RUSSIA Unit 4 AOS 1 - EXAM QUIZLET

Sergei Wittes reforms in 1892-1903

wanted to create heavy industry for Russia
- high tariffs on foreign goods
- increases taxation to peasants
- implemented the Trans Siberian railway to ensure better communications

Russias economic crisis of 1902

- unable to trade adequately, led to thousands of industrial workers losing their jobs, striking and protesting
- bad harvest in 1902 led to peasant uprisings and violence
- rapid industrialisation led to overcrowded cities
- peasants were seen as the "dark masses", and dangerous

The Russo Japanese War

A 1904-1905 conflict between Russia and Japan, sparked by the two countries' efforts to dominate Manchuria and Korea, Russia broke off diplomatic relations with Japan after rejecting the sphere of influence plan

why did Russia go to War with Japan?

Wanted to expand into the far east, distract attention away from Russia's domestic troubles.
- the Tsar believed the war would be easy to win and would boost morale

Siege of Port Arthur (5th January 1904)

- Port Arthur falls to Japan after a long siege of 7 months
- 31,000 Russian soldiers dead

The Battle of Mukden (February 1905)

- humiliating defeat of the Tsars land army
- 90,000 Russian soldiers dead

The Battle of Tsushima (May 1905)

- sinking of Russian Baltic Fleet
- 5,000 dead and 6,000 captured

affect of the Russo Japanese War

- loss of country moral (they were in disbelief of the humiliating defeats of the Russian army)
- loss of support for the Tsar (for sending a weak army, and for the defeat)
- highlighted the technological limitations of Russia, and the need for industrialisation
- affected the economy greatly

affect of economy after Russo-Japanese war - wage stat

industrial workers wages dropped 25% in the twelve months following the war

peasant grievances pre 1905 revolution

- mortgage debts
- population increase and pressure on farming land
- famine of 1890
- backwards farming techniques

peasant grievances - living conditions

- harsh weather
- large families to make fielding more successful, some family members had to haul the plough because they could not afford an animal
- the mir made all decisions, a small group of elder men, patriarchal 'conformity' that did not benefit anyone

industrial grievances pre 1905 revolution

- industrial growth led to thousands of peasants flocking to major cities, leading to unemployment
- appalling living and working conditions

how many industrial workers were in the cities in the 1900s statistic

2 million factory workers in St Petersburg and Moscow in the 1900s

the urban population increase in industrialisation statistic

from 7 to 28 million (Figes)

peasant census statistic

by 1914, 3 out of 4 people living in St Petersburg were registered peasants by birth

industrial workers living conditions

16 people on average in St Petersburg shared a common house according to a survey of 1904 (Figes)

industrial workers grievances - water

- fewer than 1 in 3 apartments had a toilet or running water (Figes)
- cholera and typhus in the waterways caused 30,000 deaths in 1908-1909 (Figes)

Bloody Sunday 9th January 1905 (1905 rev)

- an orthodox priest, Father Gapon started a petition to the Tsar to

--> present an 8 hour working day, less tax and more laws protecting workers

--> representative assembly, free speech and universal suffrage

140,000 factor workers from 120 factory workers

Bloody Sunday death toll

200 dead, 800 injured

what was Nicholas referred to after Bloody Sunday

'Bloody Nicholas'

significance of Bloody Sunday

- led to widespread disorder and unrest int he country
- people lost faith and trust in the Tsar

ruling class

0.5%, Tsar worth 250-300 billion roubles

upper class

12%

commercial class

1.5%

working class

4%

peasants

82%

Waldron about the Tsarist economy and its problems

"The tsarist economy was honeycombed with fundamental structural problems"

stat about the increase of iron and steel as a result of Sergei Wittes industrialist reforms

between 1890 and 1900, the production of iron and steel rose from 9 to 76 million poods a year

quote about the Russo Japanese war - General Dragomirov in response to the Tsar sending religious icons to the troops

"The Japanese are beating us with machine-guns, but never mind; we'll beat them with icons"

how much debt was Russia in after the Russo Japanese War

10 billion poods in national debt (Rees)

the stat about sickness in peasant villages

400,000 dead of typhus and cholera in 1892

peasant farming hardships quote

"it is difficult to conceive of more exhausting work" (Bucklow)

Trotsky quote about village life

"icons and cockroaches"

stat about Russian children deaths

less than 50% of Russian peasants reached the age of five, as a result of an archaic practice of soothing babies with chewed bread in a rag, that grew bacteria and caused children to get sick

stat by 1900 peasant farming

by 1900, half the peasant population were subsistence farmers, only 12% could make surplus harvest

emancipation of the serfs

In 1861, Tsar Alexander II freed the serfs from their noble owners, however peasants were still paying off 'redemption payments' to the government as a cost of compensating nobles, made them have lots of debt

Jan 1905 - peasant revolts

peasant attacks on noble landowners increased

between autumn 1905 and winter 1906 stat about peasant protest

400 peasant mutinies took place (Figes)

Jacquerie of 1905-1906 peasant revolt

almost 3000 manors were destroyed, 15% of the countries total amount (Figes)

arson accounts of peasants on landowners

979 in the period of 1905-1907 (Dubrovskii)

peasant famine quote

"the famine brought into view the corruption and inefficiency of the government" (Lilly)

Figes on the living conditions of Russian industrial workers

"bed bugs and fleas and the stench of "humanity""

Figes on the comparison of the industrial living conditions

"could be compared to dwellings of prehistoric people"

quote about industrial workers living situations

"bed bugs and fleas, and a stench of 'humanity'" (Figes)

hours of work for industrial workers

from 10-16 hour shifts

Father Gapon about the Tsar

"There is no God any longer. There is no Tsar"

October Manifesto 17th October 1905

a response to the events of Bloody Sunday by the Tsar

what did the October Manifesto depict

- civil rights guaranteed
- Duma to be elected as representative government
- establish a law that no law shall take effect without the confirmation of the state Duma

The Fundamental Laws 23rd April 1906

a conservative response to the October Manifesto

Article 8 - the sovereign emperor possess the initiative in all legislative matters

Article 10 - the sovereign emperor takes charge of all the external relations of the Russian state, determines the direction of Russian foreign policy

Article 87 - under 'exceptional circumstances' the Tsar could dismiss the legislative

Trotsky about the Fundamental Laws

"We have been given a constitution, yet the autocracy remains"

The Constitutional Period

- the Tsar was the general autocrat and ruled by divine right
- the elected Duma will represent the will of the people, and their representative right

First Duma (27th April 1906 - July 1906)

they wanted to call to the throne for better peasant rights, the Tsar declined
- Following 391 statements criticising the Tsarist regime, the Tsar dissolved the First Duma after 73 days

Second Duma (February-June 1907)

- a more radical Duma as the SD's and SR's realised the opportunity of the Duma
- SD leaders were accused of attempting to overthrow the government in June
- the Menshevik and Bolshevik deputies had their parliamentary privileges suspended
- following "irresponsible and obstructive behaviour of the Duma representatives" in the words of the Tsar, the second Duma was dissolved in June of 1907

Third Duma (1907-1912) served the full 5 year terms as discussed in the Fundamental Laws

- Stolypin brought in sweeping changes to the electoral system that made the October Manifesto extinguished
- voting laws were changed, 1 in 6 Russian men were allowed to vote, resulted in a more conservative and compliant Duma that had support from the Tsar

Fourth Duma (November 1912-August 1914)

affected by increased tensions and increased crises in the cities

Siberia Miners Protest 17th April 1912 (Lena Goldfields Tragedy)

- miners from the Lena Goldfields in Siberia went on strike for better pay and work conditions conditions
- 200-500 strikers shot, fired by government force
comparisons made to Bloody Sunday

stat about 1914 strikes across Russia

2400 strikes in the year across Russia

start of WW1 (August 1914)

- everyone had faith in the "Russian Steamroller"
- Nicholas was seen as the god like autocratic ruler he once was
- strikes and worker militancy went into drastic decline

Russia's military weakness

- out of 6.5 men mobilised, only 4.6 were provided with rifles (Pipes)
- Whole battalions had to be trained to pick up the rifles of fallen soldiers in front of them (Figes)
- The second Levy/National Militia did not receive formal training, "many could not even load their rifles... such people could not really be considered soldiers at all" (General Brusilov)

mobilisation challenges in Russia during WW1

- battle of Tannenberg (August 1914)
- Masurian Lakes (September 1914)
- the Battle of Galicia (May 1915)
- The Great Retreat
- The Brusilov Offensive (22nd May - 31st July 1916)

The Battle of Tannenburg

August 1914

- 170,000 soldiers dead, loss of almost entire Russian Army due to German fault

The Battle of Masurian Lakes

September 1914

- 60,000 soldiers were lost from the First Russian Army

The Battle of Galicia

May 1915

- Third Army reduced from 220,000 to 40,000 men

The Brusilov Offensive

22nd May - July 1916

- campaign against the Austrian forced that was successful, coming at the price of 550,000 Russian soldiers dead or wounded
--> the further advancing came to a halt due to unresponsive government action

the Great Retreat

the Russian military retreated down the coast and pillaged towns they passed going against the other armies
- military retreated with much chaos
- the moment the soldiers fell out of content with the war
- 1 million soldiers surrendered to the German and Austrian armies during the Great Retreat

quote about exhausted soldiers

"The soldiers are without a doubt exhausted by the continued defeats and retreats"

quote about Russian soldiers inability to load rifles

"Many could not even load their rifles... such people could not really be considered soldiers at all"

quote about the war being a slaughter

"This is not a war sit, it is slaughter"

historian perspective on WW1 and its economic effects

"created a growing sense of public panic and hysteria (Figes)

total death toll from the war (Perfect, Ryan and Sweeney)

1.7 dead, 8 million wounded, 2.5 taken prisoner

economic cost of the war

1.5 billion roubles

inflation stat

by 1917, the rouble was worth 30% of what it had been worth in 1913

wage increase stat

wages increased by half, food and supplies increased cost by fourfold

supply shortages stat

by 1917, Moscow and Petrograd were barely receiving 1/3 of their supplies

why was the economic cost of the war so substantial?

- government put more money into the war, to supply military weaponry
- this left shocking living conditions all throughout Russia with food and fuel shortages
- inflation as the gov printed more money to keep country afloat
in short, Russia also could not afford this war, they took out loans to keep going

stat about Russian men leaving the front

In 1915, there was an increasing number of Russian soldiers abandoning the front line

affect on the homefront - the Progressive Bloc in the Duma (July 1915)

- Kadets and Octoberists banned together to create a "government of public confidence"
- they hoped to avert the revolution by making the Duma more competent, meaning the Tsar would not be blamed for its failures

problems with the Tsar - autocracy

- his commitments to autocracy
- he put forth Fundamental Laws
- continued dismissal of the Dumas

problems with the Tsar - poor decisions during WW1

- refusing to organise a war effort for the country (if he organised the country, there may not have been as economic faults, and chaos in the country)
- left the Tsarina to control the country as he fought on the Front Line in August 1915 (dismissing the Grand Duke Nikolai + the Duma)
- dismissing Duma again, February 1917

leaving the Tsarina to rule

22nd August 1915, Nicholas dismissed Grand Duke Nikolai, and appointed himself the Commander in chief of Russia's armed force, he thought he should be with the troops at the front

Tsarina

- he left the Tsarina in charge of the Russian Empire when he left to the front
- her German background made her unlikeable and the subject of scorn, referred to as the 'nemka'

Rasputin and the Tsarina

- she turned to Rasputin for advice, and his advice brought chaos to the government
- Rasputin's sordid personal life also tarnished the royal family, rumours of his sexual relation to the Tsarina discredited them even further
- she supported his advice unconditionally, endorsing any candidate put forth by him

who was Rasputin

- peasant faith healer

- was able to ease the symptoms of Alexei's haemophilia, a blood disease

- spent more time with the Tsarina, led people to speculate

Tsar Nicholas in a quote about Rasputin

"Our Friend's opinion of people are sometimes very strange... therefore one must be careful"

Ministerial Leapfrog (September 1915 - February 1917)

the time the Tsarina was in rule, the country went through
- 4 prime ministers
- 3 war ministers
- 5 ministers of interior
as she kept dismissing and appointing new ones, described as ministerial leapfrog
--> none of the ministers could implement substantial policy before being dismissed

Tsarina appointing bad leaders example - Boris Sturmer

Boris Sturmer as the Minister of Interior in January 1916, who was German, and loved all things German, out of depth with role responsibilities

French Ambassador quote on the state of Russian Government with the Tsar on the front line

"I am obliged to report that, at the present moment, the Russian Empire is run by lunatics" (French Ambassador Maurice Paleleologue)

events of February Revolution 1917

23rd-27th, reasons: conditions for revolt were set up, social and economic tensions, war weariness and resentful soldiers

22nd February 1917

Start of Feb revolution
- labour dispute in Petrograd led a strike, 20,000 workers poured onto the streets

23rd February 1917

International Women's Day marches
- women from factories marched about the 10-12 hour working day and cues for bread
- 100,000 workers were on strike

24th February 1917

workers gathered in factories to listen to speeches from activists
- 200,000 workers went on strike
- politicians saw these strikes as merely bread wishes

25th February 1917

- violence and confrontation escalated
- banners that said "Down with the Tsar, Down with the War"
- Cossacks refused to assist police
- troops did not want to fight demonstrators, as they had just come from serving in the war and didn't want to protect the crown anymore

27th February 1917

- strikes took on more political nature
- mutiny amongst the officers, discontented over harsh terms in military service
- government bodies met to put the crowds wishes to action
- Petrograd Soviet formed

the Duma and the Petrograd Soviet in the Feb Revolution

- met to fix the problems in Russia

27st Feb - 1st March 1917

the Duma and Petrograd Soviet members worked on how to fix Russian issues
--> to remove Nicholas
- form new government
- defend the revolution from royal troops
- economic support for the country

Order No.1 (1st March 1917)

issued by the Petrograd Soviet that restructured the relationship between officers and soldiers

- provisional government then formed on 2nd March

- the Petrograd Soviet had full control over the military with this order

historian perceptive about reason for the February Revolution 1917

"the result of a collapse of public support in the government" (Smith)

historian perspective on the chaos of the February Revolution 1917

"The most leaderless, spontaneous, anonymous revolution of all time" W.H Chamberlain

abdication of Nicholas II on 2nd March 1917

2nd March - he abdicated in favour of his son, but last minute changed to his btoerh
3rd March - his brother refused the crown due to the Duma refusing to protect his life if he were to be Tsar

Tsar Nicholas quote on his abdication

"If it is necessary that I should abdicate for the good of Russia, then I am ready for it... but I'm afraid the people will not understand"