history: tsarist russia (pre 1917)

russiafication

making non-russian things (places, people) more russian. (i.e. changing religions, leanguages)

romanov

russian 'royal' family

order of tsarist russian social structure

tsar, nobles, russian orthodox church, army, middle class, working class/peasants

autocratic system

only one person was in charge of the whole country (in russia's case it was the tsar)

problems of tsar nicholas ii

little experience when taking over, son and heir (alexei) suffered from haemophilia, mistrusted ministers, WWI (CIC-1915), Bloody Sunday, inflation, food shortages

1894-1917

time nicholas ii spent on the throne of russia

reactionary system

only reacted to things, very hostile to change

alexander ii

nicholas' grandfather (great reformer)

alexander iii

nicholas' father, who didn't train him to be tsar properly (great repressor)

autocracy, orthodoxy, nationalism

tsar, religion, russia. russian motto

karl marx

wrote communist manifesto in 1848 (along with friedrich engels), born in 1818, died in 1883

marx's stages of history

slavery to feudalism to capitalism to socialism to communism. would take hundreds of years

orthodoxy

a branch of christainity

father george gapon

led the people on bloody sunday

events of bloody sunday

(22nd january 1905), father george gapon led the assembly of factory workers (peacefully) with a petition for an eight hour working day, freedom to organise trade unions, improved working conditions, free medical aid, higher wages for women workers, elections to be held (with secret suffrage), freedom of speech, press, association and religion, an end to the russo-japan war. the army shot at the very peaceful protesters turning it into a massacre (technically nicholas didn't order this, he was away at the time, but he was still blamed and earned the nickname 'bloody nicholas')

russo-japan war

nicholas tried to win favour with the people (patriotic spirit), lasted from 1904-1905, russia lost with humilation

second meeting of the social democrats

1903, in london, factions in the party began to emerge, mensheviks (minority in russian, but majority of party) and bolsheviks (majority in russian)

mensheviks

started in 1903 by gregori martov. felt that party membership should be open to anyone who followed the programme and was willing to follow instructions (true communists)

bolsheviks

started in 1903 led by vladmir lenin. felt that members should live and die for the revolution (not true communists- wanted to jump straight to communism)

george plekhanov

leader of the social democrats party

first duma

established may 1906. mainly kadets and social revolutionaries. called for land reform and release of political prisoners. lasted two months. dismisses for passing a vote of 'no confidence in prime minister ivan goremykin

second duma

established february 1907. mainly kadets were involved in writing the vyborg appeal critiscised the government and demanded for the non-payment of taxes. dissolved when members began promoting revolutionary organisations within the army. lasted five months

third duma

established in 1907. lasted five years. arrangements had been made for landowners to have more voting power. (most affluent third of the population). less radical and more favourable to the government.

fourth duma

established november 1912. mainly octoberists on one side and socialists on the other. decision making was increasingly difficult. suspended in 1915. by this time russia was seriously committed to fighting austria and germany in WW1. lasted three years

october manifesto, 17 october 1905

response to bloody sunday. freedom of speech, assembly, association, duma (a version of parliament), people will now get a say in the law

fundamental law, 23 april 1906

tsar has supreme power, no law happens without tsar approval. seven months after october manifesto. complete betrayal of the people

assimilation

to make everything the same (that thing that immigrants have to do when they move to a new country)

sailors rebelled at ... on bloody sunday

potemkin

constitutional monarchy

what we have in britain. reform to preserve. king/queen still in power but with democratic elements

nicholas ii had ... daughters and ... sons

four, one

nicholas joined the russian army at age...

nineteen