Russia iGCSE Edexel - Key Features and 16 marker plans

Features: Russia 1905

1: Autocracy - the Tsar had no controls on his power: he had ministers who could advise him, but he decided policy with or without their advice - cause for discontent as citizens had no say over any decisions made about the country

2: Church - supported the Tsar, believed he was God's representative on Earth, 70% of the population were members of the Orthodox Church - discontent with large minorities as they resented the church's power (9% Roman Catholic, 11% Muslim)

3: Use of oppression (army + Okhrana) - existed to protect Tsar + gov from terrorise and so had lots of power, books + newspapers were censored, those suspected of working against the regime were exiled to Serbia, Okhrana caught revolutionaries who were executed - fear of Tsar

Features: 1905 revolution

1: Actions of peasants + industrial workers - Burnt manor houses down (3000 between 1905-07) + sometimes killed landlords + families , strike Sept-Oct: Russia struggled to function - violent display of discontent + hit economy

2: Potemkin Mutiny - sailors faced tough discipline + poor conditions, were forced to eat maggot meat, a sailor was killed - attacked + killed officers, Socialist People's committee took over ship

Features: October Manifesto - 1905

1: Contents - new civil rights: freedom of speech, religion, political parties etc..., Duma: general election, approved laws

2: Reaction - Middle class were satisfied + general strike was called off, peasant unrest + worker strikes continued, mutinies in several hundred army barracks

Features: Potemkin Mutiny - 1905

1: Cause - sailors faced tough discipline + poor conditions, June 1905 cooks reported maggots in meat, executive officer threatened anyone who refused to eat

2: Reaction - killed the officer + attacked the rest, killing some, Socialist People's committee took over the battleship, sailed to Odessa, Tsar ordered troops to stop protests, killed 1000

Features: Bloody Sunday - 1905

1: Petition- thousands of protesters led by Father Gapon + petition with 150,000 signatures, wanted an 8 hour day, trade unions, better working conditions, elections for a constituent assembly, no war, freedom of speech, press and religion - display of mass discontent

2: Reaction - Soldiers + Cossacks blocked one route, when the crowd refused to disperse soldiers opened fire + attacked with whips and swords, over 100 were killed + hundreds more were wounded - changed attitude to Tsar

Features: General Strike 1905

1: Workers - more than 400,000 workers went on strike Sept-Oct

2: Liberal middle class - wanted political reform

Features: Russia 1906-1914

1: Dumas - representatives elected in a general election, laws had to be approved by State Duma, government was supervised by elected representatives of the people, but Tsar could dissolve any time - by the time of the third duma revolutionaries had very little power in changing laws and policies, conservatives always made sure the government got Duma support

2: Legal System - suspected revolutionaries were put in prison, army courts (no lawyers allowed to defend accused + couldn't appeal against sentence) - led to over 1000 executed by the courts 1906-7 + 1000s more exiled to Siberia

Features: Stolypin's repression 1905-

1: law and order - army had complete control over law and order, suspected revolutionaries were put in prison, army courts (no lawyers allowed to defend accused + couldn't appeal against sentence) - led to over 1000 executed by the courts 1906-7 + 1000s more exiled to Siberia

2: ? - newspapers were shut down, trade unions were closed - attempt to reduce threat of revolutionaries (trade unions more communist)

Features: Provisional Government - 1917

1: Dual authority - the provisional government had to share power with the Petrograd Soviet (made up of Soviet soldiers and workers) - initially they worked together, but the Soviet came under the influence of the Bolsheviks who attacked the PG for continuing the war - limited their authority and meant they didn't have complete control (over armed forces or transport)

2: reforms - freedom of religion, amnesty for political prisoners, recognition of trade unions, freedom of speech, secret police abolished, promise of an elected parliament, introduction of an 8-hour day for industrial workers - lessened opposition, didn't address food shortages, poor living conditions, unequal distribution of wealth/treatment, inflation or unemployment

Features: February Revolution - 1917

1: Tsar lost control - ~300,000 strikes, lack of food, soldiers joined demonstrations + killed officers, Tsar dissolved Duma but 12 refuse and set up Provisional Committee + join PS

2: Results - 17 Mar: Provisional Government with Prince Litov as leader to run Russia until democratic elections (6 months), police authorities + town n countryside councils collapsed

Features: July Days - 1917

1: Events - 3 days rioting in Petrograd, 10,000s of workers + soldiers, Kerensky moved loyal troops to put down rebellion, 400 killed + injured

2: Kerensky's response - Kerensky blamed Bs were paid by Germany, Lenin fled + directed from Finland, leaders arrested + went into hiding, newspapers closed down, changed views on peasants, Kerensky set up new gov + laid out land + industry returns

Features: Kornilov Revolt - 1917

1: Events - Kornilov marched on Petrograd, concerned about Bolshevik strength (250,000 + Moscow Soviet), wanted to secure power + ensure the war continued

2: Kerensky's response - released Bolshevik prisoners + armed the Red Guard - made Kerensky's gov look weak, Bolsheviks seen as the defenders of Petrograd, Kornilov was arrested

Features: closure of the Constituent assembly 1918

1: first meeting - Bolsheviks only won about 1/4 of the votes - during the meeting the Bolshevik decrees were undermined, the Constituent Assembly voted and the proposal was rejected - Lenin then announced that he would dissolve the Consituent Assembly and wrote an article for Pravda and established the belief that the existence of Soviets meant there was no need for a constituent assembly

2: closure - Lenin used the Red guard to prevent it from opening and banned other opposition parties (the Soviets were a power base for the Bolsheviks - the Red Guards killed/wounded more than 100 people who demonstrated in support of the assembly, 2 Kadett killed in hospital

Features: Stolypin's reforms - 1906

1: Encouraged peasants migration by providing incentives - Between 1905-17 3.5M peasants moved to Siberia, peasant land banks (loans), Mirs had to allow peasants to buy land, peasant land ownership rose by 30%,

2: Industrial development - peasants wanted to secure maximum profits so were encouraged to use more industrial farming methods, Agricultural output +1/3, iron+steel + 50%

Features: Lena Goldfields strike - 1912

1: Main events - strike through Goldfields led by the Bolsheviks, event turned into a mass protest, workers brought lists of demands to managers,

2: Reaction of Russians - troops killed 200-500 workers, mass protests + nearly 2000 strikes, Duma organised investigation: terrible working conditions, Tsarist rule not changed

Features: Fundamental Laws - 1906

1: Laws - imperial state could block any duma laws, could veto duma legislations + dissolve duma laws when duma was dissolved - permanent role in making laws

2: General control - authority over armed forces + foreign policy, chose half of the duma members

Features: influence of Rasputin

1: Close relationship with the Tsarina - she believed he could cure her son's haemophilia- became a trusted advisor concerning both the war and domestic politics

2: made the Tsarist government very unpopular - between 1915 and 1917 the Tsarina dismissed 4 prime ministers and 3 war ministers on Rasputin' advice - made gov unstable

3: Caused mistrust with the Russians - he believed that sinning brought him closer to god, like stealing and he was involved in many sexual exploits - this made him very unpopular with the Orthodox population, and they therefore mistrusted him and the Royal's judgement

Features: October Revolution 1917

1: Actions of Kerensky - Two members of the Bolsheviks who disagreed with the plan for the revolution and published an article in a journal claiming it would be a mistake to overthrow the gov - Kerensky saw this as evidence for an impending coup, and so he ordered Bolshevik newspapers (Pravda + Izvestiya) to shut down and for leading Bolshevik members to be rounded up (23rd) - caused Lenin to act

2: Bolsheviks seize control - (24th) Trotsky used the MRC to take control of key roads and bridges, army headquarters and telegraph offices, (25th) Red Guards surrounded the Winter Palace (where PG was meeting) causing guards to surrender, the cruiser Aurora sailed up the Neva river and fired its guns causing the PG to surrender - PG abdicated.

Features: November Decrees

1: improved workers' rights to keep/gain support - work, workers' control, unemployment insurance - 8-hour day + 40-hour week for all industrial workers, restrictions on overtime, holiday entitlement; all factories placed under the control of elected committees of workers; employment insurance introduced against injury, illness and unemployment

2: equality to keep promises made in April Thesis - titles, marriage, land - all titles and class distinctions were abolished, women declared equal to men; couples permitted to have non-religious wedding, divorce was made easier; 540M acres of land taken from tsar, nobles, church and other landlords, peasants to set up committees to divide land fairly.

Features: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

1: economic + social - Russia lost 62M people (1/6 of total pop), 26% of railway lines, 74% of iron ore and coal reserves, lost 27% of farm land - caused food shortages which meant 1 million left Petrograd (including 60% of factory workers)

2: Political division - SRS complained that the retreats helped Germany survive as an imperialist power, conservative parties wanted to stop further humiliation

Features: War Communism

1: policies on food - state controlled food supply, used requisitoning to deal with food shortages, strict food rations (began in cities, soldiers and workers got more food than others) 2: labour - factories with more than 10 workers were nationalised + given production targets, strikes were banned, Vensenkha set targets and decided where people should work, brought back strict conditions (fines for lateness)

Features: Civil War

1: Reds - Trotsky began setting up the Red Army (Jan 1918) and the Bolsheviks moved the capital to Moscow (Mar 1918) - they had an armed force to defend themselves with and had better communications - gave them a better advantage in the beginning

2: Whites loss of power - Allies stopped sending men and resources to the whites (Nov 1918), Czech Legion retreated + handed Kolchak (leader) to the Red Army (who was executed) - whites were made weaker and eventually lost the Civil War

Features: Kronstadt Mutiny

1: Actions of Kronstadt sailors - sailors onboard Petropavolvsk mutinied Feb 1921, spread to whole base - grievances: distribution of food + luxury, felt Bolsheviks had betrayed the revolution, against imprisonment + execution without trial, cutting of the bread ration Jan 1921 - demands: re-election of all Soviets; freedom of speech, press, for all political prisoners, trade unions, assembly + peasants' associations, for peasants to farm as they want; end Red terror

2. Bolsheviks' response - Trotsky used Red Army (50K) to put down mutiny - 20K killed or wounded - fierce fighting took place (15K+ mutinied), about 8K escaped to Finland, any rebels who survived were either killed by Cheka or sent to a gulag.

Features: NEP

1: Agriculture - the free market was reintroduced - peasants still had to give a fixed amount to the government, but they could sell their surplus at a price of their choice (with 10% tax), peasant who increased production were given tax cuts, grain requisition ended 2: Trade - trade with other countries was permitted again, which allowed more import of industrial and consumer goods, money was in use again (rouble introduced), monetary reforms introduced to end inflation, Russians could open privately owned shops and sell good for a profit (Nepmen)

What was the main reason for discontent 1905?

Conditions- peasant riots against landlords: 3,000 manor houses burnt down 1905-07, 10,000 strikes - display of discontent

Tsar's style of government - autocracy (unlimited power of Tsar), no vote, repression of strikes with armed forces (e.g. Bloody Sunday - peaceful protesters, 100 killed, hundreds wounded)

Power of the Church - supported the Tsar, believed he was God's representative on Earth, 70% of the population were members of the Orthodox Church - discontent with large minorities as they resented the church's power (9% Roman Catholic, 11% Muslim)

War with Japan - due to poor infrastructure Russia suffered many losses (such as loosing Port Arthur) - caused a strain on resources, presented problems with Tsarist system

Why did Nicholas II survive 1905?

Liberals, workers, peasants + nationalists not organised - weakened opposition, no current plan, limited direction

Armed forces remained reliable - still had a way to protect the Tsar in an uprising, removed opp + prevented further opp

Use of repression - removed opp + prevented further opp

October Manifesto - reduced opposition from key groups - the middle class

What was the most significant impact of WWI?

Economic - increase tax + get loans from other countries (25% from vodka tax), Germans captured key economic areas (coal mining in Poland) + blocked Russia's access to Europe, trade was impossible, exports had to go through Vladivostok, labour shortages (15M men sent to war), lack of raw materials (ban of exporting grain, not enough workers: food shortage), factory closures (1915 500 closed), inflation

Social - army took food (not enough), railway + transport only used for food for army and not getting food to cities, rotting food in wagons, unemployment (over 150K jobless or send home first 3 months of war), twice as many women in countryside than men - blamed Tsar

Political - Tsarina (autocracy) refused to deal with the Duma, dismissed ministers + replaced them with those she preferred, German, Duma demanded that the tsar's gov should be replaced by Duma deputies in a ministry of national confidence, Tsar refused, around half the Duma deputies formed Progressive Bloc (centre of opposition to the government)

Why was Rasputin unpopular?

Influential - strong relationship with royals, ministers resented his influence over theirs

Behaviour + beliefs - sinning brought you closer to god, sex, stealing and wine - orthodox population disagreed

Tsarina - rumoured to be affair with Tsarina + deliberately made Russia loose the war - undermined Tsar's authority

What was the main reason for discontent in 1916?

Rasputin - beliefs (sinning brough him closer to god), drunken + sexual exploits - discontent with Tsar/ina (why would they be so closely associated with him.)

Lack of resources - over 500 factories closed in 1915 (couldn't keep production), over 150,000 factory workers lost their jobs

War - around 5.3M losses, Tsar took personal control of the army August 1915, Russia had lost 13% of the population (16M people)

What was the main reason for the February revolution?

Tsar lost control, war exposes problems

Population - food shortages - trains were used to get food + other resources to army instead of starving cities; bread rationing; repression; inflation - strikes + demos (women's march)

Workers - factory closures (lost jobs) - due to poor distribution of resources; poor working conditions - 1/2 of industrial workers of Petrograd on strike 24th Feb 1917, 500,000 on strike citywide by 25th

Government - (Long term) Tsar's choice of advisors (Rasputin + Tsarina); Tsarina's poor control (like poor distribution of resources) - mutiny, Provisional Committee

Army/ war - Tsar took control of army; poor performance in war (e.g. May 1915 Austrian-German forces began an offensive on Russia wich cause the Great Retreat - 480km into Russian territory), Russia had lost 15% of the population (16M) by 1915

What was the main reason for the Tsar's abdication?

⭐️Mistakes of the Tsar

- Took direct control of the army Oct 1915 - lack of resources meant that army were suffering many defeats

- As he took control of the army he was absent - he couldn't take control of the protests, so protesting only increased

Tsarina Alexandra

- German - less trusted as a leader

- Could appoint her own ministers...

Population' discontent

- Food shortages - food queues stretched down the streets - caused discontent with royal family as it was because of the poor distribution of resources

- Protests (International Women's Day) - thousands marched in protest of bread rationing

What was the main reason for October Revolution?

Kornilov - left government weakened, increased strength of Bolsheviks (armed + defenders of Russia)

All-Russian Congress of Soviets (?) - due to meet in late Oct it was possible that the Bolsheviks wouldn't win a majority of representative - if they seized power then, then they could present themselves as the new authority

Elections for the Constituent Assembly - due in Nov, Bolsheviks were unlikely to win - needed to take power before the election so they could present their takeover as legitimate + one which had popular support

What was the main reason the Bolshevik's seizure of power Oct 1917?

Lenin Leadership -

persuaded Bolsheviks to oppose the war

April Thesis + simple slogans laid out key aims for citizens

Created Red Guard - made Bolsheviks stronger

Persuaded the Central Committee to seize power in Oct

Trotsky Organisation -

Leader of Petrograd Soviet - gave Bolsheviks control of the MRC - made it easier to get the military in Petrograd to support the takeover

Made plans for seizure of key buildings - better organised than previous attempts

War train transported himself and resources to the Red Guard

Weak government

Kornilov Revolt weakened Kerensky + support for PG - ordinary people were supporting the Bolsheviks more

PG couldn't count on the army + navy

Peasants were seizing land all over Russia - PG lost support form land owners

Germans were quickly advancing towards Petrograd - Kerensky was planning to surrender Petrograd to the Germans

What was the main reason for Civil War?

Foreign powers

Opposition from foreign powers - Bolsheviks seized foreign property + cancelled the Tsars debts + pulled out of war with treaty of Brest Litovsk

Constituent Assembly

SRs didn't like the closure of the constituent assembly + claimed the Bolsheviks had seized power by force - attempted to take control of the Moscow Socviet

Treaty of Brest Litovsk

Russia lost 62M people (1/6 of total pop), 26% of railway lines, 74% of iron ore and coal reserves

Lost 27% of farm land - caused food shortages which meant 1 million left Petrograd (including 60% of factory workers)

Lost Ukraine (bread basket of Europe) - starvation

Political division - SRS complained that the retreats helped Germany survive as an imperialist power, conservative parties wanted to stop further humiliation

Ended war

- people blamed a side for the issues

What was the main reason for Red's victory?

Red strengths - Trotsky (Commissar for war) was organised + leader, War Train with resources; controlled Moscow + Kew areas between Moscow + Petrograd which improved communication, could move troops and controlled industry + weapons; propaganda (leaflets, newspapers, speeches) using white weaknesses; Lenin introduced War Communism - stronger army

⭐️White weaknesses - made up of many groups of people with different aims, no established leader (not united), rivalry with leadership (s), cruel methods of control (), based in outer areas of Russia (lack of railway, population resources + communication)

What was the main reason for the NEP?

Peasants - largest threat to gov, angry about requisitioning - led to uprising e.g. Tambov 1920-21 where Red Army weren't able to deal with them, most of the countryside was in revolt

Workers - demonstrations against bread rations, revival of support for other socialist parties, lack of resources meant many factories stopped production

Kronstadt Mutiny - were once the Bolsheviks biggest supporters (July Days + Oct Revolution) - the reddest of the red, Lenin called it the flash that it up reality

Main effect of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Positive

Stopped the war - Germany would have won (Red Army was exhausted, Germany progressed so far Moscow was made the capital city), fulfilled one of Lenin's promises made during the Bolsheviks' rise to power

Seen as a shameful way to achieve peace

Regardless of whether it saved Russia from German defeat, it caused discontent with the government from the Russians

Negative

Russia lost 62M people (1/6 of total pop), 26% of railway lines, 74% of iron ore and coal reserves

Lost 27% of farm land - caused food shortages which meant 1 million left Petrograd (including 60% of factory workers)

Political division - SRS complained that the retreats helped Germany survive as an imperialist power, conservative parties wanted to stop further humiliation

What was the most significant effect of NEP?

Impact on peasants

Boosted grain output so it was better than it was in 1913

Impact on workers

Increased factory output 2X, coal + steel output also increased

Factory output rose 200%

Large scale industrial output was well underway

Urban workers disliked the new prosperity of the workers which they felt was at their expense

Impact on Bolsheviks

Caused opposition with communists who said it was a step back from the revolution

NEP men were said to be a new class which brought greed and selfishness back into Russian society

Division - Trotsky called it 'the first sign of the degeneration of Bolshevism

What was the main reason for the Bolsheviks abandoning War Communism/ the NEP

Kronstadt rebellion/mutiny

sailors were considered revolutionary heroes, Lenin called them "the Reddest of the Red", once they mutinied Lenin called it "the flash that lit up reality" - caused Lenin to make a serious change

⭐️Impact on peasants

Famine - caused 7 million to (die or suffer?) + cannibalism in peasant provinces - led to uprisings such as in Tambar where 70,000 peasants revolted which the Red Army had to crush

Grain requisitioning - grain production fell to 37% of what it was in 1921 - damaged economy + led to food shortages everywhere

A reason for the Kronstadt mutiny

Impact on workers + industry

Workers were working for a government they didn't support

Food shortages meant that 50% of Moscow workers and 70% of Petrograd workers returned to their family in the country - reduced production which damaged the economy

By 1920 3/4 of factories were closed in Petrograd due to strikes

Caused by impact on peasants, but also a reason for Kronstadt mutiny

⭐️Impact on Bolsheviks (?)

Harsh conditions made them unpopular - increasing number of protests and revolts (like Kronstadt Mutiny), they had little power in the countryside

Lack of support from revolutionaries, e.g. the Kronstadt Mutiny which Lenin had previously called "the Reddest of the Red"

Helped them win the Civil War, Red Army were well supplied

1905 Revolution

Population protested against Tsar

February Revolution 1917

Tsar Abdicates, provisional gov assembles

October Revolution 1917

Bolsheviks seize power