Revs Ch. 1: Imperial Russia

Russian population increase 1815-1914

1815: 40 million

1914: 165 million

Russification

the imposition of Russian language, culture and religion on ethnic minorities

Nationalism

Identifying with country and national identity, showing loyalty and support to country/national interests

Ruling class

0.5%: tsar, royal family, high-ranking members of government

Upper class

12%: nobility, factory owners, church leaders, military leaders

Commercial and professional middle classes

1.5%: factory managers, white-collar workers, intelligentsia

Intelligentsia

Intellectual elite - professionals such as writers, artists, lawyers, doctors, teachers, academics

Mir

Peasants’ village communal council which distributed land, run by village elders and heads of families

Working class/proletariat

4%: urban industrial workers, basis for Marxism’s socialist revolution

Peasants

82%: poor subsistence farmers living and working in terrible conditions and poverty

Emancipation of Russian serfs

1861, by Alexander II

Redemption payments

Huge taxes paid to government by peasants to compensate nobles for the loss of their free labour and land

Social hierarchy

A system of people in graded order, according to status or authority

Autocracy

Absolute rule by a single person

Divine right

Political authority received directly from god

Patrimonial

Land and wealth inherited from parents and ancestors

Groznyi

Fearsome and authoritative

Tishaishii

Gentle, caring and pious

State Council

~60 members appointed by the tsar, advised on and discussed matters brought to them by the tsar, no legislative power

Committee of Ministers

Administered their ministry, discouraged to consult with other ministers - created inefficiency, rivalry and confusion

Zemstvos

Elected local assemblies mostly made up of local gentry. Established by Alexander II

Reactionary

Adamantly opposed to change

Russian Orthodox Church

Supported the tsar and his divine right to rule autocratically, reinforced conservatism - to question the tsar/autocratic system was to question god

Conservative

opposed to change, supportive of tradition

Okhrana

Tsarist secret police who protected the tsar and investigated/arrested political agitators and revolutionaries

1891 famine crisis

Exacerbated by Alexander III’s poor leadership, proved government’s incompetence, disillusioned intelligentsia, caused immigration of peasants to industrial centres - growing proletariat

Alexander II

b.1818, c.1855, d.1881. Made reforms including emancipation of serfs and establishment of zemstvos, but forced to introduce redemption payments to compensate. Assassinated 1 March 1881 by populist revolutionaries the People’s Will.

Alexander III

b.1845, c.1881, d.1894 Much less reformist than II, introduced Okhrana, pushed Russification, suppressed critics and civil liberties. Died unexpectedly of kidney failure October 1894.

Khodynka Field Massacre

Stampede at coronation celebrations for Nicholas II. 1300 dead, 1000s injured. Instead of visiting victims Nicholas went to a ball as planned, demonstrating his indecisiveness and incompetency.