Russian history: exam 1

Going to the People movement

When?: 1874s

Where?: throughout the Russian countryside

Who?: young Russian intellectuals, students, and revolutionaries - particularly influenced by the ideas of populism, aimed to educate and organize the peasantry against the oppressive regime.

What?: an attempt by educated young Russians to go into the countryside to live and work among peasants. they believed the peasantry could become the foundation of a socialist revolution in Russia.

Why?: peasants made up majority of the population.

What Happened?: Unsuccessful, peasants distrusted outsiders and had family’s to think about .

Significance?: Pushed revolutionaries toward more radical and violent tactics.

The Peoples Will

When?: 1879

Where?: Russia

Who?: A revolutionary organization that emerged from the populist movement (Vera Figner)

What?: The Peoples Will was a radical revolutionary organization that believed the Russian government could be overthrown through political terrorism and assassination - switched from focusing on the peasants to now targeting the tsarist government. Assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881

Why?: They believed Russia autocratic government was preventing political and social change. Their strategy was destroy the political leadership → destabilize the government → create conditions for revolution

Assassination of Alexander II

When?: March 13th,1881

Where?: St. Petersburg

Who?: Tsar Alexander II was assigned by the members of the Peoples Will

Why?: He was the tsar and therefore the symbol of Russia’s autocratic political system, even tho he was responsible for some major reforms like the emancipation of the serfs

Significance?: His successor, Alexander III, moved towards stronger autocracy and repression. Alexander III immediately publicly executed the peoples will.

Vera Figner

When?: 1870s-1880s, arrested in 1883

Who?: A Russian revolutionary and a leading member of The Peoples Will

What?: She was originally involved in populist efforts to work with peasants but after the failure of the “Going to the People” movement she become involved in revolutionary terrorism. became one of the core members of the organization

Significance?: Shows the radicalization of Russian revolutionary intellectuals. Social reform → populism → revolutionary activism → terrorism

Social Democrats

When?: 1890s

Who?: Russian Marxists who believed Russia would eventually undergo a socialist revolution based on the working class. Russian Social democratic Labor party (RSDLP) - founded in the 1898. Important figure, Vladimir Lenin

What?: Social democrats were Russian followers of Karl Marx. They believed capitalism would develop, industrial workers would grow, workers would organize, eventually the working class would overthrow capitalism.

Significance?: Social Democrats eventually split into two major functions: Bolsheviks - associated with Lenin. Menseviks - associated with martov. This split becomes extremley important during the revolutions of 1905 and 1907

October General Strike

When?: October 1905

Where? Across the Russian empire, especially major cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg

What?: A massive general strike involving workers. Workers stopped working to demand political and economic reforms

Why?: Russia was experiencing unrest because of poor working conditions, low wages, political repression, lack of political representation, The Russo- Japanese War, and Bloody Sunday. Workers demanded better working conditions, political freedoms, representative government, and to end autocratic rule.

Result?: the strike put pressure onto Nicholas II. He issued the October manifesto which promised civil liberties, an elected legislative assembly, and broader political participation

Significance?: The strike demonstrated the power of mass political action. the revolution was no longer simply intellectuals plotting in secret but now workers + students + peasants + liberals + other groups

Russo-Japanese War

When?: 1904 =-1905

Who?: Russian Empire vs. Japan

Where?: primarily Manchuria and Korea, with fighting also around port Arthur and at sea.

Why?: Both Russia and Japan wanted influence and territory in East Asia. Russia wanted to expand into Manchuria and Korea and the pacific, but so did Japan.

What Happened?: Russia expected Japan to be relatively weak, instead, Japan defeated Russia in a series of major battles like the battle of Tsushima in 1905. Russia ended up losing the war.

Significance?: this exposed military weakness, government incompetence, economic problems, and logistical problems.

Bloody Sunday

When?: January 22, 1905

Where?: St. Petersburg

Who?: Thousands of workers led by father Georgy Gapon

What?: Workers peacefully marches towards the Winter Palace to present petition to Tsar Nicholas II. They wanted things such as better working conditions, higher wages, political reforms, an end to the war, and more rights.

What Happened?: imperial troops fired on the demonstrators. Many people were wounded and killed

Significance?: before bloody Sunday many workers still had the belief that the tsar is good but his officials are bad, but this massacre damaged their belief. Bloody Sunday trigged 1905 revolution.

Proletariat

What?: the working class, especially industrial wage workers. This is a marxist term

Who?: factory workers and other people who survive primarily by selling their labor

Why Important ?: Karl Marx argued that capitalist society was divided into classes. The bourgeoise and the proletariat. Marx believed capitalism created conflict between these two classes

Significance?: the proletariat became the group that Marxists thought could lead a socialist revolution

Petersburg soviet

When?: 1905

Where?: St. Petersburg

What?: a soviet was a council of workers. The St. Petersburg Soviet of Workers Deputies was created during the 1905 revolution. Workers elected representatives to coordinate strikes, political demands, revolutionary activity.

Who?: Important person: Leon Trotsky became a major leader of the St. Petersburg soviet

Why?: Workers needed a way to organize collectively during the revolution

Significance?: The soviet was a new form of revolutionary organization. It demonstrated that workers could create their own political intuitions outside the normal government structure

Constitutional Revolution

When?: 1905-1906

Where?: Russian empire

What?: the term refers to the political transformation during the 1905 revolution in which pressure forced Nicholas II to introduce limited constitution and representative reforms. The key event was October Manifesto - October 17th, 1905. This eventually produced the Duma. The government still continued to restrict political participation and dissolve/ restructure dumas when they became inconvenient.

Significance: This represents the tension between autocracy vs. constitutional government. Russia had taken a step toward a representative government but had not completely abandoned autocracy

Russian “Colonies” in Europe

When?: especially late 19th and early 20th centuries

Where?: Cities like Paris, London, Zurich, geneva

Who?: Russian revolutionaries, intellectuals, political exiles, students, and emigres

What?: Because Russia's government heavily censored and persecuted political opposition, many Russian radicals lived or worked abroad.These communities became centers for revolutinary organizing, publishing, political ddebate, translating marxist