Why did Russia fail to modernise? COntext

Describe Imperial Russia’s Geography in 1894

8 million square miles, covered 2 continents and 11 timezones

Where was the population largely concentrated

In European Russia, mostly St Petersburg and Moscow

How much did the population grow in Russia in the years 1815 and 1914?

Quadrupled from 40 to 160 million

What did Russia have large natural reserves of?

Coal, natural gas and oil

What geographical factors made it hard to develop the country and exploit its natural resources?

Central Russia - covered in dense Tyga forest

Northern Russia - made up of frozen tundra

Describe the cultural and ethnic makeup of the population

Many races, religions, languages and cultures

22m Ukranians, 13m Tartars, 8m Polish and 5m Jewish

How long had the Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for?

300 years

What declared the Tsar as absolute leader?

The Fundamental Laws of 1832

Difference between Russia’s rule and its European neighbours at the begining of 20th century

Russia = autocracy

Most of Europe = some form of representative government

Example of reforming monarch

Alexander II, emancipated the Tsars

When did Alexander II emancipated the Serfs?

1861

How were Alexander II’s views discredited?

He was assassinated, and the Okhrana (secret police) ruthlessly prevented any further calls for liberal ideas

Secret police

Okhrana

Established Russian religion

Russian Orthodox

How did the Russian Orthodox Church prevent modernisation

By the 19th century it became a conservative body, determined to preserve Tsarism

SK of Russian Orthodoxy becoming detached from the emerging population

One suburb in Moscow had 1 priest to 40,000

Percentage of population that was commercial class

1.5%

Commercial class includes

Merchants, factory owners and financiers

Percentage of population made up by working class

4%

Percentage of population made up of the peasantry

82%

What were peasants called by the ruling classes? Why

The ‘dark masses’

They were predominantly iliterate and uneducated

Why were the peasants still in debt?

They took out loans to pay for their land during their emancipation

Average strikes per year in 1894

Average 33/strikes year

Particularly significant strike

Textile worker strike in St Petersburg in 1896-7

Social conditions that caused anger .e.g.

Infant mortality and average life expectancy

What was the infant mortality in the 1890s

Infant mortality 57.4%

Average life expectancy in russia 1890s Vs britain

27.25 years for males, 29.83 years for females,
45.25 years in England

Reform in working conditions in the 1890s

1897 - hours of work reduced to 11.5hrs a day

1890s - status of nobility declines

Between 1861 and 1905, around 1/3 nobility land transferred to the peasants or townsmen

Where did Russia have industry?

The Urals region, where they produced iron amongst other raw materials

Where was Russia's only productive arable land?

The Black Earth region in the Ukraine

Problem with most production

It was done on a domestic scale, not on an industrial factory driven scale

What other things hindered progress?

Poor transport system

Absence of an effective banking system, so entrepreneurs found it hard to raise capital

Evidence of economic stagnation

Russia’s GDP in 1890 was $108,772 million Vs Britain’s $351,527 million

Who made up the top ranking military generals

The nobility who bought commissioins in the army, not those who deserved to based on merit

Why was the army more like prison than a training camp?

Conscription was used as a punishment

Good thing about the Russian army

In 1894 it was the biggest in the world numbering nearly 1.5 million

How much did the army cost the government?

45% of its annual GDP