RUSSIA1- The rule of Nicholas 1894-1905

autocracy

a form of government of government in which one person possesses unlimited power

what enabled Nicholas to autocratically rule Russia with potential for corruption

an absence of checks on his power and a lack of a constitution and legal safe guards

what particularly influenced the poor in regards to the tsars power

the orthodox church as it received funding for preaching obedience to the tsar due to divine right

why did the influence of the church decrease x2

the priests got a reputation of often being drunk and corrupt

urban areas grew so the church struggled to hold control

nationality doctrine 2 key points

Russia was unique and separate from the West so socialist and liberal ideas were unrussian

the domination of the Russian empire was entirely right as Russia had built it so therefore could control it

russification

tsarist policy to spread Russian culture culture and language in an effort to create unity

russification effects

Poland and Baltic provinces forced to use Russian language in court and schools

non-orthodox churches that had deep roots in other nations were bullied and harassed e.g protestant churches in baltic provinces

impact of russification

repressed minority groups causing tension

provoked demonstrations in Armenia resulting in 10 killed and 70 wounded

why was russification counter productive

was supposed to cause a growth in nationalism but it aroused resentment within minority nationalist5ies and opposition

how did the okhrana keep track of leaders in exile

had overseas informants

in 1900 how many full time agents did the Okhrana have and how many were in St Petersburg

2,500 agents

1/3 in St Petersburg

2 problems caused by the Okhrana

people lost trust in each other causing tension

created a climate of fear

impact of the Okhrana on the regimes survival x3

effective at stopping revolutionary acts

stopped spread of ‘dangerous’ ideas that threatened the regimes stability

took pre-emptive actions against the opposition

3 rules put on Jews due to anti-semitc feelings inside the government

forced to live in ‘ the pale of settlement zone’ along western border

access to higher education restricted

harsh discriminatory policies

what was pogrom

organised attacks on minority groups, often Jews, which involved murder, assault and destruction of property

problems for the stability of the regime caused by antisemitism x2

hatred towards the tsar in the large Jewish population resulting in increased emigration out of Russia

an influx of Jews into anti tsarist movements

why were the peasants suffering from famine before 1905

northern districts - poor soil so short season

southern districts- erratic climate causing crop faliure

other than famine why else were peasants unhappy before 1905

serfs had to pay reparations

were peasants anti- government before 1905?

unhappy with policies but not explicitly anti-government

what did peasant opposition groups do before 1905

seized landowners property

attacked gov officials

ruined records on land holdings

in order to drive landowners out of the countryside and gain possession of their land

what did workers want before 1905? x5

better working conditions

better living conditions

higher pay

8 hour day

end autocracy

what two diseases were common withing workers living conditions before 1905

typhus and cholera

how many worker strikes were the army called to in 1901 alone

300

what 3 things did the Socialist Revolutionaries believe in?

unfair that peasants struggled whilst monarchy thrived

wanted gov run by a mix of working class and intellectuals

wanted land redistribution

how many assasinations did the Socialist Revolutionaries carry out and name one important person they killed

200 political assasinations including the chief of police

what did the SRs struggle with

party cohesion- factionalism occurred due to the size of the party

riddle with spies

who founded the Russian Social Democrat Labour Party (RSDLP)

karl marx

who caused the split of the RSDLP and when was it

Lenin in 1903

what did the RSDLP want

a social revolution leading to communism

what methods did the RSDLP use ?

underground newspaper

propaganda

trade union activities

assasination

who was the leader of the bolsheviks

lenin

who was the leader of the mensheviks

martov

did the Bolsheviks believe Russia was capitalist or feudal

capitalist

did the mensheviks or the bolshevik believe: there was a realistic prospect of a proletarian revolution

bolsheviks

what did the bolsheviks believe the RSDLP should focus on

being ready to seize the revolutionary moment

which group adapted Marxist ideologies to suit their purpose and ideas

bolsheiks

which group interpreted marxist ideology in a rigid orthodox fashion

mensheviks

what is Marxism

a theory about history and human progression stating that history is driven by economic change and conflict between social classes

Bourgeoisie

owners of the means of production under capitalism

proletariat

workers who had nothing to sell but their labour

immersion

process by which the proletariat gets poorer and more desperate

3 stages of marxism

feudal

capitalist

communist

what kind of reforms did liberal opposition want before 1905

social reforms

what people made up liberal opposition x2

industrialists and buisinesmen

what two groups were the liberal opposition divided into

moderate and radical liberals

were liberals violent or non violent

non violent methods used

what were the two main ideas of the liberals

1. end autocracy by adopting a constitution that transfers power to a democratically elected institution

2. economic system based on private enterprise rather than public ownership

how were liberal ideologies spread and how was this a downfall

by newspaper meaning it was inaccesible to lower classes limiting the growth and reach of the group

who was a significant member of the liberal opposition and what did he do

Sergi Witte- passed the october manifesto

what did the formation of the Union of Liberation highlight

showed that there was a range of anti-tsarist feelings existing in parallel

4 social factors for the limited success of opposition before 1905

small working class ( help power through ability to strike and halt country industry)

primitive transport made communication hard

low literacy levels limiting value of newspapers

large peasantry

4 reasons repression limited the success of opposition

1. Okhrana had informants abroad so leaders in exile couldn’t influence groups

2. Okhrana inept at infiltrating and destroying revolutionary networks

3. used army and para-military corps to break up demonstrations

4. laws restricting freedom of speech and assembly

reasons for the lack of unity in opposition x5

1. disagreement over the use of violence

2. leaders did not want to cooperate e.g. lenin

3. divisions within groups

4. united front virtually impossible between socialists and liberals due to ideology differences

5. even different views of socialism

how many times was the military used to break up strikes in 1920

500

how many times was the military used to break up strikes in 1900

33

literacy levels in 1897

21%

what % of the population was the peasantry

80%

why was a large sparse peasantry a probelm

difficult to organise a coherent political force

what did lenin call fellow socialist leaders

Cretins and Scum

when did mounted police charge into a peacefull crowd of student demonstrators and how many were killed

1901

13 killed

what triggered the 1905 revolution

bloody sunday

name of the priest in bloody sunday

father gapon

how many killed in bloody sunday

200

what did bloody sunday highlight x2

social inequality and repressive nature of the regime

how ordered the police to fire on blopdy sunday

Grand Duke Vladimir - chief of police

how was peoples view of the tsar tarnished after bloody sunday

no longer saw the tsar as their little father as the trust was shattered

what was the Russa Japanese war over

control of Port Aurthur in china

who owned Port Aurthur and since what date ?

Russia since 1898

when did japan declare war on russia

1904

why was russia underprepared for the russo japanese ward

overconfident and viewed japan as racial inferiors

economic impact of the russo japanese war

inflation and distruption of the work force

impact of the russo japanese was on workers and peasants and how did they feel

intensified already challenging conditions for them

intensified feelings of resentment and neglect as gov priotitised the war over national problems

when did Russia loose port aurthur

jan 1905

when was the Mukden defeat

feb 1905

what was the impact of the military defeats in the russo japanese war

undermined Russia’s military fuelling political anger and unrest

what opposition group capitalised on the faliure of the russo japanese war

liberal opposition

what was russias greatest humiliation in the russo japanese war?

the naval battle of Tsushima may 1905 as Russian fleets sailed 8 mo9nths to join the battle only for ½ the ships to be sunk or captured

what opposition occurred in the army

localised mutinies such as the battle ship Potempkin mutiny

what opposition group was most dominant by 1905 and why did their impact decrease after 1905

liberals as they kept pressure on the governmentq

after some concessions offered they lost momentum in fear of disorder and anarchy

what group grew in late 1905

the labour movement

when was the st petersburg soviet formed

1905

how many members were there in the executive comittee of the st petersburg soviet

30

what was the st petersburg soviet intially created for

to organise and direct strikes

what 3 things did the st petersburg soviet do other than organise strikes

1. published a newspaper

2. established an armed militia

   1. acted as an unqualified local government body distributing money and foods q

what group increasingly dominated the st petersburg soviet

the mensheviks

when was the st petersburg soviet disbanded and how

dec 1905- arrested all members

what did the disbanding of the st petersburg soviet highlight

clear repression and censorship

what was nicholas’ first instinct after bloody sunday and why could he not do this

to rely on brute force

1. much of army fighting japan

   1. agitation too widespread

3 points of the August Manifesto

1. new elected assembly called a duma

2. assemb,y purely advisory

   1. complex electoral system favouring peasants and landowners

what did the points of the august manifesto reflect

the regimes belief in fundamental loyalty

what group was most positive about the August Manifesto and what was their idea on it

ultra moderate liberals- thought it offered a basis for further negotiation

what did the opposition believe about the August Manifesto

dismissed it as totally inadequate as it left tsarism intact

what caused the tsar and sergi witte to come up with the october mainifesto

a general strike putting russia at a satndstill

3 points of the October Manifesto

1. garunteed basic freedoms

2. duma with real power

   1. extension of the right to vote to all classes

2 initial impact of the october manifesto

1. greeted with enthusiasm on the streets

   1. the general strike called off

view of the october manifesto from moderate liberals

welcomed it

believed it a balance between democracy and monarchy

view of the october manifesto from radical liberals x4

rejected it

claimed it didn’t go far enough

said establishment of the duma had to be written up in a constitution

lacked trust in the gov

what did radical liberals form after the october manifesto?

the kadet party

view of the october manifesto from socialist parties

rejected it completely

claimed it didn’t go far enough

said establishment of the duma had to be written up in a constitution

lacked trust in the gov

what did the union of russian people do

defended the principles of autocracy, orthodoxy and nationality