Political Opposition to the Tsarist system of rule

Question 1

What was the ‘Peoples Will’?

Answer 1

Terrorist Organisation responsible for ALex II assassination in 1881

Question 2

What did a growing middle class want?

Answer 2

constitutional government and political freedom

Question 3

What did many peasants and workers want?

Answer 3

higher living standards and an end to extreme poverty

Question 4

What were Karl Marx’s ideas?

Answer 4

• he argued that capitalism resulted in the exploitation of the workers
• workers would rebel and remove capitalism
• A communist society would emerge which would be fairer, no class struggle
• Accelerated industrialisation of Russia in 1890’s increased appeal of Marxism to working-class Russians

Question 5

When was the Social Democratic Party established?

Answer 5

1898

Question 6

What ideas did the Social Democratic Party consist of?

Answer 6

marxist ideas

Question 7

What happened in 1903 in relation to the Social Democratic party?

Answer 7

the social democrats failed to agree on party organisation and strategy - party split into 2 groups

Question 8

What were the 2 groups the Social Democratic Party split into?

Answer 8

• The Bolsheviks, ‘men of the majority’

- The Mensheviks, ‘men of the minority’

Question 9

Who were the Bolsheviks led by?

Answer 9

Vladimir Lenin

Question 10

What did the Bolsheviks believe?

Answer 10

Revolution could only be brought about by a small, secretive, elite group of dedicated Communist revolutionaries

Question 11

What did the Mensheviks believe?

Answer 11

revolution should be carried out by a mass party which was open to the whole working class

Question 12

What ideas did the Socialist Revolutionaries consist of?

Answer 12

drew upon some ideas of Marxism

Question 13

Who were the Socialist Revolutionaries led by?

Answer 13

Victor Chernov

Question 14

What did the Socialist Revolutionaries focus on?

Answer 14

attracting the support of the peasants

Question 15

Why were the Socialist Revolutionaries popular in the early 20th century?

Answer 15

peasants experienced economic difficulties in early 20th century - turned for help - SR’s

Question 16

Why were the Socialist Revolutionaries unlikely to succeed in the long term?

Answer 16

they had no coherant long-term plan to achieve power and were often poorly organised

Question 17

What was the Socialist Revolutionaries main tactic?

Answer 17

terrorism e.g. assassination of Plehve the Minister of Interior, 1904

Question 18

Who were the liberals?

Answer 18

• educated middle class wanting to adopt a modern western European style of democratic government
• wanted to reject the ideas of Marxism

Question 19

What was the main reason for the liberals developing?

Answer 19

Industrialisation - resulted in a growing educated middle class

Question 20

What did the liberals demand?

Answer 20

new political constitution, rejected by Nick II before 1905

Question 21

How did liberals demands change during the early 20th century?

Answer 21

• demands became more aggressive

- Pavel Miliukov & Pyotr Struve demanded political reforms e.g. free elections, freedom of speech, press

Question 22

What did Struve organise in 1904?

Answer 22

public protests to demand more concessions from the Tsar

Question 23

What were the names of the 2 main liberal groups that emerged after the 1905 revolution?

Answer 23

Kadets and the Octobrists

Question 24

Define liberalism:

Answer 24

a political orientation that favors social progress by reform and by changing laws rather than by revolution

Question 25

What did the Kadets want?

Answer 25

further political reforms after 1905

Question 26

What did the Octobrists want?

Answer 26

• fully accepted the reforms proposed in the October Manifesto
• did not campaign for further significant changes to the Russian constitution after 1905