Social Changes Flashcards

(29 cards)

1
Q

Impact of Emancipation & Urbanisation

A

-peter Waldron
-Emancipation of serfs destroyed traditional social structures (landed nobility’s dominance, control over peasantry).
-Industrialisation & urbanisation unknit rural society as peasants moved to cities.
-Rural society exposed to new ideas through migrants maintaining ties with villages.
- Education spread, increasing literacy & access to information.
- By 1914, Russian society was changing too fast for the state to regulate. PETER WALDRON

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Urban growth

A

-Urban population: 7 million (1867) → 28 million (1917)

-¾ of St. Petersburg’s population (1914) were of peasant origin, a huge increase on 1/3 1864.

-Population of st Petersburg had more than doubled in 20 years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Overcrowding in urban areas

A

-Barrack-style factory housing lacked sanitation.

-40% of St. Petersburg homes had no running water/sewage.

-Cholera outbreak (1908-09) killed 30,000 people

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Housing problems in urban areas

A

-High rents took up half of workers’ wages.

-Some workers slept in factories or on the streets.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Wages for the proletariat

A

-Varied by skill, job, overtime, fines.

-1885-1914: Wage increases (245 → 264 roubles) did not keep pace with 40% inflation.

-The worst working conditions occurred during the industrial depression (1900–08), and recovery didn’t improve real wages

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Kostroma Katrina on the factory conditions

A

-Female workers aged prematurely; after 30 years of factory work, 50-year-old women looked 70.

-Suffered poor vision, hearing, trembling, hunched shoulders.

-No pension — often ended up as latrine attendants.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Urban reforms in the 1900s

A

-Reduced to 10 hrs/day by 1914 (factories), but not enforced in workshops, which were more common.

Worker Legislation (1885–1912):
-1892: Children under 12 banned from working; women banned in mines.
- 1912: Accident & sickness insurance introduced.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Cultural change for proletariat

A

-Workers mostly visited taverns; others joined Sunday schools promoting a sense of community

-1905 onwards: Rise of newspapers (1,767 by 1914), reading rooms, and libraries.

-Growth of popular literature promoting self-betterment.

-Expansion of theatre and political discussion events.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Developementin education between 1905-1914

A

-85% rise in primary schools (1905–1914).

-Only 55% of children were enrolled by 1914.

-Investment in education far lower than railways.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q
A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q
A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Rise in proletariat unrest

A

-Pre-1905, political activism was low (due to job insecurity, effective Secret Police).

-Post-1905: Trade unions legalized, leading to increased strikes.

-1914: Massive unrest — 3,574 strikes recorded

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

LenaGoldfields massacre

A

-Cause: Protest over rotten food (horsemeat).

-Result: Troops fired on strikers — ~270 killed, 250 injured.

-Sparked further sympathy strikes across Russia.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Land and farming for the peasantry in the 1900s

A

-90% of land still under inefficient strip farming.

-Widespread poverty remained.

-Kulaks (wealthy peasants) exploited poor neighbours, buying land via peasant banks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Peasentmigeration to Siberia

A

-Encouraged by state (1896 onward) via Trans-Siberian Railway.

-Only 3.5 million moved out of 97 million peasants — scheme largely failed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Living standards for the peasantry

A

-Varied by region — some prosperity in Baltics, Ukraine, western Siberia.

-Heartland remained backward and poor

  • FIges noted there in the heartland were the later supporters of the Bolshevik revolution
  • communes STILL held 60% of land
17
Q

Peasrentry life

A

-Many peasants rejected as unfit for service

-Families lived in wooden huts, ate basic diets, few possessions beyond tools and icons.

-Strong loyalty to Orthodox Church and Tsar.

-Still poor education and 60% illiteracy rate

18
Q

Nobilityafter emancipation

A

-MOST prospered either via land redistribution, others via industry or speculation.

-Lost land: ⅓ sold to peasants/townsmen (1861–1905).

  • some struggled with the loss of land and adjusting for the future

-Still retained status and influence — no redistributive taxes.

19
Q

Political dominance of the upper class

A

-Dominated zemstva, appointed governors.

-Created United Nobility (1906) to defend traditional rights.

20
Q

Emergence of the middle class

A

-Industrialisation & education created a new professional class — managers, engineers, civil servants, pharmacists, teachers.

-the number of teachers doubled to over 20k between 1906 and 1914

  • professional and political societies became dominated by the middle class
    -Social Mobility: Some peasants rose into management; some nobles moved into business.
21
Q

Influence of the middle class

A

-began to play more key role in local gov eg the zemstva Dumas

  • formed political and social lobbying groups
  • formed the association of industry and trade in 1906
22
Q

Change in the peasantry’s ideas

A
  • Political activism among peasants was growing slowly before 1914 but accelerated by WWI.

-Traditional grievances (e.g. poor harvests, unfair land distribution) sparked most pre-1914 protests.
Historian David Moon (from The Russian Peasantry 1500–1930) argues:

Legal ties to land remained strong—redemption payments allowed land purchase.

Industrialisation introduced wage labour, challenging village norms.

However, only a small number left villages—change was slow and limited.

23
Q

Importance of the proletariat

A

-Mostly former peasants who lost traditional ties and identity after moving to cities.

-Formed new communities around shared working and living conditions.

-Easily influenced by political agitators due to growing discontent.
-One of the tsarist regime’s major failures was not addressing urban social changes.

-The discontented urban working class played a major role in the 1917 revolution.

24
Q

Changes to education and literacy

A

-Funding rose from 5 million (1896) to 82 million roubles (1914).

-By 1911: 6.5 million children in school (44% of 8–11-year-olds)

Secondary & Higher Education:
-University students rose from 5,000 (1860) to 69,000 (1914); 45% women.

-Only 30,000 peasants in secondary school.

25
Rise of literature
-Literature: Classical Russian works (Tolstoy, Dostoevsky) widely read; realist writers like Chekhov explored modern Russian life- very easy to purchase - 1767 newspapers being published weekly by 1914
26
Cultural shift in russia
- silver age post 1905 - growth in modernism surrounding Stravinskys music, diaghilevs ballets etc which challenged convention and showed realist ortrayal of russia - culture wasn’t exclusive to the intelligentsia and became a ‘modern society’
27
Tercenerycelebrations
- 1913 - Nicolas celebrated through traditional jubilee rituals; muscovite costumes and orthodox ceremonies. - doves flying above as they rode to Moscow seen as divine approval of the reign - huge crowds - Nicolas stated ‘the people love me’
28
Traditionalism by 1914
- patriarchal society still was prominent - Orthodox Church influenced gov and community - when war was announced in 1914 soldiers carried icons of Nicolas and defence rallied
29
Basis of financial issues for women (women’s day protest later)
Women were 1/3 of workforce by 1914 but earned less than half men’s wages (important for WW1 womens strikes)