Unit 1, Pre-abdication, Russia 1900-1917 Flashcards
What was Russia like?
Very diverse with many different nationalities and languages alongside with it being heavily agricultural.
Key features of the Govt?
It was an autocratic govt. There was heavy censorship and a secret police (Okhrana). There was no parliament and the Tsar was the head of the church.
What were the main problems with Russia (1900)
The majority of the land of Russia was dense forest and the communication was very weak. There was a massive divide between the rich and the poor. 90% of the population were peasants and the Tsar spend 45% of his money on the army.
Character of Nicholas III?
He was very stubborn and refused to involve himself with political affairs. Took very little interest in Russia and his people and only cared about keeping autocratic rule. He was naive and thought calls for reforms would resolve on their own. Only good thing he did is appoint Stolypin to attempt to resolve issues.
What happened on Bloody Sunday?
After the Russso-Japanese war was lost, in 1905 a group of peaceful workers tried to protest but it was put down by Cossacks. This led to strikes and riots.
What was the cause of the 1905 revolution and what happened in it?
Committee called ‘soviets’ was set up. Nicholas survived many assassination attempts and the October manifesto was published.
What was the October Manifesto and some consequences of it?
October manifesto was the promise to establish a state Duma (parliament) for the people. Taxes were lowered and Stolypin was brought to power through the appointment of Nicholas.
Why was the Duma practically useless?
Due to the ‘fundamental laws’ brought in by the Tsar, the Duma was useless as it meant he didnt have to listen to the Duma at all, keeping his autocratic power.
What was the condition of Russia like in 1905-1917?
Still predominantly agricultural which meant the economy was really slow (also semi-cause loss of Russo-Japanese war).
There was some industrial growth (1894-1904)
1905 peasants encouraged to farm and buy own land
Trade unions allowed after 1905.
Slow political changes
What was Marxism stage theory (name and state)?
Stage 1 - no classes or private property
Stage 2 - a strong man rose to the top and a new land owning aristocracy was created (imperialism)
Stage 3 - (feudalism) land was owned by aristocracy who exploited peasantry
Stage 4 - (capitalism) merchants and bourgeoisie exploited political control
Stage 5 - (socialism) workers took control, sharing foods, goods and services
Stage 6 - (communism) all would join together for the common good of food and money and states would no longer be needed. Wars and competitions would cease.
Marx also stated that stage 5 and 6 are inevitable
What opposition the Tsar have?
Liberals
Social-revolutionaries
Social-democrats
Also Lenin
Who were the liberals?
They favoured moderate reform and constitutional monarchy. These included Kadets, Octobrists and Progressives.
Who were the social revolutionaries?
They were formed in 1901 and had ambition for land reform. It was a very messy group as there was a lot of conflict within groups
Who were the social-democrats?
They were founded in 1898 and its programme was based on the themes of Karl Marx. It was led by educated intellectuals. The party based its support on mainly rapidly expanding industrial working.
Who was Lenin?
He was trained as a lawyer and was attracted to Marxism. His activities were brought to the attention of the Okhrana (Secret police). He was exiled as he wanted to move towards a revolution of destroying Tsarist autocracy.
