Tsarist Russia Flashcards
What were Nicholas II’s weaknesses?
-Found daily work dull
-Didn’t like telling people bad news to their face
-Overfocused on details, ignored big stuff
-Too much time w/ alexei, didn’t want to be tsar,
just have family, despite his “divine right”
-lacked skills, imagination and forcefulness
-Insisted on 1 to 1 meetings -he disliked confrontation -led to rivalry
-gave relatives important positions
-Managed officials poorly
what was the name of the Tsar’s secret police?
The okhrana
What did the Tsar’s secret police do?
Infiltrared “threatening” groups
Could arrest potential threats
Spied on enemies
acted on the Tsar’s behalf
treated citizens how they saw fit
even torture+murder
Often exiled Tsar’s opponents 2 Siberia
Who were the Cossacks?
cavalry units
seen 2 b Tsar’s strongest supporters
What was the state of the army in tsarist russia? (3 details)
Used 1500 times between 1880+1905 2 put down countryside unrest
mostly untrained peasants but senior officers were noblity
What were “land captains”?
landownders kept order in the countryside, punishing peasants w/ public floggings
Who were the kulaks?
wealthier landowner peasants
What were the issues surrounding the working class in industrial areas?
Poor wages+work conditions
insecure employment
insufficient housing,overcrowding
what was overcrowding like in industrial areas of tsarist russia?
1904 average: 16 in each flat w/ 6 per room
when was serfdom abolished?
1861
why was agriculture behind in tsarist russia?
until 1861 land worked by serf
cheap labour-> little incentive 4 landowners 2 invest in industrialisation
why were farming techniques behind?
little comm beyond local area. most uneducated+illiterate;
little K&O the world+ agri developments
Peasants had little machinery.
long strips of land far apart->time wasted moving between.
land owned communally-> lack of incentive 2 improve land in case of redistribution
Why did the russian empire lack a strong industry?
Lack of $$$ 4 machinery
Taxing for industrialisation->resentment
Lack of transport to exploit remote resources
Unskilled, uneducated workforce
heavy taxation-> lack of russian market->less incentive to industrialise
Why was the abolishment of serfdom not a positive thing for peasants?
to give the peasants land, the gov had to pay the landowners, so the peasants had to pay Redemption Payments.
Most peasants didn’t own land so couldn’t improve their situation
why was the amount of land owned by a single peasant decreasing?
because there was a practice of dividing land among successive generations of a family
Why were there famines in tsarist russia and when?
in 1901.
peasants didn’t have food 2 eat but expected to produce grain 4 export
what was the life expectancy in some regions of tsarist russia?
40 years
what were the aims of the liberals/cadets?
wanted a more democratic russia .
said places like Br had a king+ a parliament
Who were the liberals also known as?
the cadets (also they were mostly middle class)
who were the cadets also known as?
the liberals (also they were mostly middle class)
What were the aims of the SRs?
to carve up nobles’ estates and distribute to peasants
what actions had the SRs done before the 1905 revolution?
assasinated 2 gov officials and many Okhrana agents
what were the differences between the bolsheviks and the mensheviks?
the bolsheviks wanted to bring about a revolution but the mensheviks thought that russia wasn’t ready and the revolution needed to come about naturally
how much land was owned by the aristocrats?
25%
before the 1905 revolution what was the opinion on bolsheviks and mensheviks?
both illegal
members exiled/excecuted
what was the name of the councils in charge of the subdivisions of land?
the mir
what was the Stick part of Stolypin’s carrot and stick?
came down hard on protesters+revolutionaries. Over 20,000 exiled +1000 hanged (stolypins necktie)
what was the result of the stick part of stolypin’s carrot and stick?
effectively killed off countryside opposition until after ‘14
how many people did stolypin order to be exiled or killed?
20,000 exiled, 1,000 killed
what was the carrot part of stolypin’s carrot and stick?
allowed kulaks to opt out of the mir communes 2 buy land, and these prospered, creating larger and more efficient farms, although the living conditions for most peasants was still awful
How did Stolypin change the rules for voting?
made peasants+industrial workers unable 2 vote
apart from the carrot and stick, what else did stolypin implement in russia?
-changed voting rules
-tried to boost russia’s industries
when was stolypin
appointed prime minister?
1906
what happened to stolypin?
assasinated in ‘11
Nicholas going to sack him anyway;
worried stolypin was reforming russia too much. already blocked some his plans
which of stolypin’s plans had the tsar blocked?
-plans for basic education for people
-regulations to protect factory workers
what was the effect of stolypin attempting to boost russia’s industries?
impressive economic growth
russia still behind big powers
When was Bloody Sunday?
22nd of January 1905
What was bloody sunday intended to be?
200,000 workers+families marched winter palace
w/ a petition for better living/work conditions, shorter work day etc
led by Father Gapon
what were stolypin’s intentions?
not actually improve lives
just placate
what was the first of the fundamental laws?
“To the emperor of all the russias belongs supreme and autocratic power”
when did the duma first meet?
may 1906
what were the 8 reasons for the abdication of the Tsar?
War failures
mutiny in army
food shortages
strikes
discontent in countryside
formation of soviets
rasputin+ tsarina
duma
Why were strikes a reason for the Tsar’s abdication?
bad conditions-> peaceful protests.
army mutiny-> nichilas couldn’t send them to shut it down
what were soviets?
revolutionary groups that distributed food and saw to people’s needs
who was prince Lvov?
1st PG PM.
Resigned in ‘17 due to strikes+ riots
unpopular bc of his title
why was prince lvov unpopular?
because he was prince
what was the PG made up of?
The Duma and the Petrograd Soviet
What were the PG’s 3 main problems
Continue war? make peace?
distribute land? wait for election?
how to feed starving population?
what were the short term decisions that the PG made?
-told peasants to wait B4 taking land (they didn’t)
-continue war effort
What were Lenin’s main messages?
“Power to the soviets” + “peace, land and bread”
