Russia - Topic 1 Flashcards
The rule of Nicholas II (61 cards)
What was Russia’s government like before 1905
-no constitution of what the tsar could and could not do
-no parliament
-no legal safeguards protecting rights of citezins
-governed by minister appointed by the tsar
what is autocracy
only the tsar having ultimate power
what was the tsar’s belief of ruling Russia
had right of absolute power from the will of God
what were the weaknesses of the tsar before 1905
niave - believed his people were devoted to him
indecisive
what does orthodoxy means in regard to the russian orthodox church
religion of the tsar and orthodox church that was firmly under state control preaching for the rule of the tsar
what was nationality
domination of the tsar’s empire by russia, believing to have entitlement to control it
what was russification and how did it oppress nationalities
imposing russian language, culture, and ideas
in poland teaching and using russian in courts was made compulsory, orthodox church given money to support this
anti-semitism in russia
nearly 5 million jews in russia forced to live in demarcated zones along russias western border
what were pogroms
organised attacks on communities with governments having chance to be involved
what was the okhrana
tsarist secret police force ro destroy revolutionary activity and oppress the people
how effective was the okhrana
in 1900- 2,500 fulltime agents in st petersburg
what were the outbreaks of peasent unrest like
frequwnt but localised
not explicitly anti gov even tho gov policies were partly to blame
what was the main cause of peasent unrest
poverty and desperation
what were the main reasons for peasent poverty
poor soil
short growing season in north
black eath region in the south was climatic but erratic
why did strip farming cause peasent poverty
every 10-15 years strips were reallocated between households to ensure fairness
-time was wasted moving strips
-some land wasted due to it being left uncivilised
-changes meant no strong want to improve land
consequences of workers unrest
typically strikes
often brutal affairs
army called to dea; with strikes almost 300 times in 1901 increased to 500 in 02
why were workers so willing to strike
grim living conditions
working conditions
low pay and long hours
housed in overcrowded slums
no health and safety
who did the middle class consist of
industrialists
business men
educated professionals - doctors and lawyers
what were the typical political beliefs of the middle - class
hostile to the tsar due to liberal ideals
intelligensia were strongly liberal
business men and industrialists tended to be more moderate
what were the beliefs of liberalists
ending autocracy through transfering power to democratically elected institutions
basic rights and freedoms
economic system based on private enterprise
what did liberals prefer
non - violent methods
what were the foundations of socilaist revolutionaries (SR’s)
1860’s - mainly middle-class idealists aiming to form a political alliance with the peasentry to overthrow tsarism and build a democratic order on the basis of the mir
what was the mir
villages were effectively self governed
village affairs were the responsibility of the mir
all male assembly made up of a villiages household
who were the founders of the SR’s
Victor Chernov
Mikhail Gots
Grigory Gershuni
Catherine Breshovkaya