Overview-What happened in Russia between 1917-1991?

Question 1

Who was Russia ruled by before 1917?

Answer 1

Tsars

Question 2

Define autocracy

Answer 2

A system of government by one person with absolute power

Question 3

What were the Tsars unwilling to consider?

Answer 3

Political or social change

Question 4

What were the grasslands of the steppe (a large area of flat unforested grassland in south-eastern Europe or Siberia) known as? Before 1906

Answer 4

The breadbasket of the empire

Question 5

What type of country was Russia? Before 1906

Answer 5

Rural

Question 6

What Was the mainstay of the economy in Russia? Before 1906

Answer 6

Agriculture

Question 7

What Was Russia’s main export before 1906?

Answer 7

Grain

Question 8

What did Russia have a lot of before 1906?

Answer 8

Coal and iron ores

Question 9

On contrary to agriculture what was relatively small in Russia before 1906?

Answer 9

Industrial development

Question 10

What Was the hierachy of Russia before 1906?

Answer 10

Society-tsar
The courts-leading landowners and members of the government
A small group of businessmen
A small class of industrial workers
Peasants and serfs (80 percent/25 million)

Question 11

Define serfs

Answer 11

An agricultural labourer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord’s estate. The state of a serf.
They were the poorest of the peasant class.

Question 12

What did serfs have to do?

Answer 12

They were legally tied to the land owned by nobles.
Landowners could administer justice and the serfs could not leave the land without the landowners permission.

Question 13

What year were serfs freed from service?

Answer 13

1861

Question 14

What Was the major obstacle to modernising Russia?

Answer 14

Serfdom

Question 15

What Was the official religion in Russia from 1881-1906?

Answer 15

Russian Orthodox Church

Question 16

Between what years did Tsar Alexander II rule Russia?

Answer 16

1855-1881

Question 17

What did Alexander II issue in 1861?

Answer 17

An ukase (decree) which abolished serfdom

Question 18

Why were the serfs not completely free from the emancipation of the serfs?

Answer 18

They had to pay compensation to the landowners, redemption payments, for 49 years.
They were forced to live in communes (mirs) where land was held collectively. They were administered by elders.

Question 19

Define redemption payments

Answer 19

The payment of an obligation, as a government’s payment of the value of its bonds.

Question 20

Define mirs (communes)

Answer 20

A village community of peasant farmers in pre revolutionary Russia. A group of people living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities.

Question 21

Why were communes negative for Russia?

Answer 21

They impeded ( to interfere with or slow the progress of) the development of Russia because the movement of people into the towns was restricted.
The communes did not produce a surplus which led to food shortages. There was widespread famine in 1891..

Question 22

What Was introduced in 1864?

Answer 22

Zemstva (zemstavo) Local government were introduced.
It was the first form of elected to government
Extended to towns and cities in 1870

Question 23

Define zemstva

Answer 23

One of a system of elected councils established in Tsarist Russia to administer (manage/apply) local affairs after the abolition of serfdom.

Question 24

What Was introduced in 1870?

Answer 24

Trial by jury

Question 25

Why was there revolution during and after the rule of the Tsars?

Answer 25

Change from above-russia was ruled from above, political power was firmly in the hands for the Tsars
War
Crimean War (1854-1856) -Russia lost
Russi-japanese ear (1904-1905)-Russia lost
WW1 (1914-1918)-Russia pulled out after heavy losses-Treaty of brest-litovsk
Revolution-history of political change through revolution