Ch.1 — Romanov Russia

Landmass spanned

1/6 of the globe

Population

12\.5 million

Ethnicities

100

When was Russia’s first census ?

1897

Russia’s first census discovered — population

125\.6 million

86\.5% peasants

13\.5% urban

Russia’s first census discovered — Ethnic groups

Around 110

Russia’s first census discovered — languages

Approx. 20

Russia’s first census discovered —  Religion

Min.25

Russia’s first census discovered — Literacy

males 29.5%

Female 13.2%

Crimean war date

1861

Crimean war …

instigated long-awaited reforms

Alexander II initiated a change — unleashes a push for political and social liberalisation

1881, Alexander II was repaid for his reforms by being blown to pieces by an assassins bomb

population % - aristocracy

12\.5%

population % - middle class

1\.5%

population % - workers

4%

population % -  Peasants

80%

The power of the tsar was bound by only two restrictions

an adherence to the Russian Orthodox Church & the laws of succession

The tsar and his will were considered supreme in all other matters

1891 crop failure - deaths

400,000 people dead

tsarist government, one of the few remaining …

Autocracies where all political power & sovereignty were vested in a hereditary monarch

russia had no … (3)

no constitution

No elected parliament

No high courts

no high courts means

couldn’t examine or restrain the Tsar’s laws / no checks or balances

tsarist government essentially governed by

Decree (autocrat)

high level political bodies or councils - functions

Limited function of providing advice

holy Synod

The governing council of the Russian Orthodox Church

high level political bodies or councils - (2)

The Holy Synod & the Imperial Council of Ministers

imperial council

Chief of ministers & several other ministers hand picked by the monarch and served at his pleasure

Zemstva

Local partially elected councils that could collect taxes and provide services

Zemstva - services

education

Public health

Transport

Russian bureaucracy

The public face of the government

Russian bureaucracy  - services \[4\]

enforcing regulation

Collecting taxes and duties

Maintaining records

Implementing other policies

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The okhrana

Tsarist secret police force

okhrana - 1911

More than 60 security stations scattered around Russia

okhrana - 1910

More than 20,000 paid informants & double agents on payroll

okhrana - informants

Received 100 roubles a month, more than double the monthly wage of the average industrial worker

okhrana - methods used \[7\]

Covert surveillance

Infiltration

Espionage

Interrogation

Use of paid informants

Torture

Extra legal killing

the black hundreds

Loyalist group

The black hundreds - formed

20th century

the black hundred - symbols

Christian cross & the Romanov double eagle — reflective of their values and ideas

the black hundreds - violence

Against government opponents

the black hundreds - Sept. 1905

‘Russian men’ patrolled the countryside killing & expelling Jews. 21,000 murdered in Ukraine alone

Russian Orthodox Church

Integral part of tsarist autocracy

Russian Orthodox Church - governing council

The Holy Synod was a *de facto* government department

Russian Orthodox Church - promoted

And reinforced tsarist among ordinary Russian. Encouraged them to accepts and embrace tsarist autocracy

Russian Orthodox Church - catechism

Taught worshippers it was God’s will that they should love and obey the tsar

military strength

Largest standing workforce in the world, more than 1.5m

Nicholas II - dates

1894-1917

Reasons for discontent by 1914 — industrial workers

terrible living & working conditions

Low pay

Unemployment

Reasons for discontent by 1914 — Police state

severe political repression

Lack of civil liberties

Reasons for discontent by 1914 — middle class

No say in how Russia was governed

Reasons for discontent by 1914 — nationalities

Many wanted independence from the Russian empire & Russian control

Reasons for discontent by 1914 — Radicals

opposed the whole political system

Wanted revolution

Reasons for discontent by 1914 — peasants

hungry for land & food

Overtaxed

Desperate poverty

Marxism

radical political ideology

A blueprint for revolution with great appeal to radicals of the 19th century

Marx’s key ideas \[4\]

social class

Wealth = power

Work exploitation

Stage theory

Marx - social class

Societies divided into haves and have nots

Ruling class “means of production”

Marx - *“class struggle”*

The demand and desires of classes often contradict or clash / ongoing tensions

Marx - wealth equals power

in capitalist systems, most capital is privately owned by individuals or shareholders

Marx - *bourgeoisie*

Not only own & control capital they also dominate democratic and parliamentary systems of government

Marx - work exploitation

Quest for profit maker the bourgeoisie exploitative

They deny the proletariat a fair share of the profit they help to rest and minimise cost by keeping wages low and conditions poor

Marx - stage theory

primitive or tribal communism

Slavery

Feudalism

Capitalism

Socialism

Communism

Vladimir Lenin

Founder of the Bolsheviks movement, leader of Oct. Rev and first ruler of Soviet Russia

*1902 - what is to be done?*

Treatise, outlined his vision of an organised movement to bring about a socialist revolution.

Called for a small party that was tightly run, carefully planned, hard-working, disciplined & secretive s

revolutionary groups & movements - active

19th century, growing increasingly radical

Opposition to the tsar - Populist groups

Focused on the peasants (appealing to masses), hoping to educate & inspire them to revolution

Opposition groups

liberals

Socialist revolutionaries

Social democrats

Liberals - groups

Kadets

Octoberist

Progressive bloc

Liberals - aims

Push the tsar towards constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, free elections, civil rights

liberals - who’s involved

Kadets - middle class intelligentsia

Octobrists — industrialists, businessmen, larger landowners

liberals - methods

Non - violent political channels:

zemstva

The duma

Articles in the press

Meetings

liberals - weakness

Didn’t have a large popular base

SR’s - aims

Overthrow the tsarist gov. & replace with a democratic republic

Take lands from landlords & divide up amongst the peasants

SR’s — who’s involved

Peasants & industrial workers (50%)

SR’s — methods

Agitation & terrorism, Incl. assignation of gov. Officials

SR’s — weakness

Communication was difficult

SR’s — strengths

Large popular base

Social democrats — aims

Accepts the main tenets of Marxism

Social democrats - Bolshevik who’s involved

Younger militant peasant

Social democrats - Menshevik who’s involved

workers, intelligentsia & non-Russians

social democrats - weakness

Party was split into two

bolsheviks - Lenin beliefs

made up of a small number of highly disclosed professional revolutionaries

Operate under centralised leadership

Have a system of cells (3 ppl) - less easy to infiltrate

Bolsheviks - bring

Socialist consciousness to the workers & lead them through the revolution

Bolshevik - weakness

Centralised leadership could lead to dictatorship

Mensheviks - belief party should

broadly based & take in all those who wished to join

More democratic, allowed members to have say in policy - making

Encourage trade union to help working class improve their conditions

Mensheviks - Marxist

There’d bee long period of bourgeoisie democratic gov. During which the workers would develop a class & revolutionary council unless until they were ready to take over in a socialist revolution

tsar’s deceleration of war …

*arouse a spirit of national unity*

*Worker’s strikes came to a halt*

*Socialist united behind the defence of the fatherland*

*The Duma dissolved itself, declared on 8th August it didn’t want to burden the government with ‘unnecessary politics’ at a time of war*

1914 - soldiers mobilised

5\.3 million

battle of Tannenberg - date

August 1914

Battle of tannenberg

German generals Hindenburg & Ludendorff called in, won a decisive victory against the Russian.

Russian Generals Rennenkampf & Samsonov

carpathian Mountains

Russia a bit more successful, but by spring 1915 brought to a holt because of shortages

Gorlice Tarnow Offensive

Lack of supplies meant Russia unable to deal with he offensive launched in May 1916

Gorlice Tarnow Offensive  - germans

Marked the start of a 500km german advance

Gorlice Tarnow Offensive — casualties

End of 1916 Russia suffered 2m causalities & 1m taken prisoner

Gorlice Tarnow Offensive  — front war described as

*‘600 miles of mud and horror’*

Gorlice Tarnow Offensive — Russian army

demoralised & on the point of collapse

Nicholas II replaced Grand Duke Nikolai

As supreme commander of the Russian army, September 1915

Brusilov offensive - date

june 1916

Brusilov Offensive

targeting weak points in the Austrian lines, Russian troops able to rebar through and push into Austrian land BUT planned backup never arrived = steady stream of German soldiers came to the aid of Austria

Brusilov Offensive — deaths

1\.4m Russians killed / injured

780,000 Austrian + germans killed / injured

Brusilov Offensive — aftermath

Russia no longer had the strength to large scale

Exhaustion & disillusionment drove soldiers to desertion + mutiny

inflation - pre war

98% Russian notes backed by gold

inflation - during war

Gold standard abandoned, allowed gov. To put more notes into circulation = inflation