Topic 1 - The Tsarist Reigeme And Its Collapse 1914-1917 Flashcards
What problems did Russia have in 1917
- very big, hard to govern as messages didn’t get around (bad communication)
- terrible social inequality (93.7 million peasants)
- food shortages
- little space in towns
- Ortocratic rule (dictatorship) meant the Tsar was above criticism
What was the Tsars secret police called
The Okhrana
What groups opposed the Tsar
Monarchists
Constitutionalists
Revolutionaries
Soviets
What did the monarchists want
To get rid of Duma
For the Tsar to rule alone
What did the Constitutionalists want
Keep the Tsar, but limit his power with a constitution and some kind of parliament
What did the revolutionaries want
Replace the Tsarist system with a fairer one
Believed in a revolution lead by the peasants
What did the soviets want
A reform to help ordinary workers
They were loyal to the Tsar at first, however this changed when it became clear that he was not interested in their problems
They were the most popular party
How did WW1 affect Russia
- millions of peasants left farming = food shortages
- millions of train factory workers were conscripts = less fertiliser = quality dropped and goods suffered
- number of people living in towns increased = slums developed
- shortages pushed prices of goods up rapidly
- 2 million men dead, wounded or imprisoned by 1915
When was world war 1
July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918
When was the February revolution
23-27th February 1917
Why the February revolution broke out
Political opponents began to speak out, the Okhrana had lost control
The actions of the Tsar,Tsarina, and government had made them unpopular
The leaders of the soviets held public meeting talking of revolution (how WW1 was affecting them)
How did the army react to the February revolution
On February 26th, 1917, the army was ordered to shoot at the demonstrators. The next day, they turned on their commanders and began to help the revolutionaries. The army brought weapons and organisation which ultimately made the revolution possible
Who was Tsar Nicolas II
Tsar Nicolas II became Tsar in 1894 and remained in power until he was killed after the February revolution. He believed that he was chosen by God to rule so stopped callings just the Duma.
What was the Duma
The Duma was a kind of parliament made up of two houses, one elected by the people and one by the Tsar. It was set up in 1905 when there were strikes against the Tsar, they were meant to advise him. However it had dissolved by 1907
The influence of Rasputin
The Tsar and Tsarinas only son, Alexi, had haemophilia which made him weak - this had to be kept secret (leader of Russia couldn’t be weak)
Rasputin was a peasant who could “heal” people and was able to ‘cure’ Alexi. Because of this he had much influence over the Tsar and Tsarina which many did not like because he was a peasant
