The Condition of Russia before the Revolution (Key Terms and People)

Zemstva

elected councils responsible for the local administration of provincial district

Okhrana

the secret police force of the Russian Empire

Bureaucracy

the state's administrative officials

Socialist

supporting a political and economic theory of social organisation which believes that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be controlled by the whole community

Autocracy

rule by one person who had limits to his power (as opposed to democracy which means 'rule by people'

Divine right

the refers to the monarch appointed by God and answerable to God alone for actions

Autocracy

A system of government with one person with absolute power

Industrialisation

movement from an agricultural-based economy to one based more on factories, machines and cities

Okhrana

Tsarist secret police, would arrest, exile and execute enemies

Duma

Russian parliament, agreed to by Tsar after 1905 but badly undermined and ineffective

Zemstrvo

Local councils that governed the villages in the countryside

Brusilov offensive

Disastrous and costly Russian attack during the First World War, summer 1916

Provisional Government

Temporary government that ruled Russia from February to October 1917

Soviet

An elected council of workers and soldiers formed to run each city

Constituent Assembly

An elected parliament, elections pending

Bourgeoise

The 'haves' in society, usually the land owning and propertied class

Proletariat

The 'have-nots' or industrial working class; in Marxist thought they are exploited by, and in constant conflict with the bourgeoise

Bolsheviks

A leading Russian radical Marxist party

April Theses

Lenin's thoughts and plans for the revolution

Red Guards

Paramilitary volunteer soldiers recruited from factories to fight for Bolsheviks

July Days

Abortive Bolshevik attempt to seize power, July 1917

Coup d'etat

violent taking of power

Sovnarkom

New ministry of 'People's Commissars' set up by Bolsheviks to run the country after the takeover

Nationalisation

Putting businesses services under government control

Cheka

Bolshevik secret police, established December 1917

Karl Marx (1818-83)

• Wrote The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) (1870-1924)

Exiled to Siberia then Switzerland

Founded revolutionary newspaper Iskra (spark) as well as an underground Party network

Led the split of Bolsheviks and Mensheviks

Leader of the Bolshevik Party, leads to the October Revolution, first communist dictator

Lenin

Julius Martov (1873-1920)

Founded the Emancipation of Labour and the Social Democrat movement

Contributed to the Party journal Iskra

Led the Mensheviks invited to join Bolsheviks

Exiled in 1920

Tsar Alexander III

Autocratic authoritarian Tsar, ruled 1881-1894

Tsar Nicholas II

Rules 1894-1917

Tsarina Alexandra

Wife of Nicholas, unpopular with the public

Pavel Milyukov

Foreign Minister in new PG, responsible for Milyukov' letter

Alexander Kerensky

Key member of Provisional Government, leads it from April until October