Russia 2 Flashcards
(60 cards)
1
Q
Reasons for discontent in Russia
A
- industrial workers- terrible living+ working conditions, low pay, high unemployment
- peasants- hungry for land, overtaxed, desperate poverty
2
Q
2 aspects of 1905 revolution
A
- Potemkin Mutiny- sailors faced tough conditions + socialist
3
Q
aspects of 1905 revolution
A
- peasant riots- against landlords- 3,000 Manor House’s burnt between 1905-7+ created communes by taking land ancestors had worked as serfs
- industrial workers strike- Bloody Sunday= increase in strikes- 400,000 strikers in January 05, 2 October most important industries joined strike- protests began united
- StPetersburg soviet- council of workers to help organise general resistance
4
Q
2 impacts of Bloody Sunday
A
Triggered 1905 revolution
- spiked industrial workers strikes
- created violent peasant riots
5
Q
2 aspects of October manifesto
A
- new civil right for people- freedom of speech, religion, right to form political parties + trade unions
- Introduction of Dumas- elected through general election + any new laws must be approved by state duma
6
Q
How was the repression taken out
A
- army given complete law + order
- newspapers shut down + trade unions closed
- suspected revolutionaries= imprisoned
- army tried anyone suspected of trouble- no lawyers+no appeal against sentence- over a thousand executed by courts 1906-7- Stolypins necktie
7
Q
How did stolypin attempt to bring law + order to countryside
A
- ordered army to ride out to villages of unrest + use extreme force to stop it
- found difficult to stop unrest as so many different settlements + riots broke out several times- continued until 1907
8
Q
How much power did Dumas have
A
- very little- state council could block anything passed + always did what tsar would want
- Tsar kept hold of main powers (armed services, foreign policy, chose all ministers)
- could be dissolved at any time
- only Tsar able to make changes to Fundemental Law of Russia
9
Q
What was Tsar’s attitude to Dumas
A
- didn’t trust idea of following what Russian people wanted
- didn’t want to lose any of his power
- however treated as important- encouraged celebrations for first duma
10
Q
First duma
A
- main demand was land reform, state council abolished
- too radical + dissolved within 10 weeks
11
Q
A
12
Q
2nd Duma
A
- mostly social revolutionaries
- stolypin noticed threat + dissolved after 4 months
13
Q
A
14
Q
3rd Duma
A
- election changed to favour rich- conservative deputies controlled 287/443 seats
- realisation gov wouldn’t give up power
- some good measures passed with army, navy, accidental insurance for workers
- lasted 5 years- full term
15
Q
4th Duma
A
- similar to 3rd
- right-wing, nationalist parties stronger- opposition against gov still too weak
- achieved little before war declared, tsar begun to work with it
16
Q
How did stolypin try to reform peasants
A
- plan was to let peasants leave commune + set up own farms
- hoped they would use modern farming methods to produce more crops
- wanted country of individual family farms
17
Q
Was this plan successful
A
- lots of applications
- in theory own farms- continued to share
- 1915 only 14% had actually created individual family farms
- unrest continued though, organised by peasant communes
18
Q
Cause for Lena Goldfields strike
A
- working conditions for miners= terrible + one day they protested about having to eat rotten horse meat
19
Q
Effects of strike
A
- number of strike leaders arrested
- 200-500 workers killed + hundreds more wounded
20
Q
2 Impacts of strike
A
- restarted wave of protests- number had decreased but after massacre= 2,000 strikes + thousands of protests
- showed none of discontent with tsarist rule had gone away- still used police + army to crush any oppositions
21
Q
How did war effect tsarism positively
A
- a first= boosted
- people became very patriotc + popularity increased
22
Q
Negatively?
A
- Germans used railway system to move troops in + out quickly
Tannenburg - after first month- Russians lost 122,000 men + many supplies/weapons, 30,000 killed, rest captured - defeated at battles at Masurian Lakes sept 14 + feb 15
- 1915= lost 2 million men
= discontent
23
Q
Was rhe Russian army fully equipped
A
No, 1/3rd of army had no rifles
- men ordered to charge unarmed at machine guns
- short of artillery shells+ ammunition
- no warm uniforms/boots + not enough food
= discontent
24
Q
Why did the Tsarina being regent to the empire contribute to 1917 revolution
A
- dedicated to idea of autocracy + believed only way Russia should be governed- used power to dismiss ministers + replace with those she liked more
- she was German= deeply unpopular
- became obsessed with Rasputin= weakened authority of royal family
25
How was tsarina influenced by Rasputin
- tsarina desperately needed to cure their son + turned to Rasputin
- tsarina developed dependence on him- took advice to appoint new ministers, wrote to tsar about Rasputins dreams about what to do in war
- became very close
26
What opposition was their to Rasputin + tsarina
- hated by royal court + gov- seemed Rasputin was controlling decisions for Russian empire
- rumours of him having affair with tsarina+ she was deliberately making Russia loose war by sending Germans supplies + sharing military secrets
- overall image of Russias ruling class ruined- 1916 Rasputin murdered
27
Long term causes of Feb 1917 revolution
- tsar still refused to give up autocratic powers+ remained even more a police state
- industrial workers= terrible conditions, nationalities= wanted independence, peasants= struggles in terrible poverty
28
Immediate triggers of feb 1917 rev
- food shortages in major cities + peasants sold less grain as little to buy with money made, factories turned to war production/ gone out of business so increased unemployment
- timing of announcement of bread rationing= bad- came after winter food shortages
- 23-25th Feb- 250000 people marched through streets + gathered outside- clash with police/army + demonstrators= revolution
29
What was the reaction from gov
- Tsar away + couldn’t take charge of situation- ordered police + soldiers to enter Petrograd to deal with unrest
- similar effect to Bloody Sunday ( opened fire + killed over 50 people) - soldiers struggles to decide between defending regime or joining people- led to army mutiny
30
2 aspects of army mutiny
- shocked to here soldiers were shooting citizens + refused to obey ordered= rebellion + soldiers joined workers and took 40,000 rifles + 30,000 revolvers- broke into prisons + released political prisoners
- came from various regiments + with involvement= revolution properly began- workers + solders attacked police stations/ battles in streets against police
31
How did this impact the fall of Tsar
-Made it almost certain as without support of army- tsar had no real way of controlling city as police force not big enough to fight 150,000 soldiers + 250,000 demonstrators, other soldiers could have been called to restore order- too tired of WW1= would’ve joined protests
- 2 March , senior officers + Duma members urged tsar to abdicate= agreed + tsars brother refused to be tsar= Russia became republic 1917.
32
What did Prov Gov manifesto include
-political prisoners/exiles= freed + allowed to return
- freedom of speech
-no discrimination
-preparations for electing constituent assembly
-police organisations= replaced by people elected militia
-local gov= elected
-military units taken part in rev= not disbanded/sent to front line
33
2 aspects of provisional gov + how it weakened their power
- ‘dual control’ meant they didnt have control over key areas such as railway system + post service= couldn’t increase transportation of food to city- P.S had final say on military matters= damaged authority of P G
- no one elected P G so was made of deputies who had been elected to Duma (under tsarism)= not by people supposed to govern= damaged authority
34
Why did support for Bolsheviks grow throughout summer 1917
- April Theses provided clear,strong message for bolsheviks to take into factories/army/navy- word easily spread
- successful in recruiting armed workers’ militia, called red guards- July= 10,000 red guards + most loyal to Bolshevik’s
- Germany secretly sent Bolshevik’s funding as hoped Lenin would succeed in persuading Russians out of war
35
What were the reasons for the July Days (3-7th July1917)
- continuing food shortages
- complete failure of June offensive
- effective Bolshevik propaganda against PG
36
Why did Lenin’s attempt to overthrow PG in July Days fail
- Petrograd soviets= didnt support demonstration + other parties in soviet didnt trust Bolshevik’s
- soviet leaders + PG leaders met and agreed to work together
- 5th July- troops brought back from front line + surrounded Bolshevik headquarters, hundreds B arrested, including Trotsky
- Lenin escaped + fled to Finland- plans destroyed
37
2 features of Kornilov revolt
-Kornilov sent troops into Petrograd 24 august to shut down soviet- Kerensky allowed Bolshevik’s to arm supporters + defend city and Petrograd soviet
-railway workers blocked Kornilov’s route into Petrograd + bolsheviks convinced Kornilov’s troops to stop march= Kornilov arrest 1st sept
38
2 Impact of Kornilov revolt
- boosted support for Bolsheviks- shown as hero’s for saving Petrograd + more Bolsheviks elected to Soviets + soon had control of Petrograd soviet + Trotsky elected president of soviet
- weakened support for Kerensky + P.G- appeared weak as had to rely on Bolsheviks to defend Petrograd + his government= lost crucial support
39
What was the problem of constituent assembly
- Lenin promised to hold elections for constituent assembly as P.G didnt deliver this
- however social revolutionaries more popular than Bolsheviks
- BUT if didnt hold elections immediately- could risk loosing support= thought best way was for all revolutionary parties to work together in constituent assembly- Lenin disagreed.
40
2 problems of Bolsheviks promises
- promise of ‘peace’- imposing for lenin to simply end involvement in war + achieve peace; no former allies willing to negotiate + therefore had to make deal with Germany who knew they were desperate= terms costly
- promise of ‘land’- peasants understood as they would have all land for themselves- however this would weaken Bolshevik control-benefit social revolutionaries= this also meant he couldn’t promise ‘bread’ as peasants had control of all land
41
Why did the Brest-litovosk treaty come into place
- ceasefire between Russia + Germany- Trotsky assigned to negotiate treaty + convinced German revolution was coming- never did
- Trotsky’s announcement angered Germany + armistice ended + Germany began invasion- Lenin demanded to achieve peace at any price= Brest-Litovosk
42
What did Russia loose
- 74% coal mines + iron ore, 50% industry, 26% railway, 27% farmland, 26% population
- payed 300 million gold roubles
43
Consequences of treaty
- Russia far weaker country
- food shortage= worsened= 1m people left Petrograd + workers shrunk 60%
- people= devastated + conservatives convinced had to stop Bolsheviks from humiliating country further
- Bolshevik party divided by treaty
- Major cause of civil war
44
Reasons for civil war
- treaty of Brest Litovosk
- monarchists, upper+middle class, supporters of constituent assembly, nationalisties= all opposed Bolsheviks
45
What was key event 2
- Trotsky becoming commissar= ensured discipline + morale high
46
Key event 3
- involvement of Czech legion (leaving Russia so Trotsky asked for it’s weapons)- refused + took over trans-Siberian railway- had strong experienced military force
47
Key event 4
- execution of royal family- white forces approached city= all family shot as they could’ve brought support to whites
48
Key event 5
- Fanya Kaplan shooting Lenin- wanted to assassinate him as traitor( short 4 times but survived)
- led to red terror which used secret police to suspect + execute opponents- frightened people into supporting reds
49
Key event 6
- Siberian section of white army retreated- within 800km of Moscow on June 1919- but army divided by disagreements= red army force it into retreat
50
Key event 7
- advance on Petrograd + Moscow in Oct 1919- southern army within 529km of Moscow- Trotsky= had brilliant counter attack + forced into retreat again
Significant as closest whites had got to winning
51
Key event 8
Tambov Uprisings- grain tax increase= creation of peasant green army- 70,000 peasants defending their region
- reds sent 10,000 troops to areas + used poison gas to kill peasants hiding in forest
52
Key event 9
- Reds defeated white army in final battle of civil war- Bolsheviks had won
53
Features of war communism
- peasants not allowed to sell crops- state left peasants small amount for own needs
- food rationing began in cities- soldiers + workers given more
- supreme economic council introduced- decided what economy needed
- factories with over 10 workers nationalised + given goals
- workers put under gov control + strikes banned
54
Reasons for Kronstadt Mutiny
- growing oppositions after bread rations cut in 1921+ increasing anger from workers about lack of food + freedom
- many Kronstadt sailors shared workers anger + were furious Bolsheviks were imprisoning/executing without trial
55
Reaction of mutiny
-shocked- not hesitant to use violence to stop it- 50,000 red army soldiers stormed naval base
- fierce fighting till 17 march when base back under gov control
- 800 soldiers escaped across ice, 500 executed
56
Significance of mutiny
- made Lenin realise that War communism was putting his control at risk + decided to abandon it + create new poliicy to bring elements of capitalism
57
Features of NEP
- free market
- grain requisition ended
- state kept control of big businesses - any with fewer than 20 could be privately owned
- foreign experts brought in to improve how factories run
- Russians could open shops + sell/hire goods for profit
58
Effects of NEP
- agricultural production increased
- produce increase= supply of food increased- allowed to trade
- industrial growth increased- especially for smaller buisnesses
- foreign gov thought trial of communism was over- eager to encourage capitalism
59
Social effects of NEP
- good for peasants= revolts ended- happy to tolerate gov
- life in cities also recovered + new group - nepmen- who would travel around selling goods before prices at highest
- improved but led to inequality
60
Opposition to NEP
- worrying for Bolsheviks because wasn’t in line with communism
- appeared like return to capitalism- very rich + very poor
- favoured peasants + allowed to charge highest prices
- made new class system in countryside + city
