Was the authority of the Tsarist state ever seriously challenged?

Question 1

Introduction.

Answer 1

• Prior to 1905, Russia was an autocracy governed by the Tsar (emperor), or Nicholas the II, whos authority was unquestionable.
• Nicholas’ family, the Romanovs, had ruled Russia for 408 years, ending at Nicholas’ death in 1917.
• At the time, Russia was extremely large- spanning across two continents, Europe and Asia- covering 22 million square kilometres wide, with a population of over 140 million, with over 6 ethnic groups.
• Due to the variety of ethnic groups and the large landmass, Russia was pointedly a very difficult country to rule- especially with only one man in power. With the rise of democratic development in other European countries, the Tsar needed to implement tactics to make sure his rule would be enforced and supported.

Question 2

First paragraph (The Russian Army)

Answer 2

• The Russian Army held 1.5 million men who were used to break down any opposition that arose to the Tsar’s leadership.
• For ordinary soldiers in the Russian Army, life was tough. The salary for a soldier was low, lower than a sustainable amount to live off on. The living conditions were even poorer- with 1 million soldiers dying during peacetime under the Tsar. Discipline in the Russian Army was also notoriously harsh- including flogging or beating even for minor punishments.
• Overall, the Russian Army helped secure the authority of the Tsar because the overwhelming size of the Russian Army discouraged opposition from arising in the first place- as they’d surely be crushed, and men in the army stayed loyal to the Tsar as the top ranking officers were dominated by nobility- who owed their positions to birth and loyalty to the Tsar.
• However, a limitation of the army in securing the authority of the Tsar was the low quality army recruitment of the Russian Army due to poor treatment, low salary and forced conscription. Between 1881 and 1902, the budget for the military had dropped from 30 to 18 percent, which led to soldiers being subjected to poorer training and lower quality equipment, meaning that the army was not able to fight back opposition with as much force as previously.

Question 3

Second paragraph (The Russian Orthodox Church)

Answer 3

• Russian Orthodoxy was the main religion in Russia, different from the rest of Europe as they has already denounced the authority of the Pope in Rome. The official church doctrine stated that the Tsar was appointed by God to lead Russia, and thus, any insult thrown towards the Tsar was an insult thrown towards God.
• The church taught their doctrines through their bishops, priests, and 41,000 schools where a clear message of obedience and authority was taught. The church was also largely influential among the poorer classes in Russia, as during congregations these messages were repeatedly conveyed to them- this was enforced as abandoning Russian orthodoxy became illegal.
• The Russian Orthodox Church helped secure the authority of the Tsar because most groups in Russia were illiterate and relied on the teachings from the church for education, which made them believe the pro-tsar teachings from priests.
• However a limitation of the Russian Orthodox Church in securing the authority of the Tsar was the growing resentment from peasants towards the church, who believed that the church has became corrupt and protected the rich upper classes, and did not speak out against the suffering of the poor. During the ruling of Nicholas II, the word of the church became less respected, which caused some people to challenge tsardom.

Question 4

Third Paragraph (The Okhrana)

Answer 4

• The Okhrana was the Tsar’s police and secret service. The Okhrana’s duty was to infiltrate and arrest opposition groups, gather information and punish those who opposed the Tsar- which included methods of torture and murder.
• The Okhrana was instructed to treat citizens as they saw fit. Okhrana members were dressed in plain clothing, lived under different names and frequently changed address to make sure they were unidentifiable. After 1911, members of the Okhrana were forbidden from having their photos taken. Members of the Okhrana were heavily feared and overestimated by their opposition- believing that the Okhrana has a membership of about 40,000 members, where in reality they only had around 2,500 agents.
• The Okhrana helped secure the authority of the Tsar because of their ability to successfully disarm political opponents through gathering information, jailing revolutionaries and banishing leaders- often, political opponents were banished to Siberia. The fear of infiltration from the Okhrana may have discouraged any opposition from uprising.
• However a limitation of the Okhrana in securing the authority of the Tsar was the size of the Okhrana was very small in the large scheme of Russia- it was far too overstretched to offer any real control. The Okhrana has only 2,500 officers in a country of over 140 million people. In addition, due to many political leaders being banished to prison camps in Siberia created opportunity for anti-tsarist views to breed.