Nicholas II - 1894-1917

Nicholas personality 

• Lacked in training and experience for leadership 

• Strong religious convictions 

• Deep affection for his wife and family 

• Was charming, kind, could command respect and loyalty. Found it difficult to say unpleasant things to people's faces. Still could be merciless and vicious. Was very antisemetic, and had attachment to the army. 

• Inability to make decisions, unwilling to engage in politics even reading government reports, lack of organisational skills. 

Tsarina

• Never liked by the russian people, was seen as the ‘german woman’ 

• Was shy, preferred to stay home with family.

• Cold and aloof 

• Strong willed and obstinate 

• Very religious 

• Great influence on Nicholas but not always helpful. 

industrialisation under Nicholas

• Sergei Witte, finance minister 1892-1903 was an architect of Russian industrialisation.

• Russia had huge reserves of oil, iron, coal and timber

• He launched Russia into age of heavy industry  using railways as springboard - railway boom in the 1890s railway tracks have doubled

• End of 1890s  nearly 60% all iron and steel was consumed

1. Foreign investment - negotiated huge loans - particularly the French - adopted gold standard, gave strengths to currencies, however paying debt was major drain on resources 

2. Russian people themselves - increased direct taxes, and indirect taxes on everyday items such as salt, kerosene and alcohol. Peasants had to sell more grain to pay taxes, which increased grain exports. High tariffs on foreign industrial comedies, very expensive for Russians to buy, and workers wages were still low. 

who was Sergei Witte

• Became an expert in railway administration 

• Promoted in 1892 to the post of minister of communications then minister of finance in 1893

• Married to a Jewish divorcee 

• Difficult personality to deal with 

• Believed constitutional reform was needed to modernise Russia 

• Witte then made a prime minister 1905 

• Secured vital loans that kept the regime from bankruptcy 

• Persuaded Nicholas to sign the October manifesto 

• When heard that Nicholas wont follow the October manifesto, he resigned. 

the peasants under Nicholas

• They were made to pay redemption payments 

• Felt betrayed by the emancipation, they believed that the land belonged to who was working on them.

• Restrictions by their communes, the Mir. did not allow freely move from place to place, or use their crops how they please. 

• Outdated farming techniques e.g. one strip system 

• Outdated tools e.g. wooden ploughs 

• Kulaks were richer peasants, who would rent and buy land from nobility, experiment with different farming techniques and tools.

the workers under nicholas

• Made up 3 million (2.5%) of population 

• Usually ex - peasants - would go back to their villages to harvest 

• Long working hours, more than 11 hours a day

• Harsh environment, where they were disciplined and fined for making mistakes. Accidents causing death or serious injury. And a high rate of disease and illnesses. 

• Wages very low 

• Lived in barrack-style accommodation, with multiple families, only separated with a curtain. 

• Posed a threat - resented the harsh conditions, exploitation, high literacy rate which mean they can read political literature and articulate their views, usually revolutionary. Industries in large cities, able to organise political parties, strikers with millions. 

the national minorities and russification under Nicholas

• Resented Russian control

• Making non-Russians use the Russian language instead of their own, adopt Russian customs and habits. Russian language was used in schools, court of law and regional government e.g. forbidding teaching their children their regional language, minorities were not to be employed in government. And converting them into Russian church, instead of their own religion. 

• Jews suffered from a policy of antisemitism, social, political and economic were restricted, encouraged by the government there were pogroms who attacked them. 

what were the political parties during Nicholas reign?

• Liberals

• revolutionaries - populists and the peoples will

• socialist revolutionaries 

• Marxists 

• social democrats - Bolsheviks and Mensheviks 

the Liberals: main beliefs, methods and support

Main beliefs:

- civil right and freedom of individual, rule of law, free elections, parliamentary democracy, limitation of tsar powers, self determination of nationalities, zemstvo should be expanded 

Methods: 

- reform rather than violent action, political channels through zemstvo, newspapers, articles, meetings and reform banquets

Support: 

- not large popularity base.

- supporters: middle class intelligentsia: lawyers, doctors, professors, teachers, engineers, etc. 

- landowners, industrialists and businessmen.

Revolutionaries: main beliefs, methods and support

• Wanted support from ordinary people. 1860s-1880s the populists (narodniks) were largely well-to-do intellectuals, believed the peasantry could develop their form of socialism. Life could be based of sharing and cooperation. This to avoid capitalism and the evil of industrialism. 

• They believed going to the people and spreading their propaganda peacefully. 

• Usually students and young people

• 1870s went to countryside to live among the peasants and  convince them of this idea.

• Later became the people will, a terrorists group who assassinated alexander II

socialist revolutionaries : main beliefs, methods and support

• Formed in 1901

• Never well coordinated or centrally controlled 

• Split between radicals and moderates that persisted into the 1917 revolution

Main belief:

• SR placed their hopes in a revolution by the peasants who would provide the main support 

• Overthrow and replaced by democratic republic 

• Land would be taken from landlords and divided up amongst the peasants 

• Development of capitalism is a fact. 

• All labouring people 

Methods:

• Agitation and terrorism 

• Assassination of government officials 

Support:

• peasant s by 1905

• Industrial workers 50%

• Attracted intellectuals 

• Run by students and intellectuals in towns, poor communication because most peasants were illiterate. 

Marxists: main beliefs, methods and support

Russian intellectuals saw Marxism as an optimistic theory which was progress through development of industry and growth of working class to bring socialism. And only the working class  could bring about revolution. Soon started organising strikes in factories.

social democrats : main beliefs, methods and support

• Marxists ideas

• George Plekhanov translated Karl Marx’s work into russian

• Encourages trade unions to improve working conditions 

• Others wanted discuss revolutionary tactics

Party split into 2

• Support: working class, younger more militant peasants, non-russians, jewish people

who were the Bolsheviks 

• Flounder - lennin 

• Made up of small highly disciplined professionals 

• Centralised leadership

• System of small cells - difficult for police to infiltrate 

• Bring socialists consciousness to workers

• majority

who were the Mensheviks

• Broadly based, take those who want to join 

• More democratic, members have a say in policy making 

• Encourage trade unions to help working class conditions

• Long period of bourgeois democratic government during which the workers would develop revolutionary consciousness

• minority

Russo-Japanese war

Russia wanted to exploit the east more, including Korea which was already exploited by Japan. Japan tried to set in place compromises, however Russia saw this opportunity to distract Russians from troubles from home and instead focus on war. However Russia did not want war, but still went with it. They underestimated the Japanese and led to a loss for the Russians. With the depression and loss of war, people were even more upset. 

1905 revolution

 revolution leader was the priest, father Gapon who took the people with a manifesto to the tsar. Over 100,000 people went on strike. 

an economic strike demanding for minimum wages and limited working day

Bloody Sunday

worker organised a petition to the tsar and march to the winter palace. called for 8 hour day, minimum wages and more dignified treatment, called for freedom of speech assembly, right to form trade unions and elected parliament

the march was peaceful on the morning of 9th January, they carried icons and pictures of the tsar. But the tsar was not in st Petersburg

the guards gained orders to stop the marches reaching the palace. as the crowd approached they were charged by cavalary and the troops opened fire. 130 killed 300 wounded

munity on the battleship Potemkin

a form of a protest due to mouldy meat rationing led to full scale navy mutiny 0 7 officers were killed

the st Petersburg soviet involvement

October manifesto

• grant civil freedom - personal rights and freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and union.

• establish state duma so allowing a voice to all classes of the population

• to give the state duma the power to approve laws.

national minorities involvement

the army involvement 

why did the tsar survive the revolution?

Peter Stolypin

the Kadets

The Octoberists

1st Duma

• Aipril-June 1906

kadets:185 seats, trudoviks (left wing labourist) 94, 112 were non-partisans

• deputies demanded increased powers

• Little in practise achieved though there were fierce debates on a range of issues, such as civil rights, amnesty for political prisoners and land ownership

• tsar dissolved it - claimed it was unworkable

2nd duma 

• February-June 1907

Kadets under 100, trudoviks with 104 deputies, 47 Mensheviks and 37 SR’s, over 200 deputies of the left. national parties had 93 deputies, octoborists with 44

• left and right wings attacked each other, debates frequently ending in brawls

• left wing made fierce attacks on Stolypin and his reforms

• gov claimed Menshevik and SR’s deputies were subversive and amid scenes of disorder - Duma dissolved.

3rd duma

• November 1907 - June 1912

parties of the right dominated

• relations with government was more harmonious - but still servile

• Stolypin able to put through his land reforms

• law on universal education was passed

• steps to modernise army

• justice of peace restored

• developed progressive national health insurance scheme for workers to cover sickness and accidents

4th duma

• November 1912 - August 1914

similar to third duma representation

• period of some tension as Lena goldfields massacre heralded in industrial unrest and strikes

• reform of orthodox church reducing state control and broadening education in church schools

• 1908 law universal education - teacher salaries increased

• discussions of health of people in particular ways to reduce drunkenness