Russia Topic 1 - Tsarist Rule Flashcards
(14 cards)
Tsarist Rule in 1905
Tsar had absolute authority over the state - derived from God
Supported by Russian orthodox church
Depended on ability of Tsar - Nicholas II from 1894, his tutor had hardened his hatred of democracy
No democracy which led to discontent especially in middle classes
Nicholas used harsh penalties and ruled repressively using the Okhrana
1861 Serfs granted freedom but had to pay redemption tax
Reasons for Discontent
80% pop peasents
poor harvests in 1900 and 1902 meant starvation - government blamed but banned word “famine” from newspapers
for industrial workers, long hours, low pay, dangerous conditions in St Petersburg and Moscow
Trade unions were illegal - but still strikes
Russo- Japanese War
1904 war started
Russia suffered many defeats - biggest was Battle of Tsushima in may 1905, russian fleet crushed (old fash ships) 5000 captured and 5000 killed
Was humiliating, caused food shortages and unemployment
Encouraged revivial of liberal opposition
Bloody Sunday
9th Jan 1905 - 100k working class protesters led by Father Gapon, peaceful march on winter palace, asked for 8hr working hour, trade unions and constitution to gurantee freedoms
Route blocked by soldiers, who were insulted by protesters about war defeat, soldiers fired warning shots then mounted cossacks and charged crowds with swords and whips
100 killed and hundreds injured
triggered strikes and revolution
Potemkin Mutiny
Low morale due to harsh conditions, punishments, defeat in Tsushima
Potemkin had a crew with revolutionary sympathies
June 1905 - Seaman Valunchek complained about maggots, he was shot by captain
Crew mutinied, captain, doctor and several officers killed
Potemkin hoisted red flag and docked in odessa to meet striking workers
Troops crushed riot, crew sank ship rather than surrender
October Manifesto
Create a duma, freedom of speech, allow political parties and trade unions
General strike in st petersburg called off, it split middle classes and workers, social democrats were critical
St Petersburg Soviet
workers council
setup to organise general strike which began september 1905 - involving moscow printers and railway workers
published its own newspaper, distributed food supplies, established a militia
Chairperson in 1905 was trotsky, setup for longer term resistance as well
it was shut down in 1905, but inspired other soviets to be set up
Tsarist Repression
Police and courts had large amounts of power
censorship of books and newspapers
opponents exiled to siberia
Okhrana (secret police) used widely
Stolypin increased this control, Nicholas became known as “nicholas the bloody”
courts could sentence and hang offenders on the spot - gallows known as stolypins neckties
60k opponents killed or exiled
Fundamental Laws
Issued so Nicholas could stop the revolution without limiting his autocratic power,
Tsar could pass any law he wanted when duma wasn’t in sitting
Tsar could dismiss or veto any duma
Tsar kept control over armed forces and foreign policy
First Duma
468 seats - 185 Kadets (largest)
Left wing revolutionary parties boycotted it
Very anti-government in tone
Demand for land reform (redisitribution by landlords)
State council to be abolished
Dissolved by Tsar after 10 weeks
The dumas
1st duma didn’t achieve much but discussed civil rights and land reform
Second duma more radical as left was involved - 200 deputies - “duma of national anger”
Third and fourth dumas more radical as stolypin made changes to electoral system, dominated by right like octobrists
Third was effective - passed law on land reform and universal education
fourth duma interrupted by war
Growth of Opposition Groups
Social Democrats - 1898
ideas of karl marx
split in 1903 into
Bolsheviks; wanted quick workers revolution, led by lenin, by 1914 their newspaper pravda had circulation of 40k
Mensheviks: revolution should happen slowly after many years of industrialisation
Socialist revolutionaries
followed socialist theory, appealed to peasents
assassinated alexander II in 1881
terrorist wing called for rural terror against landlords
Stolypins Land reform
attempt to modernise agriculture
peasants could buy land
schemes setup to help peasants in siberia resettle
1905-1917 3.5 mill peasents moved to siberia
By 1914, only 10% farmers left the Mir
Those who left seen as traitors and called “stolypin seperators”
Lena Goldfields
striking workers protested about bad working cond, low wages, 14 hr working day
triggered by gang protesting about rotten horsemeat they were supposed to eat
