Russia IGCSE History- features

Features of how Russia was ruled

Russia was ruled by Tsar Nicholas (an autocrat)-Okrana (secret police)

There was lots of discontent with the gov and the way Russia was ruled

Features of reasons for discontent in 1905

Peasants + their reasons for discontent

Many feared Okrana + Cossacks (lack of freedom)

Features of discontent in 1905

Bloody Sunday

Potemkin mutiny

Features of causes of the 1905 revolution

1905 discontent eg harsh police state

Russo-japanese war

Features of the Potemkin mutiny

Caused by food then sailors disobeyed their officers

They sailed to the port of Odessa and joined strikes of workers

Features of Bloody Sunday

Caused by poor workers conditions

They brought a petition to the Tsar

Features of the 1905 peasants + workers revolution

Bloody Sunday

Potemkin mutiny

Features of the setting up of the St Petersburg soviet

They were set up to organise General strike however got shut down

Result of discontent of Tsarist rule

Features of the October Manifesto 1905

It was caused by the 1905 Revolution - Tsar made concessions

Stopped 1905 revolution but only pleased middle classes

Features of why Nicholas survived the 1905 revolution

October manifesto

The military + disunited opposition

Features of the fundamental laws

Tsar still had ultimate power (army)

Dumas power was matched by the imperial state council

Features of Nicholas' attitude to the first four dumas

Treated it as important

Wasn't ready to give up control: The fundamental laws etc

Features of growth of opposition to Tsarism

Formed due to anger at gov: October Manifesto and Dumas as they changed nothing

Rise of revolutionary political groups

Features of Stolypins policy of repression

Put down strikes and violence successfully

Harder to control in the countryside

Features of Stolypins land reforms

Wager on the strong

Migration of Peasants to Siberia

Setting up of a peasant land bank

Features of the Lena Goldfields strike

Triggered by awful working conditions

Kick started many strikes due to bad working conditions in Russia (showed nothing had changed)

Features of Russia and the first world war

Growing discontent

Economic/ social effects

Features of economic effects of the 1WW

Gov introduced prohibition

The regions captured by Germans included lots of Economic areas

Features of social effects of the 1WW

Not enough food produced and supplied to cities as railways were being used

Number of jobs fell

Features of political effects of the 1WW

Fourth duma suspended

Formation of the progressive block

Features of the Tsarina in control

Influence of Rasputin

Dismissing of foreign ministers + lack of work with the duma

Features of the influence of Rasputin

He had great influence over tsarina and tsar due to son after healing Alexis in 1916

His influence caused lots of opposition to Tsarism

Features of causes of the February revolution 1917

Increase in bread rationing + food shortages + international women's day - due to numbers of people police couldn't control them

Discontent with Tsarina and Rasputin + Tsar was not in Petrograd

Features of the army mutiny

Caused by Pavlovsky Regiment soldiers

Number of soldiers 150,000 and more expected to join (tsar couldn't control them)

Features of the abdication of the Tsar

Sent soldiers of Ivanov but they showed signs of mutiny

It was the end to autocracy in Russia

Features of the setting up of the provisional government

Set out 8 principles as a manifesto on 3rd march

Temporary + Formed with Prince Lvov as leader + Duma deputies - only planned to run Russia for a short time

Features of weaknesses of the provisional government

Dual control

Order number 1

Features of the mistakes of the provisional government

Delaying reforms and delaying elections

Allowing more freedom

Features of the June offensive 1917

Kerensky appointed and launched June offensive

It failed + increased resentment to prov gov

Features of the impact of the Petrograd soviet

Had limited impact aside from order number 1- Prov Gov had influence over country at war

Used its influence in the Manifestos on the 3rd of March

Features of the April theses

Set apart Bolshevik party from other parties + slogans

Wrote the proposals

Features of growing support for the Bolsheviks

It grew rapidly in Summer of 1917 due to mistakes of Prov gov

Also due to April theses

Features of the July Days

Causes were continuing food shortages in cities and failed June offensive

Started by anarchist revolutionaries but then Bolsheviks joined

Features of the Kornilov revolt

What happened + how it came about

How it benefitted the Bolsheviks

Features of the impact of the Kornilov revolt

Made prov gov and Kerensky look weak + benefitted Bolsheviks

Red Guard increased in power while army discipline

Feature of the Key events of the Bolshevik takeover

Military Revolutionary committee set up

Kerenskys attempt to stop the Bolsheviks

Features of the 1917 decrees

Decree on land and Peace

Created by the CPC + set out how Russia was going to be governed under Bolsheviks

Features of closing the Constituent assembly 1918

Caused by 1917 decrees being rejected

Lenin used red guards and banned other political parties

Features of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Trotsky led the negotiations

Treaty was harsh on Russia as German knew it had to leave the war

Features of the consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Major cause of civil war

Food shortages + loss of people in cities

Features of the sides of the civil war

The Reds

The whites - made up of 4 main armies attacking from Siberia, Estonia, Samara and the South

Features of the impact of the red terror

It was caused by the assassination attempt on Lenin

Used The Cheka + stats

Features of the reasons for war communism

Bad condition of Industry

The Civil war + food shortages

Ideological reasons

Features of War communism

The system also went against some of the decrees of October 1917 e.g.

Peasants were not allowed to sell their crops - the state requisitioned the crops and left the peasants a small amount from themselves (peasants ended up hoarding grain).

Bolsheviks promised compensation to the peasants in the future. The state then redistributed the crops to the Red army and the city workers. This was successful in increasing food supply - in 1918 the state was collecting less than 1 million tonnes of grain a year but in 1920 it had risen to 6 million tonnes.

Food rationing began in cities with soldiers and workers getting more food than others

A new central planning organisation called the supreme economic council was introduced in 1917. It decided what the economy needed and set targets (workers soviets no longer made decisions in factories)

Factories with more than 10 workers were nationalised and given production targets by the government

Workers were put under gov control - strikes were banned to increase production - conscription was introduced

Features of effects of War communism

Effects on peasants

Effects on the workers

Features of the Kronstadt mutiny

Forced Lenin to take away war communism due to 'Red' sailors

Caused by war communism

Features of the economic crisis

Severe famine

Industrial production collapsed

Features of causes of the NEP

Kronstadt mutiny

Economc crisis

Features of the economic effects of the NEP

Agricultural production increased + therefore food supplies

Other countries were eager to trade with them + industry increased

Features of the scissors crisis

Food prices lowering but manufactured goods prices raising

Made peasants less eager to sell crops therefore worried gov

Features of social effects of the scissors crisis

Creation of Nepmen and classes in Russian society

Peasants life improved and revolts ended

Features of opposition to the NEP

NEP looked like return to capitalism whereas at least war communism was communist

Didn't favour workers but peasants