was the tsarist regime stable or unstable in 1914?

the working class: revolution

• 1907: 300,000 workers were in union

• 1907: members of social democrats had been as high as 150,000

• 1910-1914: expansion led to a considerable increase in the workforce , up 1/3

• strain on public services, transport and housing

• 1912: shooting of unarmed strikers in Lena goldfields (200 killed and 400 wounded)

• 1914: 1.3 million workers on strike

• protests became more political

• more urbanised workers- highest level of skills, education, and wages- who were at forefront of labour protest

• July 1914: rising demonstrated that regime could still rely on loyalty of army and police

number of workers in unions

1907: 300,000

1914: unions repeatedly closed down- only 40,000

number of stikers

1905: 2.8 million

1910: 46,000

1914: 1.3 million

members of social democratics

1907: members of social democrats had been as high as 150,000

1910: members of social democratcis slumped to 10,000

working class: no revolution

• industrial strife had almost ceased by 1909

• 1914: unions repeatedly closed down- only 40,000 left

• 1910: members of social democratcis slumped to 10,000

• many left-wing parties remained illegal and only 13 deputies out of a total of 413 served their interests in the duma

• industrial growth was 6% per annum between 1907 and 1914

• bolsheviks attempted to exploit a great stike: other sections of society did not support it and police were able to restore order

• July 1914: rising demonstrated that regime could still rely on loyalty of army and police

industrial growth

industrial growth was 6% per annum between 1907 and 1914

lena goldfields massacre (1912)

1912: shooting of unarmed strikers in Lena goldfields (200 killed and 400 wounded

the middle class: revolution

• electoral reformof 1907 large number in third and fourth duma

• no inclination to cooperate with middle class

• After Stolypins assasinationn in 1911, middle class parties- the octobrists, the progressivesand the kadets- more outspoken in criticism in government

• exasperated at tsars indifference

• by 1914 they too were in opposition

middle class: no revolution

• individual wealth grew, from top industrialists down to humble shopkeeper and increasing numbers became middle class

• middle class deeply divided

• fear of thr masses

• unable to influence government and unable to appeal to the masses

the government: no revolution

• industrial growth was up, value of exports exceeded imports and government revenue exceeded expenditure

• considerable growth in both savings and savings accounts, gold reserves increased, the national debt was coming down and the government was becoming less reliant on foreign loans

the government: revolution

• kokostov replaced at 1914 by goremykin

• weakening of role of prime minister led to gorwing governmental paralysis

• cooperation with duma virtually ceased

• lena goldfields massacre, belis case, rise of rasputin

Tsar: revolution

• lack of charisma and poor judgement of people created disquiet even within the establishment

• royal couple were unpopular at court

• establishment itself was weakening

• influence of church was in decline

• mutinies of 1905-1906 had shown that shorter periods of service might have contributed to a less reliable force

peasants:no revolution

• villages were relatively quiet before 1914 and there had been no major upheavels and disturbances

SR’S: no revolution

• SRs had been infiltrated by the okhrana

• divisions among the leadership, and between the leadership and the rank and file

Mensheviks: revolution

• increased their support in the trade union

Bolsheviks: no revolution

• also been penetrated

• 4 out of 5 of party’s St Petersburg committee in 1909 were okrahona agents.

• lenins close confidant Roman malinowsky worked as an okrohana agents and wreaked havoc on the bolshevik underground between 1910 and 1913