Feb/March Rev! Flashcards
(8 cards)
Causes - The Problem with Reform:
- many accepted that reforms were needed, but there were disagreements over Russia’s true character as a nation.
- Change could only ccome from the top (it was an autocracy), but no Tsar would make a decision that weakened their authority.
What was Tsar Alexender II like?
He was progressive, but still an autocrat.
What became clear when Tsar Nicholas II came to power?
It was clear that he was going to continue the same repressive policies as his predecessor. The intellegensia felt betrayed, with some even turning to revolution.
Why couldn’t modern Russia modernise efficiently?
Upringing and education made Tsar Nicholas II wary of change, so he continued the repression, which continued to anger the intellegensia and Tsarist critics, who began to challenge Tsarism.
In 1914, how much of the population was peasants? What did this mean?
4/5! This showed that there weren’t any industrial developments - Russia was industrially backwards.
What sort of people were put into the army?
People who needed to be kept ‘in check’.
What was the army like?
It was a dreaded and brutal experience for the common sailor/soldier. It was well known for its discipline and grim conditions with little room for promotion on merit. It was mostly used for putting down national uprisings and border clashes.
Tell me a bit about the peasants!
They were
- over 80% of the population.
- illiterate.
- uneducated.
- in poverty and in debt.
- regarded with fear and contempt by the governing class, who believed they could only be kept in check via repression.
