents to a confined area. To avoid being slaughtered, the Soviets resistors surrendered on December 18th. the 12 day uprising led to the death of over 1000 people, martial law being imposed and prisons were filled up and the Soviets fell apart as the members have been arrested. Nicholas wants to take away everything from the October manifesto and replace it with the fundamental laws

explanation: it presents Nicholas as very violent. 1000 civilians were killed but again this could make Nicholas feel safe as the threat has been arrested

Question 45

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

urban: stolypin neckties and cars

Answer 45

stolypin is the Council of ministers chairman in 1906 July.

“suppression first and then, and only then reform “.

stolypin’s courts convincted 16,500 people of political enemies. 3600 was sentenced to death and 4500 sent to hard labour in prison camps. Up to 3000 suspected revolutionaries were executed from 1906 to 1911 by hangman’s noose. = stolypin’s necktie was first coined by the Duma. stolypin did not like this so he challenge the man who came up with it to a duel but an apology ended the issue but the phrase stuck. a huge amount of blood shed and the economy did not develop

explanation: no amount of persecution was able to stop the strikes or unrest. Many of the revolutionary leaders moved to avoid execution and they continued their work in exile for example lenin went to London

Question 46

what were the immediate consequences of the 1905 revolution

rural: mortgage repayment and land reform

Answer 46

peasants were appeased. In November the government announced that mortgage payments were to be reduced and then abolished altogether. This resulted in a drop in land seizures by the peasants and the peasants quickly excepted and this derevolutionised the peasants. However one in for harvest failed and it still went back to awful conditions

land reform: stolypin wanted to improve farming , boost the economy, reduce peasants rebelling and derevolutionise the peasants. stolypin called it a “wager on the strong “to create a class of prosperous, productive peasants who would farm independently (kulaks)

stolypin tries to abandon strop farming: As it was exhausting the land and the peasant communes were discouraged. stolypin wants the peasants to see they have the responsibility to feed the whole of Russia, not just feed themselves.stolypin hoped that the new class kulaks of peasant landowners would feel they had a state in the system.

stolypin set up peasant land banks to provide funds for the independent peasants to buy land which had low interest credit. Unused/poorly utilise land was made available to the peasant landbanks. Outstanding repayments for peasant mortgages were cancelled, reducing the debts from emancipation in 1860s and schemes for large-scale voluntary resettlement implemented

explanation:
when the government announced that mortgage payments were to be reduced and then abolished altogether, this was Nicholas taking a financial hit but he did get control back so looks like a little father again. To some extent you could argue that stolypin’s land reforms did work as in 1913 there was a record harvest but it was ultimately down to optimal weather not stolypin.

Strip farming was still widespread as only 16% of farms stopped strip farming. Wealthier peasants, kulaks, were not satisfied with reforms as they realised the land was not fertile. By 1914 2 million peasants had left the village, leaving the areas very short of labour making it challenging to supply the growing populations of the industrial cities which made wages lower and overcrowded cities. But Stolypin does successfully Derevolutionise the peasants in the short term but there were no long-term problems like harvests as that was just luck from the weather

Question 47

which was the greater problem for the czarist government in the 1905 revolution

the liberals

Answer 47

Nicholas issued the October manifesto in October to grant freedom of speech and the Duma to please and target the liberals but it never actually became a law or true . also liberal organisations combined in the union of unions

explanation : The union of unions is a slight problem as they are demanding a constituent assembly however Nicholas pleases them by the October manifesto . also the fact that the liberals are a small group and to disunited lessens the threat to the czarist government. Also they want reform but they don’t want revolutionary change which also illustrates that they were not the greatest problem for the czarist government and although they were close to the base of power they were extremely disunited. therefore the greatest problem for the czarist government was the industrial workers

Question 48

which was the greater problem for the czarist government in the 1905 revolution

the industrial workers

Answer 48

from January 3 to January 8 120,000 workers strike in Saint Petersburg wanting better working conditions

January 9 bloody Sunday was meant to be a peaceful march. 150,000 striking workers and their families were led by far the gapon. They protested and made a petition for shorter working days eight hours and increased wages as they were being overworked in the Russo Japanese War for nothing. But the Cossacks fired on the workers and 200 were killed, hundreds were injured and this damaged Nicholas’s reputation. Father gapon said “Comrade workers, tear up all portraits of the bloodsucking tsar and say to him : be thou damned “.

February the commercial class forms the Union of unions which wanted a constituent assembly. October 6 railway workers joined the strike which paralysed the Russian economy as thousands were killed as army were asked to disperse strikers and were forced into the sea. 
October 12 strike action developed into a general strike where 2 million workers were involved and this utterly crippled the economy, communication, and infrastructure. Commercial peasants and working-class support this but peasants didn’t actually strike 

explanation : This was a huge problem for Nicholas a strikes were illegal, 200 innocent people were killed in bloody Sunday which led to father gapon losing respect in Nicholas. Also thousands were killed in the October strike which made Nicolas seem like the “bloodsucking tsar “this kicked off revolution and was a constant threat and therefore the industrial workers were the greatest problem for the czarist government in the 1905 revolution

Question 49

which was the greater problem for the czarist government in the 1905 revolution

the peasants

Answer 49

In February the peasants attacked public buildings and peasant seized land and property. and in July Russian peasant union was formed and they wanted land reforms and a change to the system of mortgage payments

explanations : this was a slight problem but not massive as they just wanted land reforms and they didn’t even participate in the strikes. They are seizing land everywhere though and this made it difficult for Nicholas to deal with it as he didn’t know if he was supported by the army

Question 50

which was the greater problem for the czarist government in the 1905 revolution

the soviets

Answer 50

in October the industrial workers worked and soldiers formed into the Soviets and campaigned for improved wages, shorter hours and better conditions.

This was a parallel system of government. This actually did threaten Nicholas as it was mainly made by revolutionary parties.

Uprising in Moscow led to the deaths of over 1000 people, martial law being imposed and this made the Soviet less threatening as the Soviets fell apart as their members had been arrested.

also the siege of the Saint Petersburg Soviet HQ made the soviets an even smaller problem too as the ringleaders were arrested so they were a threat in terms of a geographical threat as they were the base of power and only in the cities

explanation: at first the Soviets were a huge problem as they were a parallel system of government but the fact that during the uprising in Moscow and the st petersburg hq siege, the leaders were arrested, lessens the problem entirely. but they did undermine autocracy and although were not the greatest problem for the czarist government government in the 1905 revolution (the industrial workers were) they definitely were the second greatest problem

Question 51

which was the greater problem for the czarist government in the 1905 revolution

military

Answer 51

in June 1905 the military on the Potemkin were a big problem as Czar Nicholas II feared that other mutinies would occur however after the war they didn’t.

explanation : this was a big problem as losing the army meant that nicholas had less power and Nicholas would struggle to deal with other problems and lose his ability to respond to perceived threats. He also feared of others mutinying but he abandoned the Russo Japanese War to prevent this

Question 52

Who was more successful in dealing with the problems confronting Russia between 1894 to 1914

witte

Answer 52

witte wanted to industrialise the economy. He encouraged foreign exports to come to Russia and made protected tariffs on foreign goods to protect against competition from Europe. He placed currency on the gold standard in 1897 to achieve financial stability. He also used much of the foreign investment to develop an effective railway system the trans-Siberian railway. It boosted exports enabled them to sell abroad which enabled them to gain more money. It connect to the railway to remote areas like Moscow and the kilometres of the railway doubled. However it was costly and not as impressive as other parts of Europe for example Russia had 11 times few kilometres of tracks than Germany and they were extremely unreliable and took so long so food rotted. Also there was economic growth “great spurt” . it improved balance of trade for example in 1901 to 1910 Russia exported 186 million rubles more than importing and with increased industrial output.
for example in 1890 there was 5.9 and in 1910 there was 26.8 million tons and by 1900 Russia overtook France as the fourth largest iron producer in the world and lead to rapid expansion of cities. For example Saint Petersburg doubled in size from 1890 to 1914 from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000. But in 1902 there was an international slump and as a result hundreds of new industrial workers lost their job and Russia could not sell their products and still like behind other major powers like Austria Hungary.

explanation: witte was more successful than stolypin as he tried to transform Russia from being a cottage industry to an industrial, to aid efficiency and to aid the economy. His ideas may have been unreliable like the railway and Russia may have suffered the consequences of borrowing loans from France, but he still implemented many more ideas in stolypin and one may say he was more successful than stolypin because of the successful statistics like the economic growth growth for example witte increased industrial output from 5.9 in 1890 to 26,800,000 tons in 1910.

Question 53

Who was more successful in dealing with the problems confronting Russia between 1894 to 1914

stolypin

Answer 53

stolypin wanted to improve agriculture and clean up the 1905 revolution. He wanted to abandon strip farming to make farming more efficient but this was not achieved as only 16% stopped strip farming.

He wanted to spread the peasants out to make farming more efficient but it didn’t lead to better harvests. He created kulaks and peasant land banks and peasant land banks provided funds for independent peasants to buy land but this land was not fertile. and kulaks were not satisfied and weren’t loyal. By 1914 2 million peasants had left the village leaving areas very short of labour, making it challenging to supply the growing population of industrial cities and this made wages lower and overcrowded cities. He also removed mortgage payments which meant peasants wouldn’t seize land .

explanation: compare to wits successes Stolle Penn only achieved 16% stop strip farming and the culex were not loyal. He may have stopped/reduced peasants from seizing land but by 1914 2 million peasants had left the obschinas anyway, leaving area short of labour and this made it challenging to supply the growing population

Question 54

first duma: april to june 1906

Answer 54

The key people/parties: reformist parties dominated the assembly like the kadets

policies of the Duma: reformist parties demanded that the rights and powers of the Duma to be increased, they wanted abolition of the death penalty and a fair tax system and freedom of speech. But ivan Georemrkin The chief minister told them that their demands were inadmissible. A day later in frustration 200 kadet and labouriet deputies reassembled at Viborg in Finland where they drew up an appeal, urging the people of Russia to defy their government into main ways. Refusing to pay taxes and disobeying conscription orders. But the deputies made a tactical error. The response from the Russians was just scattered violence not widespread disobedience and they provided the government with an excuse to retaliate as there was little response from ordinary people. The Finland group of deputies were arrested, debarred from re-election to the Duma

why did it end: The crushing of the vyborg group was the prelude to stolypins introduction of a policy of fierce repression . Martial law was proclaimed and military courts quelled disturbances which resulted in thousands of executions and the failure of the rebellious Duma deputies in 1906 had serious long-term effects like the cadet party being humiliated. they were dissolved and stolypin became minister

Question 55

second duma: february to june 1907

Answer 55

key people / parties : The kadets lost half their seats. And these were filled by the SDs and SRs which made the new assembly strongly radical and anti-government. The right-wing parties increased and there was a clash between revolutionaries and right-wing parties

policies : they were hostile to the government. They opposed stolypin’s land program even though he was willing to work for the Duma and the Duma directed a strong attack on the way the Imperial army was organised and deployed. The SD and SR deputies were accused of engaging in subversion

why did it end : Nicholas ordered that the assembly was to be dissolved.This was because the okhrana said that the SD had a plot to assassinate the Czar and a day after dissolving Nicholas made a new electoral system where 1 out of 10 men could vote, no peasants and workers. the wealthiest 1% of the electorate controlled 66% of all seats in the new Duma, trade unions were banned again and anyone trying to form a workers organisation or call the strike could be arrested

Question 56

third duma: november 1907 to june 1912

Answer 56

key people: heavily dominated by right-wing parties and any criticisms of tsardon were now much more muted and dominated by gentry, landowners and businessmen. The election was rigged by stolypin to produce more cooperative deputies from moderate parties

policies: they are more cooperative with stolypin, enabling him to pursue his land reforms without opposition from the deputies. But this Duma wasn’t entirely subservient, it exercised its right to question ministers and to discuss state finances and also use this committee system to make important proposals for modernising the armed services and approved social reform measures that included setting up schools for children of the poor and national insurance for industrial workers. Significantly strengthened the armies so that they can be counted on in times of revolution which gave Nicholas the policies he wanted

why did it end: after 1909 there was opposition to his plan to build for battleships. In 1911 he proposed extending the zemstva to western parts of the empire and the bill was seated in the upper house stolypin offered to resign but he pushes things Further threatening Nicholas’ autocracy and Nicholas make stolypin the enemy and stolypin is assassinated in 1911

Question 57

fourth duma november 1912- august 1914 (stops at war)

Answer 57

key people: duma chairman rodzianko and was dominated by right-wing parties willing to cooperate

policies: Less openly obstructive compared to earlier dumas they criticise Nicholas for lena goldfields massacre 1912

they also called for the tsar to abdicate in 1912

why did it end: Summer of 1914 it resolves itself so nicholas could focus on the war but it recalls itself in 1915 as the war was so bad

Question 58

how far do you agree that revolution had been stifled

Answer 58

The public were pleased by the promise of an elected duma and so revolutionaries lost support and were isolated. The okhrana crippled revolutionary organisations as they spied, tapped phones, open mail, tortured and made sudden arrest of key members. In Saint Petersburg the army was used to put down across the Bolshevik rising and in the countryside the army was used to crush peasant resistance 15,000 hanged of 45,000 deported. The black hundred gang attacked anti czarists and over 3000 people killed by them in one year. Mass arrests of opponents and these opponents were disunited as they had little in common with each other and the army stay loyal to Nicholas of the mutinies and the ending of the Japanese Russo war

However during 1905 Nicholas’ October manifesto actually fuelled revolution as they demanded more however overall it seems that revolution had been stifled

Question 59

how far do you agree that Russia was becoming a functioning democracy

Answer 59

agree = first few steps at becoming a functioning democracy as people were allowed to vote but this was only men over 45 and only nobles elected their representative directly to the Duma but it was a start. four dumas were elected between 1906 and 1917 and the Duma passed legislation to set up schools for poor children and insurance scheme for workers in the third Duma

disagree = The duma was only there to give Nicholas advice as overall the Czar could dissolve the Duma whenever he wanted to, issue laws by decree, appoint his own ministers, kept control foreign policy and the armed forces. The voting systems in the third and 4th duma re formed twice to ensure more right-wing and political divisions were still as big of a divide as before. The Duma was an experiment to appease people after the 1905 revolution and the political parties undermined by the okhrana challenge desire and 2000 illegal political strikes happened which shows that it was not a democracy

Question 60

how far do you agree that Russia had a boom economy with a middle-class increasing in size and importance

Answer 60

agree = The pig iron and coal the essentials of heavy industry more or less doubled. Coal production in 1910 was at 16, million tonnes and in 1913 36 million tonnes. Substantial increase in the amount of cotton goods produced suggests that ordinary Russians had money to spend and it suggests that demand for consumer goods would m create more jobs and Russia is exporting more than importing

disagree= The working class were increasing in size quicker but the middle-class vote and voice was taken away after the second Duma and the middle-class Russians looked enviously at western European countries when middle classes were dominant

Question 61

how far do you agree that many of the peasants’ grievances had been dealt with

Answer 61

agree= After stolypin’s wager on the strong, peasants owned more land and in 1877 owned less than one third of the land but by 1917 they owned nearly half. By 1913 3 million settlers had taken up land in Siberia, agricultural productivity increased, the countryside was relatively quiet between 1909 and 1913 and the peasant landbank lent money to peasants to invest in new farming methods

disagree = half 1 million returned as the land was not fertile

Question 62

how far do you agree that many workers were better off

Answer 62

after the peasants from the countryside moved to the city and they had kids who were born in the city, they were by 1914 more literate than most peasants

disagree = they still had low wages, long hours, dangerous working conditions and although some workers were covered by an insurance scheme, for most there was no welfare system to deal with desperate poverty. Also strikes increased, 466 strikes in 1911 with over 100,000 workers involved and in 1914 there was 3534 strikes with over 1.5 million workers involved

Question 63

was Russia on the verge of revolution in 1914

Answer 63

revolution overall had been stifled as people were being threatened by groups like the black hundreds. Although Russia was not becoming a functional democracy and many of the workers were not better off, this would not have caused a revolution as all the classes were so divided and disunited. The fact that the peasant’s grievances had been dealt with and land seizures ended and overall the economy was booming , In Nicholas‘s eyes there was no sign of any revolution