The Tsarist Regime Flashcards
Russia 1900:
Huge and diverse
- less than 1/2 the pop were Russian
- 130 mill, most were illiterate
- very little land could be used for farming
Russia 1900:
Class divisions
- peasants: 84%, very hard life, starvation and disease, not enough land
- nobility: 1%, owned 1/4 of land
- middle class: very good life
- workers: factories, poor housing and wages
Russia 1900:
Massive poverty
- average death was 40
- disease
- relied on harvests
Russia 1900:
a backward economy
- Not enough land
- Peasants were left with huge loans when they were allowed to buy land in 1861
Russia 1900:
An autocracy
- Nicholas 11, came to the throne in 1894
- had complete power
- had a council of ministers who ran the government
- civil servants
- secret police and soldiers stopped any opposition
Russia 1900:
Religion
- The Orthodox church
- surrounded by superstition
- the Tsar was the head of the church ie. God’s representative on Earth
Summary Russia 1900
- very big
- ineffective communication
- not enough land
- Russian Orthodox Church
- Autocracy
- disease
What was Nicholas 11 like?
- kind but timid
- cruel and merciless
- wasn’t fit to run a country
Was he fit to rule Russia?
NO!!!!!
- unoriginal
- boring
- easily distracted
Russian Revolution 1905:
Economic problems
- invested a lot of money into improving Russia’s economy
- peasants had to pay heavy taxes
- 1902 there was an industrial slump
- poor harvests
- the peasants were starving
Russian Revolution 1905:
The Russo-Japanese war
- 1904
- Prices rose in cities
- shortages of food
- defeated by the Japanese
- there was renewed protest about the Tsar
The Spark- Bloody Sunday
- Father Gapon organised a march to deliver a petition to the Tsar
- Sunday 22 January, 200,000 people
- They were met by troops
- Tsar not at the palace so the soldiers guarding it panicked
Bloody Sunday- the consequences
-varied numbers of casualties: 100 to thousands
What caused the 1905 revolution?
long term problems
- high taxation on peasantry
- unequal class system
- poor leadership
- poor harvests
- agricultural issues
What Caused the 1905 revolution?
Catalysts
- enforced industrialisation
- harvest failure
- the Russo-Japanese war
What Caused the 1905 revolution?
Bloody Sunday
- 100s killed
- wanted fairer working conditions
- were shot at
- 22nd January 1905
How did the Tsar survive the 1905 revolution?
- no organised opposition
- he had an army
- targeted sections of society
Summary: causes of the 1905 revolution
- enforced industrialisation
- harvests
- the Russo-Japanese war
What did the workers want?
- reduction of the working day to 8 hours
- provide a minimum wage of a rouble per day
- a reduction of taxes
- truth, protection and justice- a voice in society
The 1905 Revolution- what happened?
- strikes spread to cities
- defeats of the army led to a mutiny of sailors
- different classes demanded more freedom
- peasant riots
- a peace treaty was signed with the troops
- general strikes
- Soviets were formed in other cities
The October Manifesto
- a parliament or Duma elected by the people
- civil rights- e.g. freedom of speech and conscience
- uncensored newspapers and the right to form political parties
St Petersborg Soviet of workers’ deputies
A group set up by factory workers in Russia’s major city to coordinate strike action
Life after 1905:
Political
- 1906/07 Duma’s wanted more power for the people. The Tsar soon dissolved them
- 1912 Duma- favoured the middle class
- 1912/14 Duma- it achieved little before the war
Life after 1905:
Land and industry
- wages stayed low
- 90% of land in the West was run in the old way by 1916
- Industry boomed
- 1914-15: industry increased by 100%
- wealthier peasants were allowed to buy land
Life after 1905:
Riots
- 1905:13,995 strikes
- 1910: 222 strikes
- strikes were dealt with by the army and police
- 20,000 people were exiled
Life after 1905:
Freedom
- newspapers were often fined for writing articles that offended the government
- newspapers often appeared with white spaces where the government had censored material of which it did not approve
WW1
- conscripts, very little training
- Tsar took personal control in 1915
- demand for steel, fuel and explosives
- food and fuel shortages
- inflation
- equipment and tactics were very out of date
1917 revolution
- enthusiasm for the war didn’t last long
- ineffective officers
- not enough weapons
1917 revolution
effect at home
- food shortages
- high prices of goods
- coal and industrial materials were short
- factories closed which led to unemployment
1917 revolution:
turning point
- September 1915
- Nicholas took control of the army
- he was blamed for defeats in the war
- Tsarina was in control of the country
- She could not run the country
- Rasputin
1917 revolution
losing support
- support for the Tsar and the Tsarina began to decrease
- the 1916 winter was very bad
The 1917 revolution begins
-the situation had become desperate
Stolypin: the stick approach
- came down hard on strikes, protestors and revolutionaires
- 20,000 exiled and over 1,000 hanged
Stolypin: the carrot
- allowed kulaks to buy land
- production increased significantly
When was Stolypin killed?
he was assassinated in 1911
