unit 1: opposition to nicholas ll 1894 Flashcards
what did the liberals demand?
russia should be governed in a similar way to western european democracies, such as britain.
what were the liberal ideas supported by?
the emergence of the zemstva and the revival concept of a zemstvo union.
what was the union of liberation?
founded in 1904 by peter struve. demanded greater freedom and justice for all russians. wanted fair land distribution for peasants, a representative constituent assembly and improved conditions for industrial workers.
what was the kadets and octobrists view?
kadets led by paul milyukov. octobrists had loyalty to the tsar, like guchkov and rodzianko, but wanted changes to the government system. posed little threat as it was a small number, middle class, no organised political party and limited ways to express their concerns.
what did the populists argue?
agricultural communes and co-operative workshops would provide a base for russian economy to develop without resorting to capitalism.
why were they little threat?
failed to mobilise large support, consisted of young intelligentsia (to preach to peasants to convince them to change russia’s ruling.) had little effect on rural communities.
what did the sr focus on?
improving the living conditions of the poorest in society, including growing proletariat.
when was it formed and who by?
1901 and by victor chernov.
what did the left do?
employed direct action, 1901-1905 they were responsible for 2000 political killings. e.g grand duke sergei. focused on industrial workers.
what did the right do?
worked with other parties and groups, gathering support and momentum after the 1905 revolution. appealed to peasants
what did the social democrats argue?
founded in 1898 in minsk. influenced by marx’s work made by plekhanov, argued that they need to encourage working class consciousness.
were they popular?
few workers had the time or interest to engage with markers theory, some focused on improving pay and lowering work hours.
what did lenin do?
1901 - produced a pamphlet called ‘what is to be done?’ outlined the idea that a complete overthrow of the tsarist government could be achieved by workers if they led by politically educated elite
why did it have limited impact?
lenin’s views caused a division with the mensheviks and bolsheviks. former wanted to continue work for political, economic and social change.
tsar tried to squash work fears by authorising the creation of legal workers interest groups in 1902. - idea was that workers could negotiate with state officials to improve their plight.
