Russia Topic 1: The Tsarist Regime under Nicholas II

Question 1

Peasants

Discontent

Answer 1

• 80% of population were peasants
• aristocracy only 1% of population but owned 25% of land
• 1861 serfs freed but with redemption payments for their freedom and any land received
• famine in 1890s (word ‘famine’ banned from newspapers)
• poor harvests in 1900 and 1902

Question 2

What percentage of the population wasn’t ethnically Russian in 1905?

Answer 2

56% of 160m

Question 3

Russification

Discontent - National Minorities

Answer 3

• severely enforced policy
• non-Russian traditions and cultures restricted
• superiority of Russian culture emphasised

Question 4

Give some examples of some national groups part of the Russian Empire that weren’t ethnically Russian.

Answer 4

• Baltic Germans
• Poles
• Finns
• Ukrainians

Question 5

Industrial Workers

Discontent

Answer 5

• long working hours
• low pay
• dangerous conditions
• trade unions were illegal
• over-crowded and dirty barracks so disease spread easily
• 1902 industrial slump

Question 6

Autocracy

Answer 6

• Tsar had absolute authority over the state and people
• full title: ‘Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia’
• metaphorical father to all his subjects
• supported by Russian Orthodox Church
• divine right to rule; power derived from God

Question 7

Autocratic System under Nicholas II

Answer 7

• no democracy or parliament
• local governments led by officials appointed by Tsar
• ruled repressively; used harsh penalties, the Okhrana and army to control dissent

Question 8

When did Nicholas II become Tsar?

Answer 8

1894

Question 9

Nicholas II’s tutor

Answer 9

• Konstantin Pobedonostev
• ‘Grand Inquisitor’
• repressive attitudes
• hated democracy
• autocracy was the only option

Question 10

Negatives of Nicholas II as Tsar

Answer 10

• not interested in ruling
• unintelligent, indecisive, easily distracted
• “not fit to run a post office” - cabinet minister

Question 11

Police State

Answer 11

• censorship - no public opposition to Tsar
• exile was a common punishment
• Okhrana infiltrated and punished revolutionary groups

Question 12

Social Democrats

Answer 12

• followed Marxist ideas
• founded 1898
• split into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks in 1903
• Bolsheviks: wanted a small, secretive party to seize power at the correct time
• Mensheviks: believed in an open party that would grow until it could revolt

Question 13

Russo-Japanese War

Short Term Trigger

Answer 13

• 1904
• war over land in Manchuria
• May 1905 Battle of Tsushima (fleet crushed, 5k killed, 5k captured, old-fashioned ships)
• unexpected loss to ‘inferior Asiatic nation”

Question 14

Bloody Sunday

Short Term Trigger

Answer 14

• 22nd Jan 1905
• led by Father Gapon
• 100k workers
• Putilov area of St. Petersburg
• peaceful march to Winter Palace w/ petition for 8hr working day, legal trade unions and a constitution to guarantee freedoms
• route blocked by soldiers that fired warning shots
• mounted Cossacks charged crowd w/ whips and swords
• 150 killed, hundreds injured
• led to strikes nationally and triggered revolution

Question 15

When was the Potemkin Mutiny?

Answer 15

June 1905

Question 16

Potemkin Mutiny

Answer 16

• Valunchek complained about maggots in borscht
• shot by captain, Gilyarovsky
• crew mutinied and killed the captain, doctors and some officers
• ship landed in Odessa to meet with striking workers
• troops killed 2k striking workers
• mutiny failed to spread to rest of Black Sea fleet
• crew sank the ship in Romania instead of surrendering

Question 17

1905 Revolution

Answer 17

• peasants destroyed 3k manors (15%)
• Jan 1905 400k workers striked
• summer, harvest failed again

Question 18

October Manifesto

Answer 18

• 17th October
• Witte persuades N to appease protesters
• promises a Duma, legalised political parties and trade unions, and freedom of speech

Question 19

When did Stolypin become Prime-Minister?

Answer 19

1906

Question 20

Stolypin’s Repression

Answer 20

• 60k opponents to regime hung or exiled; hangman’s noose known as “Stolypin’s necktie”
• introduced mandatory internal passports
• increased use of Okhrana

Question 21

When were the Fundamental Laws announced?

Answer 21

1906

Question 22

Fundamental Laws

Answer 22

• limited power of Dumas
• could veto any Duma legislation
• Article 87, could pass any law he wanted when Duma wasn’t sitting
• could dissolve / dismiss Duma
• kept control of armed forces and foreign policy and chose all government ministers

Question 23

What did Stolypin call his Land Reform?

Answer 23

“Wager on the Strong”

Question 24

Aims of Stolypin’s Land Reforms

Answer 24

• modernise farming
• create new class of rich(er) land-owning peasants (kulaks)
• land bank to help with buying land

Question 25

Effects of Stolypin's Land Reforms

Answer 25

- 1905-17 3.5m moved to Siberia - 1914 only 10% left communes - those who left the Mir = 'Stolypin separators", seen as traitors to peasant tradition - more successful in the west like Ukraine and Belorussia

Question 26

Lena Goldfields Strike

Answer 26

- 1912 - strikers protested about low wages, 14hr working day, terrible food (rotten horse meat) - 200 deaths after clash with troops

Question 27

Successes of the Dumas

Answer 27

- 3rd Duma worked with Stolypin to pass Land Reforms - 1908 Law on Universal Education - attempts to modernise Orthodox Church

Question 28

Failures of Dumas

Answer 28

- no real reforms - dumas dissolved very quickly (1st duma lasted 10 weeks) - 3rd duma changed electoral system so only 1/6th of peasants could vote