Russian and the Soviet Union

Reasons for discontent 1905

Peasants- hungry for land, overtaxed and in poverty

Industrial workers- terrible working and living conditions, poor pay and unemployment

Police state- no one could feel free due to the constant presence of police watching their every move.

Middle classes- no say in how Russia was run

Nationalities- part of the empire wanted to be independent from Russia and free from its oppression.

constitution

A written document sets out how a certain country is governed

Socialist

A person who believes wealth the state should own important industries and the wealth made by these industries should be distributed equally.

Who was assassinated in 1881

Alexander II ( Nicholas II’s grandfather)

What was the Russian Soviet Democratic Party formed

1898

Who were the Okhrana

A secret police division that aimed to keep watch on suspected revolutionaries

When was the Russo-Japanese war?

1904-05

What was the cause of the Russo-Japanese War 1904-05

Russia wanted control of Manchuria in China as it contained valuable resources and a port where the sea didn’t freeze over in winter. The only problem was Japan also had plans for Manchuria leading to a war between Russia and Japan.

Who lost the Russo-Japanese War 1904-05

Russia. They were confident they would win but Japan overcame their outdated military tactics on land and sea.

What was the effect of the defeat in the Russo-Japanese war in Russia

Many civilians blamed the Tsarist government for the embarrassing defeat.

What was Bloody Sunday and when did it occur?

Bloody Sunday was a massacre of unarmed protestors on Sunday 9th Jan 1905.

Who led the protestors on Bloody Sunday 1905

Father Gapon

How many people signed the petition and what did it call for?

150 thousand signed the petition.

It called for:

An 8 hour working day

The right to organise trade unions

A constitution to guarantee these rights and other freedoms in law.

What happened right before the massacre and during the massacre on Bloody Sunday 1905

• two warning shots were fired by the soldiers

• Elite troops troops mounted Cossacks and charged into the crowd

• They attacked with their whips

• Then their swords

• Soldiers fired into the crowd

How many people died/ were wounded on Bloody Sunday 1905

Over 100 protestors killed and hundreds wounded

What was the effect of Bloody Sunday on Russia

Russian people were united in anger and disgust over the Tsarist government’s actions

When was the Potemkin Mutiny

June 1905

What cause the Potemkin Mutiny 1905

Sailors in the Russian Navy faced poor conditions.

Some sailors learned about socialism. Many sailors believed it was wrong for officers to have complete control over the lives of ordinary sailors

The navy was suffering embarrassment after its defeat by Japan in the Battle of Tsushima in May 1905

On June 14th 1905 Potemkin's cooks reported maggots in the meat. After the doctor claimed it safe for consumption and complains from crew Potemkin’s executive Officer threatened to shoot anyone who didn’t eat the meat. The sailors continued to disobey and one got shot.

What happened after the executive office shot one of the leading mutineers on 14th June 1905

The Potemkin mutiny was set off.

Sailors grabbed the officer and threw him in the water and shot him.

The sailors then attacked the rest of the officers (killing some, locking up others)

The sailors took over the ship

A socialist “people’s committee” took over the Potemkin. Who was its chairperson?

Matyushenko

What happened after the sailors took control of the Potemkin?

They sailed to the port of Odessa where strikes and protest had been taking place for weeks.

There were demonstrations in support of the mutiny

Large crowds attended the funerals of sailors killed by officers

Nicholas II ordered the army in Odessa to stop the riots which they did by firing into the crowd

1000 people were killed

An attempt to spread he mutiny through the rest of the Black Street Fleet failed and the Potemkin was forced to seek asylum in Romania

They sank the ship so that Russia couldn’t recapture it.

What were the crisis that followed Bloody Sunday?

Peasant Riots: peasants rioted against landlords burning down their houses and sometimes even killing them and their families.

Industrial strikes: more than 400,000 workers went on strike in Jan 1905 alone

When was the general strike organised.

20th September- 2nd October 1905

Who joined the general strike 1905 stopped Russia being able to function well?

Workers from important industries such as the railway.

Without railways to transport people, resources and information Russia wasn’t able to function.

What did the general strike become?

A national strike against the government

When was the St Petersburg Soviet set up and what was it.

1905 October

It was a council or workers set up to organise the general strike in St Petersburg.

Why was the St Petersburg Soviet important despite being shut down by the government?

The idea of a worker’s Soviet organising a resistance and revolution became important again in 1917

So did its Chairperson: Lev Trotsky

What did the pressure from the general strikes and threat of mutinies lead Nicholas II’s ministers to advice

Nicholas to make concession to restore order. The result was the October Manifesto

When was the October Manifesto published

17th October 1905

What did the October Manifesto grant?

• new civil rights such as the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech and the right to form trade unions

• A parliament know as duma with representatives voted in a general election

• Any new laws would be approved by the State Duma and government actions would be supervised by representatives

Reaction to October Manifeato

It delighted the liberal middle classes

The general strike was called off

There were widespread celebrations

What did the October Manifesto not do?

• improve the conditions for workers, peasants or those suffering tough discipline in the armed forces

Who was critical of the October manifesto

The Social Democrats.

They were also critical of the middle class abandoning the workers.

After October 1905 what did the government do to gain back control over the country.

They used extreme violence.

The army was given complete control over law and order throughout almost the entire country.

Newspapers were shut down and trade unions closed

Special army courts tried anyone they suspected of causing trouble. No lawyers were allowed to defend the accused and no appeal against the sentence.

How many people were executed by special army courts between 1906-07

Over one thousand

Why did Nicholas II survive the 1905 revolution.

• The October Manifesto. Pacified the middle class as this was mainly what the wanted. Split those wanting reform for wanting a wider revolution

• The military. Most the army and navy remained loyal to the tsar. After the Russo-Japanese war Tsarist troops could be used to deal with unrest.

• Disunited opposition. The opposition was neither organised nor united. Much of the unrest was unplanned and the majority of goals were economic not political.

Who was Pyotr Stolypin

Stolypin was the minister of the interior and then the prime minister. He gave the army complete control over law and order to gain control over Russia after the continued unrest from peasants and workers after October 1905

What is a delegate

Someone who has been elected to vote or take decisions for a group. ie. a representative.