revolutionaries

Question 1

how & why did opposition grow to tsarist regime

Answer 1

• many radical intellectuals thought emancipation had betrayed peasants so started revolutionary movement
• support came from students
• higher education reforms created growing number of students whoo would join student circles to discuss liberal/radical political ideas
• read variety of revolutionary books & articles due to censorship relaxation
• many articles critical of tsar
• after 1866 more people joined revolutionary groups when restrictive policies introduced

Question 2

nihilists

Answer 2

• included some young people determined to challenge traditional attitudes/values
• men let their hair grow & women cut it short to blur gender differences
• opposed convention, authority & what they saw as hypocrisy in society
• ridiculed as portrayed in conservative press as immoral, godless & subversive

Question 3

populists/narodniks

Answer 3

• created in 1870s
• believed in agrarian socialism based around peasant commune
• thought commune would provide route to the ‘good’ society
• saw industrialisation as evil where factories, mines & wage slavery made individual a de-humanised cog in a machine
• decided to ‘go to the people’ & spread their message
• brave move as members would be giving up their current lives & going to live with people who had a very different view on life
• some learnt trades to take with them like joinery and others went as teachers/medics
• peasants reacted with suspicion & sometimes rejection
• many reported them to the authorities
• several hundre arrested & imprisoned
• 2 large trials held in 1877 called ‘the trialof the 50’ & ‘the trial of the 193’
• some got long sentences but many got light setences
• court impressed with the honesty & didn’t see them as dangerous but gov saw them as dangerous so exiled many to siberia

Question 4

women

Answer 4

• played active role in discussing politics/social issues
• accepted in professional circles that women should be more educated
• more secondary schools had been opened to girls & though couldn’t take degrees women joined & sometimes monopolised higher education courses
• more adventurous women went to foreign unis & significant number of women not willing to put up with traditional roles within family
• felt they should experience their own emancipation
• • in 1860s a women’s circle emerged that was interested in sexual equality & education issues
• vera figner - popular individual among peasants as worked in zemstvo hospital & gave medical advice to them. she & her sister set up free schools attracting children & adults to learn basic literacy

Question 5

land & liberty

Answer 5

• organised after failure of ‘going to the people’ by populists
• revolutionaries started to realise that peaceful persuasion didn’t seem to be the way to change
• reformed with a strong central organisation which had commitment to secrecy & discipline
• cells formed in villages & towns aimed at supporting demonstrations/actions against the autocracy
• some of these were violent & would kill informers as well as arrange escapes for imprisoned members of their group
• caused severe reaction from authorities
• caused a split in 1878

Question 6

black partition

Answer 6

• led by plekhanov & vera zasulich
• had followers who wanted to promote revolution through peaceful agitation

Question 7

people’s will

Answer 7

• march 1881 successfully assassinated tsar
• had multiple attempts before but never worked
• violent in character & used terrorist tactics