The rule of Tsar Nicholas II

Question 1

What classes make up Russian society? (in order of highest to lowest)

Answer 1

• Tsar
• Aristocracy
• Clergy
• Bourgeoisie
• Army/secret police
• Peasants/workers

Question 2

As a man how can Nicholas II be described?

Answer 2

A man of weakness and limited outlook who ruled the nation

Question 3

How did Nicholas II’s reign get of to a bad start?

Answer 3

• Due to drunkness and poor crowd
  control over 1000 people died in a
  stampede celebrating his
  coronation.
• Despite Nicholas’s own interests to
  care for injured, He was encouraged
  to continue with evening plans,
  attending a banquet at French
  embassy given there were
  important financial backers present.
• While Russians died in the street
  Nicholas opened the dancing at the
  French embassy.
• Impression that he was callous and
  uncaring spread.

Question 4

Describe Nicholas II’s politics.

Answer 4

He continued Alexander’s Russification policies:
- Severely enforced policy of
restricting the influence of the non-
Russian national minorities within
the empire by emphasising
superiority of all things Russian.
- The aim was to impose Russian
ways on all peoples within the
empire.
- The nationalists who suffered the
most were the Baltic Germans, the
Poles, The Finns, the Armenians and
Ukrainians.
- State interference on their
education, religion and culture was
widespread.

Question 5

Who were the greatest victims of Russification?

Answer 5

• The Jewish population (anti-
  semitism).
• Jewish people were forced to live in
  ghettos.
• The Black Hundreds (a nationalist
  group) were notorious for their
  attacks on Jews.
• The Tsar actively encouraged these
  and used Jews as scapegoats.
• In total over 600 new measures
  were introduced, imposing heavy
  social, political and economic
  restrictions on the Jewish
  population.

Question 6

What were the economic problems at the start of Nicholas II’s reign?

Answer 6

• Serfdom ended but peasants still
  tied to village communes (mirs) =
  little free movement of labour.
• Population doubles 1861-1914 to
  130 million.
• 1880 still subsistence farming - only
  half of agricultural land was
  producing surplus - mostly owned
  by nobles.
• Very small business class
• Russia had insufficient funds to
  invest in modernisation.

Question 7

Who was Serge Witte?

Answer 7

• 1880-90’s = railroad manager.
• 1889-91 = director of railway affairs
  in finance ministry.
• 1892-1903 = finance minister.
• 1903-1905 = chair of citee of
  ministers.
• 1905-1906 = prime minister.
• Oversaw building of Trans-Siberian
  railway as director of railway affairs.
• Sympathetic to needs and aims of
  business class.

Question 8

Who were the two finance ministers before Witte?

Answer 8

• 1881-87 Nikolai Bunge.
• 1889-91 Ivan Vyshnegradsky.

Question 9

What did the finance minister Nikolai Bunge do?

Answer 9

• Passed law to reduce tax burden on
  peasants.
• Created a peasant land bank which
  offered loans to peasants to
  increase their land holdings and
  make them more productive.
• Abolition of poll-tax and
  introduction of inheritance tax
  (1883-86).

Question 10

What did the finance minister Ivan Vyshnegradsky do?

Answer 10

• Financial incentives for peasants to
  migrate to Siberia.
• 1890’s begins to finance Russian
  economic development from foreign
  loans, mainly from Britain and
  France.

Question 11

Desribe State capitalism during Witte’s ‘great spurt’ of 1892-1903.

Answer 11

• Economic development sponsored
  and directed by government:
  Believed state should provide the
  means (transport, markets and
  money) and private businessman
  conduct the actual economic
  development.

Question 12

During Witte’s ‘great spurt’ what were his main emphasises?

Answer 12

• Main emphasis placed on
  production of capital goods - Iron,
  Steel, Coal, oil and textiles.
• Emphasis on comms… Trans-
  Siberian Railway, opening up
  Siberia. incomplete in places in
  1914.
• 31000km (1891) to 53000km (1900)
  to 70000km (1913).

Question 13

Who helped to finance Witte’s ‘great spurt’ from abroad?

Answer 13

• The most developed countries…
  Britain, France and Belgium.
• 26% (1890) to 41% (1915) but by
  1900 20% budget used for debt and
  only 2% used for education.

Question 14

How did Witte attract foreign investment during his ‘great spurt’?

Answer 14

• 1897 backed rouble with gold
  standard (backing currency with
  gold reserve).
• Foreigners owned almost half of
  Russian shares by 1914.

Question 15

What did Witte do with taxes’s for peasantry during ‘great spurt”?

Answer 15

• Extra taxes levied on the peasantry
  to pay for investment and build gold
  reserve.

Question 16

How did Witte protect protect Horne industries during his ‘great spurt’?

Answer 16

• Protected by high import duties
  against foreign competition 1887
  and 1891 - helped protect metal
  industry, hit textile producers.

Question 17

What was the impact of the Witte system on production of coal, iron and oil?

Answer 17

• Production rose.
• 1880-1890 coal increases 5.9Mt
  1890 - 1900 it rises 16.1Mt 1900 -
  1910 it rises 26.8Mt. (but remember
  population was growing too)

Question 18

What year was the Trans-Siberian available for use?

Answer 18

1903 = Siberia resources accessible

Question 19

What was the impact of the Witte system on industrial growth?

Answer 19

Strong growth, particularly of large factories (1900, over 50% industrial workforce in 1000 factories).

Question 20

What was the impact of the Witte system on the urban population?

Answer 20

• large urban population growth (eg.
  1818 -1914 St P = 1M to 2M)
• Poor living and working conditions,
  with many living in slums eg.
  wooden barracks, with 2.7 million
  families separated by partitions
  with no ventialtion.

Question 21

Apart from the impact on industrial growth, production and urban population, what other effects were there as a result of the Witte system?

Answer 21

• military development
• merging of urban and rural lives -
  peasants aged 20-40 often worked
  outside village and then retired to
  their allotment of land and families.
• increase in direct taxes (on products
  = reduces standards of living)
• poor working conditions, brutal
  discipline and low safety standards.
• Russia much more dependant on
  foreign loans and investments.
• Light engineering (eg. machine tool
  production) fell behind heavy
  industry

Question 22

what 3 sections can Tsar Nicholas II’s opposition be split into?

Answer 22

• CONSTITUTIONAL (eg. Zemstva
  calling for a greater say in
  government - ‘senseless dreams’
  largely quiet until 1905)
• PEASANT (increasingly hard line
  following the famine - opposed to
  the influence of the mir, wished to
  reclaim the land from the nobility)
• RADICAL (the rise of marxism as a
  result of Witte’s industrialisation…..
  = most important)

Question 23

Who are Marxists?

Answer 23

Followers of Karl Marx and his beliefs

Question 24

Which political party believed in marxism?

Answer 24

The Social democrats (RSDLP)

Question 25

Who were the Social democrats?

Answer 25

• Formed in 1898 by George
  Plekhanov. He had translated Marx’s
  work and was known as the father
  of Russian marxism.
• Social democrats believed that the
  rapid industrialisation of the late
  19th century would eventually
  produce and industrial working class
  which would revolt and bring about
  the socialist state thats the social
  democrats wanted

Question 26

In 1903 what two groups did the Social democrats split into and later became separate political parties?

Answer 26

Mensheviks and Bolsheviks

Question 27

Who were the Mensheviks?

Answer 27

• Led by Julius Martor.
• They believed that:
  
  1. The party should
     attract as many members as it
     could
  2. The working class in
     Russia was not yet large enough
     to hold a successful revolution.
  3. The Mensheviks should work
     with the SR’s and the liberals so
     that industry could develop and
     a large enough working class
     would eventually be produced.

Question 28

Who led the Bolsheviks?

Answer 28

Vladimir Ulanov, known as Lenin.

Question 29

What did the bolsheviks believe?

Answer 29

• The party should consist of a small
  number of committed members,
  who would carry out the revolution
  on behalf of the industrial working
  class known as ‘proletariat’.
• Since the party would act as the
  ‘vanguard’ of the proletariat and
  carry out the revolution, there was
  no need to wait for the bourgeois.
• There should be no co-operation
  with other parties. The Bolsheviks
  alone would lead the revolution.

Question 30

What weaknesses did the Social democrats have?

Answer 30

• Most of the Bolshevik and
  Menshevik leaders were in foreign
  countries to escape the tsar’s
  secrete police (Okhrana).
• Despite this, the Okhrana had
  managed to place its agents in
  senior positions in the social
  democratic party.
• 1914 3 of 7 man committee were
  police agents.
• To make matters worse, support for
  the Social democrats was divided,
  since the Mensheviks and the
  Bolsheviks increasingly treated each
  other as enemies rather than
  friends.

Question 31

Who were Liberals?

Answer 31

Believed in freedom of speech and that the government should be elected by the people.

Question 32

What was Zemstva?

Answer 32

• In 1864 Tsar Alexander II had
  introduced elected local councils
  which were called Zemstva.
  However the peasants had only 40%
  of the membership.
• Dominated by landowners,
  increasingly these landowners
  supported Liberal views.
• No liberal parties until 1905.

Question 33

Which two parties were formed in 1905 that represented liberal beliefs?

Answer 33

Octobrists and Kadets

Question 34

Who were the Octobrists?

Answer 34

• Hoped for slow gradual reform, to
  be introduced by the tsar.
• They were called the Octobrists
  because they agreed with the Tsar’s
  October manifesto.
• Their main support came from rich
  land owners and large industrialists.

Question 35

Who were the Kadets?

Answer 35

• The Kadets, or constitutional
  democrats, believed in a faster pace
  of reform than octobrists.
• They demanded a national
  parliament elected by the people.
• This would introduce equal rights
  for all people and limit the power of
  the tsar.
• The main support came from
  professionals such as lawyers,
  smaller industrialists and
  landowners.

Question 36

What weaknesses did the liberals have?

Answer 36

• They received very little support
  from the peasants and industrial
  workers.
• Most liberals were frightened by the
  violence and disorder of peasant
  and worker protests.

Question 37

Who were the Populists?

Answer 37

• In the 19th century there were a
  number of who were made up of
  mainly young people.
• They hoped to gain the support of
  the peasantry to force the land
  owners to give up their land and
  divide it amongst the peasants.
• However, in general the peasants
  did not trust them.

Question 38

Who were the ‘people’s will”?

Answer 38

• With the failure to gain support of
  the peasants some populists turned
  to terrorism and formed a group
  called ‘people’s will’.
• Their most significant success was in
  1881 when they asassinated Tsar
  Alexander II with a bomb.

Question 39

Who were the Social revolutionaries (SR’s)?

Answer 39

• Formed in 1901 by Victor Chermov.
• The SR’s were an alliance of various
  populist groups, they wanted to
  abolish land ownership and return
  land to ‘those who worked it’, as a
  result they were very strongly
  supported by peasants.
• The SR’s also hoped to gain the
  support of the industrial workers.
• Their battle organisation continued
  the terror attacks of ‘people’s will’
  1901 - 1905 - 2000

Question 40

What were the weaknesses of the Social revolutionaries?

Answer 40

• Although probably the party with
  most support, the SR’s were not a
  single party, but were made up of
  different groups with different aims.
• The moderates were willing to take
  part in Duma - the parliament set up
  by the tsar in 1906.
• The more extremist SR’s rejected
  the Dumas and wanted a revolution.

Question 41

When was the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 41

8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905

Question 42

What were Russia’s 3 main motives in the Japanese war?

Answer 42

• To pursue an expansionist policy in
  the far east, to make up for what it
  saw as its relative decline in Europe.
• To obtain an ice-free port - all
  Russia’s major ports on its northern
  coastline were frozen up in parts of
  year.
• To distract attention from Russia’s
  domestic troubles by rallying the
  nation in patriotic struggle.

Question 43

Describe the course of the Russo-Japenese war.

Answer 43

• Port Arthur fell to Japan, Jan 1905.
• Russian surrender of Mukden, Feb
  1905.
• Russian fleet destroyed at
  Tsushima, May 1905.. Russia
  surrender.

Question 44

What were the reasons for the Russian defeat in the Russo-Japenese war?

Answer 44

• Military commanders had not
  prepared effectively … poor
  knowledge of opponent and terrain.
• Russian ignorance of conditions
  allowed Japanese to out manoeuvre
  the Russian forces.
• Weak supply line due to large
  distance = lack of men + materials
• Trans-Siberian railway incomplete.

Question 45

What was the effect of Russia’s defeat to the Japanese on public opinion towards the Tsar?

Answer 45

• National humiliation
• Excited social unrest that it had
  been started to help dampen.
• strong cause for 1905 revolution.

Question 46

What are the 2 long term causes of the 1905 revolution?

Answer 46

Economic discontent and political problems

Question 47

Why was their economic discontent among the peasantry helping to cause the 1905 revolution?

Answer 47

• Russia had no income tax, Tsar
  taxed produce to raise money for
  his regime. Tax burden so great riots
  common.
• When peasants freed from serfdom,
  in order to give the peasants land,
  gov had to buy it of farmers. Gov
  made peasants pay this ‘loan’ back
  as redemption payment.
• Common famine such as
  widespread famine in 1901. Even
  though they did not have enough to
  feed themselves, they were
  expected to produce surplus grain
  for export.

Question 48

Why was their economic discontent among the workers helping to cause the 1905 revolution?

Answer 48

• Terrible working conditions and
  trade unionism was banned so little
  to protect safety/pay of workers.
  ..11.5 hr working day.
• Horrendous living conditions,
  developers struggled to deal with
  demand for accommodation.
• Limited sanitation + water, high
  mortality rate.
• Due to pop increase…. urbanisation
  due to industrialisation.

Question 49

how were political problems a cause (long term) for the 1905 revolution?

Answer 49

• Ethnic minorities greatly oppressed
  by Russification.
• Jewish people persecuted by state-
  sanctioned programs.
• Influence of Zemstva was reduced.
• Officials criticising gov were purged.
• Middle class industrialists were
  unhappy that they had no say in
  how the country was run.
• Increased industrialisation and
  urbanisation had led to major social
  and economic problems for workers
  and peasants.
• Discontent provided revolutionaries
  groups with a bed of support that
  could be used to create change.

Question 50

What were the 2 short term causes of the 1905 revolution?

Answer 50

• Defeat in R-J war
• Bloody sunday

Question 51

How did the protests start that led to bloody sunday?

Answer 51

• 3rd Jan, 5 men sacked from Putilov -
  factory St P.
• 7th Jan, 105,000 workers on strike in
  protest.
• Sunday 9th Jan, Father Gapon
  organises large demonstration,
  banned by police. Governor general
  deploys thousands of troops.

Question 52

Describe the events of Bloody sunday when the crowds march to winter palace?

Answer 52

• Crowds demand reforms, singing
  national anthem.
• Troops try to disperse crowd by
  persuasion then by firing on them.
• Some marchers reach palace
  square, soldiers use rifles + artillery
  to fire on them. 200 killled, 800
  wounded, woman, children = Father
  Gapon.

Question 53

How was bloody sunday a cause for the 1905 revolution?

Answer 53

• Peasants appalled tsar would kill
  priest, children and woman.
• Revolutionaries expelled form St P,
  spreading the news.
• Strikes in major cities, Milyukov led
  the liberal groups in a “union of
  unions”, peasants seizure of land,
  Soviets formed, mutinies in services
  eg. Potemkin mutiny.

Question 54

how were soviets formed during 1905 revolution?

Answer 54

• In a number of cities, workers
  formed themselves into an elected
  soviet.
• They began as organisations
  to represent the workers demands
  for better conditions.
• their potential as bases for political
  agitation was immediately
  recognised by revolutionaries.
• Trotsky became leader of St P
  soviet, organising several strikes in
  capital.

Question 55

How did the Tsar/Gov recover from 1905 revolution?

Answer 55

• Return of Witte.
• Tsar issued October manifesto.
• Liberals placated, peasants bought
  off, workers crushed.
• Fundemental laws restored tsar’s
  absolute power.

Question 56

What was the October manifesto?

Answer 56

• On Witte’s advice, Tsar agrees to
  manifesto promising reforms to
  appease opposition groups.
• Accepted proposal for elected
  national representative parliament
  (Duma) with real power - no laws
  would be made without its
  parliament.
• Proposed freedom of speech and
  religion; civil rights; and legal unions.
• More constitutional monarchy than
  autocracy.

Question 57

What do the government announce in November 1905?

Answer 57

Redemption payments will be reduced and then abolished altogether.

Question 58

What were the reaction of the opposition parties to the October Manifesto?

Answer 58

• Octobrists: accept manifesto as an
  important final reform.
• Kadets: accept manifesto as the first
  step to more reform.
• Mensheviks, Bolsheviks and SR’s:
  not satisfied with the manifesto and
  wanted more radical reform.

Question 59

How was concession a factor in the failure of the 1905 revolution?

Answer 59

The appeasement of the October manifesto and redemption payments ( took out the liberals and the peasants).

Question 60

how did suppression help cause the failure of the 1905 revolution?

Answer 60

• Armed forces and pro-government
  terror groups (black hundreds)
  remained loyal.
• St P November strike not supported
  by MC or workers, St P Soviet shut
  down by force, leaders arrested.
• Moscow strikes in support, put
  down by military after 2 weeks.
  1000 + workers died.

Question 61

how was the political opposition a cause for the failure of the 1905 revolution?

Answer 61

• Lack of unity, coordination and
  popular appeal amongst the
  revolutionaries.
• SD’s want socialist state - peasants
  don’t understand. SR’s want to
  nationalise land - peasants just want
  to divide up the land between
  themselves.

Question 62

What were the Electoral laws?

Answer 62

• Not equal or fully representative
• Dec 1905, allowed only male
  landowners over the age of 25, with
  estates of more than 200 Ha to vote
  directly for their representatives.
• Peasants only had an indirect vote
  (electing someone to vote on their
  behalf).
• Factory workers of businesses
  employing less than 50 workers,
  construction workers, casual
  tradesmen, all excluded from voting.
• Soldiers + woman not allowed to
  vote.

Question 63

When did Witte resign as prime minister?

Answer 63

22nd of April 1906. just before first Duma.

Question 64

What did Stolypin state his guiding principles were upon his closing as new PM in July 1906?

Answer 64

“Suppression (of revolution) first and then, and only then, reform”

Question 65

When were the Fundamental laws issued?

Answer 65

23rd April 1906

Question 66

What did the fundamental laws state?

Answer 66

• Tsar appointed his own ministers,
  who were accountable to him and
  not the duma.
• Retained complete control over
  foreign affairs, military matters and
  the declaration of states of
  emergency.
• Had supreme power, all law would
  require his approval.
• Article 87 stated that under
  ‘exceptional circumstances’ the tsar
  could dismiss the duma and
  legislate on his own.

Question 67

What happened at the first Duma of June 1906?

Answer 67

• SR’s and SD’s boycotted elections
  for the first duma.
• 37% kadets a progressive liberal
  party advocating for further
  reforms, including protections for
  civil rights and more representative
  government.
• 20% Trudaviks, a breakaway faction
  of the SR’s which was a radical
  socialist party that believed
  peasants and workers were the key
  revolutionary classes.
• Issued 391 statements criticising
  actions of gov. Dissolved by tsar
  after only 73 days. Tsar ruled
  without parliament until Feb 1907.

Question 68

what happened at the second duma Feb-June 1907?

Answer 68

• SD’s + SR’s end boycott and
  participate.
• more radical than first.
• Impossible for tsar and Stolypin to
  work with this duma, they refused to
  support Stolypin land
  proposals/reforms.
• Early June, SD’s accused of plotting
  to overthrow Tsarist regime Men +
  Bol deputies had parliementary
  privileges suspended.
• Same day Stolypin brings on large
  changes to electoral system, Voting
  suspened in certain districts tsar
  believed not developed enough.

Question 69

What occured at the third Duma, November 1907 - June 1912?

Answer 69

• As a result of Stolypin’s new voting
  laws, Tsar + Duma achieved more
  conservative and compliant Duma.
• Third Duma was elected in 1907 and
  permitted to serve its full 5 year
  term.

Question 70

what happened in the 4th Duma?
(nov 1912 - Aug 1914)

Answer 70

• Term plagued by mounting tensions
  and increase in protests from
  industrial workers.
• Protests spurred on by Lena
  Goldfields incident, 500 miners on
  strike shot by government forces.
• Stolypin assassinated September
  1911 by revolutionaries.
• Although arguably most
  conservative Duma, the relationship
  between parliament and
  government was strained and duma
  deputies became increasingly critical
  of the government.

Question 71

Describe Stolypin’s reforms and actions.

Answer 71

• last great statesman of Russia
  Tsarist era.
• He declared martial law, in an
  attempt to brutally crush the
  aftermath of the 1905 revolution
  (lots of executions)
• Introduced sweeping agrarian land
  reforms, giving peasants
  opportunity to own private land.
• Hoped to create a class of self-
  sufficient and prosperous peasants
  who would be more likely to obey
  and remain loyal to the government.
• Assassinated long before his
  reforms gave results.