Imperial Russia Flashcards
From the 1900s to 1905.
When was the House Romanov established?
1613, ruling continuously for 300 years.
What is an autocracy?
The system of government in which all power is concentrated in the hands of one person.
What was the myth of the benevolent Tsar? (In the words of Orlando Figes)
Orlando Figes:
“In the mind of the ordinary peasant the Tsar was not just a kingly ruler but a god on earth. He thought of him as a father-figure who knew all the peasants personally by name, understood their problems in all their minute details”
What is the function of the pillars of the autocracy?
A series of institutions to maintain its power, and to prevent people from challenging it.
What were the 6 pillars of the autocracy?
> The gentry > The bureaucracy > The Russian Orthodox Church > The Okhrana > The army > The Cossacks
Who were the gentry?
The Tsar’s strongest supporters – Nobles who owned land
> Help uphold the system of serfdom in Russia
Controlled the peasants through serfdom, therefore helping the Tsar control the countryside
What challenges did the gentry face?
Following the Emancipation of the Serfs in 1861, peasants became free citizens.
> Peasants were no longer obliged to perform free labour, meaning that the gentry had lost a part of their income
Nobles began to move to the cities as they could no longer exploit the peasantry’s work
Thus, from 1860s onwards, the regime lost their primary form of control over the countryside
What was the bureaucracy?
The organisation of government officials and ministers.
> Divided into 14 ranks with increasing privileges
Bureaucrats were above the law, exempt from police or indictment in court
Only half of the bureaucracy had a formal education
Chosen based on their loyalty to the Tsar
What challenges did the bureaucracy face?
The bureaucrats were obsessed with personal power as the path to a quick promotion was through showing loyalty, rather than ability.
As 50% of the bureaucracy lacked a formal education, Tsarist ministers lacked the expertise to respond to emergencies effectively.
> E.g. poor city planning, insufficient taxation, & failure to adopt modern weapons in the army
What role did the orthodox church play?
It was “an essential propaganda weapon and means of social control.” (Figes)
> The Church’s support ensured that the Tsar was seen to rule by divine right.
They nurtured the fear that criticising the Tsar was sinful
What challenges did the orthodox church face?
> influential but unpopular
> Corruption flourished as a result of the priest’s many overlapping duties (e.g. primary education, reading government announcements, helping peasants read and fill out government forms)
> Churches failed to keep up with the sizes of cities: one church for 40,000 residents in 1900 in a workers’ suburb of Moscow.
What role did the Okhrana play?
> The first secret police in the world, dedicated to investigate terrorist plots against the tsar
Protecting the Tsar and his regime, not the people
Wha challenges did the police face?
The regime did not have the ability to control a country as large as Russia.
> The countryside was virtually unpoliced
In 1900, 100 million peasants were policed by only 10,000 police sergants
the regime was heavily reliant of the army to enforce law & order
What role did the army play?
It was where the regime derived power and authority.
The regime had the largest standing army in the world:
> 2.6 million in 1905
> 5.5 million in 1914
What challenges did the army face?
The army’s state budget feel from 30% in 1881 to 18% in 1902, which resulted in deteriorating conditions in training, equipment and food.
The army’s morale suffered as they were called out to put down peasant uprisings. In 1903, 33% of all infantry and 66% of all calvary were called out for some sort of policing duty in the countryside.
