KQ1: Nicholas' response + survival of Tsarism

Who was behind August Manifesto?

Alexander Bulygin (int minister)

Key features of August Manifesto?

• elected Duma → advisory/sonsultative

• complex electoral systme favouring peasants + landowners

Who supported August Manifesto?

some ultra-moderate liberals

who opposed August Manifesto?

Almost everyone except ultra-moderate liberals

how successful was August Manifesto? Why?

• NOT - didn’t appease enough opposition

• Sept - series of strikes in St P + Moscow, workers joined by students

Who was behind October Manifesto?

Sergei Witte (chairman of the Council of Ministers)

Key features of October Manifesto?

• basic freedoms: speech, assembly, association (legalised pol. parties + trade unions)

• Legislative duma

• all social clases would have vote to elect it

Who supported October Manifesto?

Moderate liberals (octobrists) + Business leaders

Who opposed October Manifesto?

Radical liberals (Kadets) + SOcialist parties

How successful was October Manifesto? Why?

• split middle-class liberals

• bought regime time + breathing space

When was Oct Manifesto

17th

Concessions to Peasants

• Nov: Mortgage payments were to progressively reduce and then be abolished

• immediate drop in land seizures by peasants

Concessions to army

• unhappy about being used to repress peasant revolts

• oct-dec 1905 - 200+ mutinies, 1/3 infantry units affected

• 6 dec 1905: pay increase, terms of servie refuce, increased meat rations and tea/sugar

• no longer to do forced laour in civilian economy

Use of army for survival of Tsarism

• Cossacks not touched by mutinies = money + privilege

• only major opposition by Dec= industrial workers

• 3 Dec, St P. Soviet siezed after 5 day seige, Trotsky arrested

• 7 dec -Moscow soviet called general strike to overthrow Tsar, distributed weapons

• govt responded savagely - street battles until crushed 18th Dec

• mass reprisals 1,000 killed

Emergin right-wing support

• Union of Russian Peope - oct 1905, defended tsarism

closely linked to…

• The Black Hundreds - para military gang

Sergei Witte’s role in survival of Tsarism

• negotiated Treay of Portsmouth (29 Aug) → freed up russian troops

• Chairman of the council of ministers

• convinced Tsar to issue concessions

• secured huge loan from French bankers (april 1906)

  • stabilised economy, paid for govt for a tear

  • paid for troops needed to restore order

What did trotsky say was reason for failure in 1905

• protestors disunited and inexperienced