PRE PROV GOV

Nicholas II's Coronation

1894, where he famously stated he was "not prepared to be Tsar" but swore to maintain the "autocratic principle."

The Autocratic Principle

The core belief of the Tsardom that the Tsar was appointed by God (Divine Right) and held absolute power over all laws.

The Okhrana

The Tsar's secret police who used 30,000 informers and "agents provocateurs" to infiltrate revolutionary groups.

The Social Revolutionaries (SRs)

Formed in 1901; a radical party that used 2,000 political assassinations to try and destroy the Tsarist government.

Russo-Japanese War

1904-1905, a humiliating defeat for Russia that proved the Tsar's military was incompetent and sparked the 1905 Revolution.

Bloody Sunday

22 January 1905, Father Gapon led 200,000 protesters to the Winter Palace; 100+ were shot dead by the Tsar's Imperial Guard.

The 1905 General Strike

October 1905, 2 million workers went on strike, bringing the Russian Empire to a total standstill.

The October Manifesto

1905, a document issued by Nicholas II promising a Duma (parliament) and civil rights to stop the 1905 Revolution.

Fundamental Laws

April 1906, Nicholas II issued these to assert that "no law can come into force without his approval," making the Duma a "talking shop."

The First Duma

1906, lasted only 10 weeks because the Tsar refused to share power over land reform.

Peter Stolypin

The Tsar's Prime Minister (1906-1911) known for "The Carrot and the Stick" policy of repression and reform.

Stolypin's Necktie

A nickname for the hangman's noose; Stolypin executed over 3,000 "terrorists" between 1906 and 1909.

The Wager on the Strong

Stolypin's land reform that allowed peasants to buy their own land to create a loyal class of "Kulaks."

15% Land Success

By 1914, only 15% of peasants had actually enclosed their land, showing Stolypin's reforms were too slow to save the Tsardom.

Lena Goldfields Massacre

1912, Tsarist troops shot 270 striking miners; this ended the "peaceful" years and restarted mass industrial unrest.

The Tercentenary

1913, the 300th anniversary of Romanov rule; a massive celebration that gave the Tsar a false sense of being loved by his people.

General Sukhomlinov

The War Minister in 1914 who preferred "bayonets to bullets" and failed to provide the army with modern artillery.

Battle of Tannenberg

August 1914, a disastrous defeat with 122,000 Russian casualties, destroying the army's morale from the start of WWI.

WWI Munitions Crisis

By 1915, 1/3 of Russian soldiers were sent to the front without rifles, told to pick them up from dead comrades.

Zemgor

A civilian organisation formed in 1914 to provide medical care for soldiers because the Tsarist government was failing to do so.

The Progressive Bloc

A group of 236 Duma members who, in 1915, asked the Tsar to appoint a "government of public confidence."

Tsar takes command

September 1915, Nicholas II moved to the Eastern Front to lead the army, making him personally responsible for every defeat.

The Tsarina Alexandra

Left in charge of Petrograd in 1915; she was German-born and deeply distrusted by the public as a "spy."

Grigori Rasputin

A "holy man" who influenced the Tsarina; his presence at court alienated the nobles and destroyed the Tsar's reputation.

Ministerial Leapfrog

The rapid firing/hiring of ministers (4 PMs and 3 War Ministers in 2 years) by the Tsarina and Rasputin, causing chaos.

War Inflation

Between 1914 and 1917, the price of flour and meat rose by 300% as the government printed money to pay for the war.

The 1916 Winter

Temperatures hit -35°C, freezing coal trains and causing a total fuel and food crisis in the capital.

Petrograd Bread Rations

By early 1917, rations were cut so low that women were queuing for 10 hours a day just for a single loaf.

Putilov Steel Works

18 February 1917, 20,000 workers were locked out after a pay dispute, triggering the mass protests of the February Revolution.

International Women's Day

23 February 1917, thousands of women joined strikers to protest bread shortages; 128,000 protesters hit the streets.

The Volynsky Regiment Mutiny

27 February 1917, the Tsar's soldiers refused to shoot protesters, killed their officers, and joined the revolution.

The Petrograd Soviet

Formed 27 February 1917 by workers and soldiers; it acted as a "shadow government" that held the actual power in the capital.

The Provisional Committee

A group of 12 Duma members who took over government responsibilities on 27 February as the Tsar's ministers fled.

The Tsar's Abdication

2 March 1917, Nicholas II resigned on a train at Pskov after his generals told him the army no longer supported him.

Grand Duke Michael's Refusal

3 March 1917, the Tsar's brother refused the throne, officially ending 304 years of Romanov rule and the Autocratic system.

The "Little Father"

The traditional image of the Tsar as the protector of the peasants, which was permanently destroyed by his failures in WWI.

Okhrana Reports 1916

Secret police warnings sent to the Tsar in late 1916 stating that a revolution was "inevitable" unless food reached the cities.

Brusilov Offensive

1916, a massive Russian attack that initially succeeded but ended in 1 million casualties, breaking the army's remaining spirit.

Tsarist Railway Collapse

By 1916, 57% of Russia's locomotives were out of action, meaning food rotted in the countryside while cities starved.

Rodzianko's Warning

The Duma President's telegram to the Tsar in Feb 1917 saying "The situation is serious. There is anarchy in the capital."

Land Bank

Stolypin upscales the peasants Land bank, and it allowed peasants to purchase their small farms. 40% of money lent to peasants was paid back

Law of November ____

1906, Stolypin allows peasants to create their own small farms, and own their own land

what were Zemstva and what did have to do with them

they were councils of peasants that Stolypin wanted to introduce. He threatened to resign if his wish didn't come true, so the tsar banished Stolypin's main rightist opponents. this was seen as an abuse of power