UNIT 3 AOS1 - Revolutions

Social & Economic conditions of Imperial Russia

• middle class

represented 1.5% of population

had a good living standard

more opportunities for social advancement

where the reformist & revolutionary groups emerged

• working class 

4% of population

concentrated in major cities

could influence authority

bad working conditions - long hours, no pay, dangerous working conditions

no trade unions cause they were illegal - couldn’t bargain for better conditions 

• peasants

82% of population

commercial farms owned by nobility - produced grain (wheat & rye), decided by mir (village command council)

basic farming techniques - harvested using sickle and people pulled ploughs (no livestock)

land distributed according to family size

serfdom

the state of being owned

‘serfs’ worked for landowners who could buy and sell them

similar to slavery

empire

group of states/countries ruled over by a single monarch, oligarchy or sovereign state

Government is Russia

Romanov Dynasty reigned in Russia from 1613 - 1917

Imperial council: personal advisors

Cabinet of ministers: managing individual portfolios

Senate: Transforms the will of the tsar into law

Provisional governors: in charge of the 96 provinces

• given some autonomy over regions

• inconsistencies in education, health, police because of distribution in resources throughout the empire

• answered to Nicholas directly

• a connection between the Tsar and his people

• key gov policies allowed to be implemented and interpreted by each governor

Bureaucracy 

System of gov where most important decisions are made by state officials 

Role of Russian Orthodox church

• promoted tsarism

• held traditional views that were aligned to Nicholas II’s traditionalist autocracy

• Tsar could elect individual of the highest position in the church - maintained connection & influence

• tsar was unable to make judgements based on faith - connection to church upheld pillars of his reign

Orthodox

following traditionally accepted beliefs

Role of Okhrana

• unlawfulness was NOT tolerated - classes as terrorism

• okhrana was the Tsar’s secret police

• they monitored counter revolutionaries, censorship, imprisoning, executing/exiling potential criminals 

• separate to the police force - used to maintain public order

• 60 stations internally & externally by 1911

• symbolizes suppressive nature of Romanov autocracy

patrimonial

inherited or inheritable by established rules (legal) of descent

reactionary

opposing social progress & reform

zemstous

local self-government

russification

assimilating non-Russian ethnic minorities into Russian culture, language & identity through state-led programs

difference between communism and socialism

communism: most property & economic resources are owned and controlled by the state

socialism: all citizens share equally in resources allocated by a democratically elected government

marxism

• theories of Karl Marx & Fredrich Engels

• formed the basis of communism 

• method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development

• main philosophy uses historical materialism to understand class relations and social conflict

• uses a dialectical perspective to view social transformation

historical materialism: theory that human history is the result of material conditions

dialectical: logical discussion of ideas and opinions 

geographical weakness of Russia

• size and diversity of Russia = difficult for unification and rule

• spans 2 continents, 11 time zones & 5 vegetation zones

• major cities (Moscow and St Petersburg) were in the European side of Russia

• national policy & infrastructure controlled by central gov - only ones capable of funding and directing major projects

• distance to travel made communication difficult

industrialization

• pushed as a key gov policy from 1870’s onwards

• people moved to major city to work in factories

• Russian PM Sergei Witte headed industrialization campaign by securing financial and advisory support

• imposed tariffs to support Russian industry

• increased production & output of iron, steel, coal, cotton

• facilitated poor living conditions in overcrowded facilities + influx of ppl moving to cities = overcrowding

proletariat

collective of working class people

bourgeoise

capitalist class who owns most of societies health & means of production

aka the middle class

imperialism

extending a power & influence through colonization, use of military force or other means

decree

an official order that has the force of law

censorship

suppression or removal of writing, artistic work that’s considered obscene, politically unacceptable or a threat to security

garrison

a group of troops stationed in a fortress or town to defend it

‘little father’

the tsar, seen as people who were marching

militant

favoring confrontational or violent methods in support of a political cause

soberign

a person or entity with supreme power such as a monarch or a self governing state