Tsardom and Communism

What year was Tsar Nicholas II crowned?

1896

What percentage of the Tsar's subjects spoke Russian?

40%

During the Tsar's reign, where was the the vast majority of workers?

Moscow and St Petersburg

What were factory working conditions like under the Tsar

• Very poor

• Low pay

• Trade unions illegal

• 12-15 hour days

• Unguarded machinery

• Brutal discipline

What class emerged due to industrialisation in Russia and what did they consist ofc

Capitalists, e.g. landowners, industrialists, traders and business men

Under the Tsar what percentage if the population were peasants?

80%

What were prosperous peasants farmers called?

Kulaks

When did the Russian population increase by 50%?

1860-1897

Why were peasants loyal to the Tsar?

Religion: every week, they would hear the priest say how wonderful the Tsar was and how they, as peasants, should be loyal subjects.

Who did peasants that didn't like the Tsar support?

The socialist revolutionaries

Why were some peasants not supportive of the Tsar

Their main discontent was over land - they resented the amount of land owned by the aristocracy, the Church and the Tsar.

The aristocracy formed --% of the population but owned --% of the land

1.5, 25

What was a fear of the aristocracy under the Tsar?

The peasants would rise up and take their land

Why did the Tsar believe he had power to rule Russia and who supported him

• He believed God had placed him in that position

• The Russian church supported him

What system of government was the Tsar's Russia?

An autocracy

Why was Nicholas an ineffective leader? Give 3 points

• Nicholas avoided making important decisions, instead involving himself in day- to-day, insignificant tasks. In a country as vast as Russia, where tasks had to be delegated to officials, this was a major problem.

• He insisted on getting involved in the tiniest details of government, personally answering letters from peasants and appointed provincial midwives.

• Nicholas also managed his officials poorly, feeling threatened by able and talented ministers

• Nicholas refused to chair the Council of Ministers because he disliked confrontation. Instead, he insisted on seeing ministers in one-to-one meetings, which encouraged rivalry between them. This caused chaos, as different government departments refused to co-operate

At the local level, most peasants had their lives controlled by the --

mir

The 'mir' could be overruled by ---

land captains

What were land captains?

• Appointed by the government to control local zemstvas

• created in 1889

• represented a return to autocratic principle

What were the zemstva?

Regional councils who were supposed to give Serfs a voice

Name the three main opposition groups to the Tsar?

• The Duma

• The Socialist Revolutionaries

• The Social Democratic Party

What did the 'Duma' consist of?

Middle class reformers

What was the main aim of the Socialist Revolutionaries

To carve up the huge estates of the nobility and hand them over to the peasants.

What were the Socialist Revolutionaries responsible for?

The ASSASSINATION of two government officials, as well as the murder of a large number of Okhrana (police) agents and spies. They had wide support in the towns and the countryside.

Who did the Social Democratic Party follow the ideas of?

Karl Marx

What year did the Social Democratic party split up and what were the groups called?

1903, Bolsheviks and Menshiviks

Who led the Bolsheviks?

Vladimir Lenin

What did the Bolsheviks believe?

1. Workers would overthrow the ruling class

2. Country would be run by an urban working class

What did the Mensheviks want?

wanted a broad base of popular support for the revolution

How many protestors marched through St Petersburg and who lead them?

200,000, lead by Father Gapon

In -- 1905 about -- peaceful protesters marched through the streets of --- towards the ---, led by a priest, ---

January, 200,000, St Petersburg, Winter Palace, Father Gapon

Why did people March through the street in January 1905?

They wanted to hand in a petition asking for changes.

In June 1905 the crew of the battleship --- muntinied in support of the striking workers

Potemkin

What did the Tsar offer in the October Manifesto

Concessions to the middle classes in the form of a Duma (an elected parliament), the right to free speech and the right to form political parties.

When did the first Duma open and close?

Opened April 1906, shut down July 1906

When did the second Duma open and close?

Opened February 1907, closed June 1907

When did the third Duma open and close?

Opened November 1907, closed 1912

Why were the first 2 Duma's shut down?

They were to critical of the Tsar

Did the Duma have any real power?

No

What was the name of the Prime Minister appointed in 1906?

Peter Stolypin

What type of approach did Stolypin use?

A 'carrot and stick' approach

What was Stolypin's carrot?

• Stolypin also tried to win over the peasants with the 'carrot' they had always wanted - land.

• He allowed wealthier peasants, the kulaks, to opt out of the mir communes and buy up land. These kulaks prospered and in the process created larger and more efficient farms. Production did increase significantly.

What was Stolypin's stick?

• He came down hard on strikers, protesters and revolutionaries.

• This brutal suppression effectively killed off opposition to the regime in the countryside until after 1914.

What was Stolypin's land reform?

He wanted the peasants to become the permanent owners of their land, which should be in one piece rather than scattered strips. Each peasant owner should be able to develop it as he wishes and without interference from the mir.

What was Stolypin's necktie?

A hangman's noose

How many did Stolypin kill and exile?

Over 1,000 hanged, 20,000 exiled

When was Stolypin assassinated?

September 1911

What was about to happen to Stolypin before his death and why?

The Tsar was about to sack him anyway, he worried that Stolypin was trying to change Russia too much.

What year in the Tsar's reign did the economy take a downturn?

1912

Name two major military defeats for Russia very early in the war

Tannenburg and the Masurian Lakes

Why did the Russian army struggle

• They were badly led and treated appallingly by their aristocrat officers.

• They were also poorly supported by the industries at home.

• They were short of rifles, ammunition, artillery and shells. Many did not even have boots.

When did the Tsar take control of the army?

September 1915

What were some social and economic effects of the war in Russia?

• Huge amounts of casualties

• Lots of widows and orphans

• Food and fuel shortages

Why did the Tsar like Rasputin?

He treated the Tsar's son who had haemophilia

Why was Rasputin disliked?

• He began giving the Tsar advice on ruling the country

• He was said to be a drinker and a womaniser

• His name is Russian for 'disreputable'

• He was rumoured to have had an affair with the Tsarina, Alexandra

Why was Rasputin murdered?

He made poor decisions and was disliked

What happened on international women's day, 1917

• On 7th March workers at the Putilov steelworks in Petrograd went on strike. They joined with thousands of women - it was International Women's Day - and other discontented workers demanding that the government provide bread. - From 7 to 10 March the number of striking workers rose to 250,000. Industry came to a standstill.

What happened on 12th March 1917?

• Tsar ordered his soldiers to put down the revolt but they refused and joined the demonstrators

• They marched to the Duma demanding they take over the government and they did

• The Petrograd Soviet was set up again and began taking control of food supplies to the city

When did Tsar Nicholas II abdicate?

15th March 1917

During the crisis months of spring 1917, the Provisional Government and the -- worked together

Petrograd Soviet

Why did the Provisional Government's authority steadily collapse in the second half of 1917?

• The war effort was failing. Soldiers had been deserting in thousands from the army. Kerensky became Minister for War and rallied the army for a great offensive in June. It was a disaster. The army began to fall apart in the face of a German counter-attack. The deserters decided to come home.

• Desertions were made worse because another element of the Provisional Government's policy had failed. The peasants ignored the orders of the government to wait. They were simply taking control of the countryside. The soldiers, who were mostly peasants, did not want to miss their turn when the land was shared out.

What happened in July 1917?

Bolshevik-led protests against the war turned into a rebellion. However, when Kerensky produced evidence that Lenin had been helped by the Germans, support for the rebellion fell. Lenin, in disguise, fled to Finland. Kerensky used troops to crush the rebellion and took over the government.

What happened in September 1917?

the army leader Kornilov marched his troops towards Petrograd, intending to get rid of the Bolsheviks and the Provisional Government, and restore order. Kerensky was in an impossible situation. He had some troops who supported him but they were no match for Kornilov's. Kerensky turned to the only group which could save him: his Bolshevik opponents, who dominated the Petrograd Soviet. The Bolsheviks organised themselves into an army which they called the Red Guards. Kornilov's troops refused to fight members of the Soviet so Kornilov's plans collapsed.

Why did Kerensky lose the army's support?

The government tried to carry on the war and failed

Why did Kerensky lose the peasants support?

The government tried to stop them from taking over

Why did Kerensky lose the urban worker's support?

The government had lost the peasant's support to they failed to bring food into the towns and prices spiralled upwards

What did the Bolshevik's promise?

Peace, land, and bread

Who organised the Red Guards in Petrograd?

Leon Trostsky

What happened during the October revolution?

• 6th Nov (1917), Red Guard takes control of post offices, bridges and State Bank

• 7th Nov, Bolsheviks in control of most of Petrograd and continue taking more key locations. Storm the Winter Palace with little opposition and arrest Provisional Government members. Kerensky fled

• 8th Nov, announcement made to Russian people

Why were the Bolsheviks able to take control despite not having the support of most of the Russian people?

• Provisional Government was extremely unpopular

• Bolsheviks were disciplined and dedicated to revolution

How many members did the Bolsheviks have in 1917?

800,000

What did Lenin set up after he took control?

the Council of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom)

What and when was the Sovnarkom's first decree?

It announced Russia was asking for peace with Germany on 8th November 1917

What did Lenin give the peasants after he took control?

The Tsar's and the Church's lands

What did Lenin give the workers after he took control?

The factories and industries

Lenin had promised free election to the new ----

Constituent assembly

When did the Constituent Assembly open and who was the biggest party?

Opened 18th Jan 1918, biggest party were the Socialist Revolutionaries

Why did Lenin shut down the Constituent Assembly and what happened?

• The Socialist Revolutionaries took the majority

• He sent the Red Guards to close down the Assembly. After brief protests (again put down by the Red Guards) the Assembly was forgotten.

What did Lenin use to pass laws and why?

Lenin used the Congress of Soviets to pass his laws as it did contain a Bolshevik majority.

Why did Lenin set up a dictaorship?

It would in time give way to true Communism

What Russian was in charge of negotiating peace with Germany?

Trotsky

What was the Cheka and when was it set up

They were a secret police force set up to find enemies of state (e.g. army deserters, food hoarders and political enemies) that were set up in December 1917

What was the name of the treaty in which Russia left war and when was it signed?

the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918.

Due to the treaty of Brest Litovsk, how much population, land and industry did Russia lose?

34 per cent of its population, 32 per cent of its agricultural land, 54% of industry

Due to the treaty of Brest Litovsk, how much railways, coal miners did Russia lose and how much were they fined?

26 per cent of its railways and 89 per cent of its coal mines and fined 300 million gold roubles

When was the Red Army established?

January 1918

What caused the Russian Civil War?

• By the end of 1918, some anti-Bolsheviks (the Whites) united to try and crush them

When was the Bolshevik's stronghold?

Western Russia

The -- stronghold was in western Russia. Much of the rest of the country was more sympathetic to the ---.

Bolshevik's, Socialist Revolutionary Army

The reaction of the Bolsheviks to the opposition in the civil war was ruthless and determined. In an amazingly short time, --- created a new Red Army of over --- men. They were led by former -- officers.

Trotsky, 300,000, Tsarist

Who suffered the most due to the Russian Civil war

Workers, and the peasant in the areas where fighting took place

Name three groups in the Whites

Socialist Revolutionaries � Mensheviks � supporters of the Tsar � landlords and capitalists who had lost land or money in the revolution � the Czech Legion (former prisoners of war).

Who supported the Whites in the Civil War and why

The Whites were also supported for part of the Civil War by foreign troops from the USA, Japan, France and Britain. They were sent by their governments to force Russia back into war against Germany.

What was some of the propaganda used by the Red Army

Trotsky used the railway network, most of which was controlled by the Reds, to send out travelling cinemas which showed propaganda films to local people as well as the Red Army. Trotsky himself toured round, making frequent speeches, to raise morale.

Who lead the Red Army in the Civil War?

Trotsky

How did the Red army keep control of their land in Western Russia?

• They made sure that the towns and armies were fed, by forcing peasants to hand over food and by rationing supplies.

• They took over the factories of Moscow and Petrograd so that they were able to supply their armies with equipment and ammunition.

• The Red Terror made sure that the population was kept under strict control.

• The Bolsheviks raised fears about the intentions of the foreign armies in league with the Whites. Effective propaganda also made good use of atrocities committed by the Whites and raised fears about the possible return of the Tsar and landlords.

How did the Red army have a territorial advantage?

Their enemies were spread around the edge of Russia while they had internal lines of communication. This enabled them to move troops quickly and effectively by rail, while their enemies used less efficient methods.

Why were the Whites at a disadvantage?

• They were made up of many different groups, all with different aims. They were also widely spread so they were unable to co-ordinate their campaigns against the Reds. Trotsky was able to defeat them one by one.

• They had limited support from the Russian population. Russian peasants did not especially like the Bolsheviks, but they preferred them to the Whites. If the Whites won, the peasants knew the landlords would return.

• Both sides were guilty of atrocities, but the Whites in general caused more suffering to the peasants than the Reds.

What was War Communism?

The name given to the harsh economic measures the Bolsheviks adopted during the Civil War.

What were the aims of War Communism?

The first aim was to put Communist theories into practice by redistributing (sharing out) wealth among the Russian people. The second aim was to help with the Civil War by keeping the towns and the Red Army supplied with food and weapons.