social developments 1855-1917

Question 1

impact of A2 reforms by 1894

Answer 1

-peasant owned land grew 6mil-21.6mil hectares
-richer peasants took advantage of Peasant Land Bank to hire peasants,but poorer peasants continued to suffer
-zemstva created growth in middle class
-education changes meant university now included all classes, including wealthy peasants
-nobles saw changes to their position as their landholding declined

Question 2

jews (A2)

Answer 2

-prior to A2,viewed as ‘christ killers’
-1791, the Pale was established,jews limited to certain professions and property
-A2 allowed jews to attend universities,permitted appointment of jewish professors
-jews who took part in 1863 polish rebellion were harshly dealt with

Question 3

ukrainians (A2)

Answer 3

-1863,minister of the interior said the ukrainian language ‘has not existed,does not exist, and shall never exist’
-russian language to be used in schools
-virtually all publications in ukrainian banned

Question 4

finns (A2)

Answer 4

-1863 recalled Finnish Diet of the Four Estates (representative assembly) active legislative work in Finland
-language decree 1863,allowed finnish to become sole official language of administration in Finland
-separate currency and independent trade

Question 5

poles (A2)

Answer 5

-prior to A2,poles had a constitution,rebelled 1830-31,brutally supressed,same for 1846 rebellion
-reforms:Polish Agricultural Society(1857),Medical School(1857),relaxed restrictions on Catholicism and use of Polish language
-reaction:dissolving of Agricultural Society(nationalist links),1863 rebellion-80,000 poles sent to Siberia,1864 Catholic property seized,1865 all teaching had to be in Russian

Question 6

russification (A3)

Answer 6

-attempt to suppress individual characteristics of areas in the empire,to spread russian characteristics
-people had their names russianised,forced to write, read and speak russian
-russian officials replaced national administrators
-supported by orthodoxy and nationality,promoted by Orthodox Church

Question 7

poles (A3)

Answer 7

-teaching had to be in russian
-bulk of polish civil servants replaced by russians
-property of roman catholic church seized 1864
-warsaw university closed 1869
-poland experienced a shift to socialism, but there was a split internally over splitting or keeping ties with Russia

Question 8

tartans, ukrainians, georgians (A3)

Answer 8

-tartans:repressed by orthodox church,as they were muslim,conversion campaign 100,000 became Christian,strong nationalist movement developed
-ukrainians:majority not interested in independence,russians took key positions and language suppressed,business conducted entirely in Russian
-georgians:fearful of turks so accepted russian dominance,serfs had not been fully emancipated 1861,discontent,georgian church supervised by orthodoxy

Question 9

finns, armemians, baltic germans (A3)

Answer 9

-finns:russian language tied in more,russians got most important government jobs,disadvantageous trade tariffs,russian coinage replaced local currency
-armenians:propety of armenian church confiscated,armenian langauge supressed
-baltic germans:russian to be used as langauge,orthodox church controlled schools

Question 10

why discrimination broke out against jews (A3)

Answer 10

-propaganda associated jews with polish rebellion 1863,also said to be involved in 1870s revolutions
-young jewish women amongst those that plotted A2’s assassination
-jews used as scapegoats, and hatred for them engrained in russian society
-anti-semitism aligned with russification
-pobedonostev said to have influence over anti-semitic legislation and supported pogroms

Question 11

pogroms (A3)

Answer 11

-attacks on jewish parts of town, portrayed as ‘spontaneous demonstrations by outraged people’ actually well planned
-holy league:extremely nationalistic and anti-semitic group,supported by pobedonostev,banned 1882
-black hundred:established 1905,right wing,nationalist, monarchist organisation
-1881 pogroms broke out 12 cities,4 in 1883
-roughly 215 disturbances occurred 1881-1905
-1905 Odessa pogrom lasted 4 days,500 deaths

Question 12

anti-semitic legislation (A3)

Answer 12

-1882:banned from-settling in rural areas,holding administrative offices,running schools,marrying a christian,right of appeal in court sentences
-1887:quotas for jews in higher education
-1890:deportation of foreign jews from russia
-1891:jews expelled from Moscow
-1893:illegal for jews to adopt ‘Christian’ name
-1894:banned from selling alcohol

Question 13

response to anti-semitism (A3)

Answer 13

-jews:mass emigration,225,000 families emigrated, those who stayed in russia attracted to revolution e.g. Trotsky
-opposition to anti-semitism:few in government showed resistance,apart from Reutern,some officials ashamed of governemnt policy and made exceptions where possible

Question 14

success of russification (A3)

Answer 14

-1903, Bobrikov suspended Finnish constitution
-Stolypin, with support of Slavophiles, disolve Finnish Diet (representative assembly)
-1905, all Russia Muslim league established

Question 15

failures of russification

Answer 15

-1888,332 cases of disturbances reported in June,51 army used to put it down
-policy resented by educated and wealthy finns, baltic germans, and poles
-some ethnic schools and publications survived
-caused resistance and revolutionary thought to grow

Question 16

churches role in upholding autocracy

Answer 16

-holy synod group of bishops who ran church affairs
-position of over procurator chosen by tsar, government minister so had a say in decisions
-church and state highly entwined
-tsar had ‘divine right to rule’

Question 17

churches role in controlling the populous

Answer 17

-key role in countryside life
-religious holidays observed by peasantry, often their days off work
-priests informed the police on suspicious behaviour and rooted out opposition to tsarism

Question 18

churches role in education

Answer 18

-A2 took control of primary education away,A3 returned it
-children given basic education,spiritual guidance and indoctrinated into autocracy

Question 19

churches role in russification

Answer 19

-Pobedonostev believed re-education was the way to stop revolution
-by 1894, number of church schools increased sevenfold
-under pobedonostev, 250 churches and 10 monasteries built annually
-forced conversion policy carried out,100,000 Muslim tartars turned christian

Question 20

weakening control of the church

Answer 20

-clergy in rural areas often poor, ill-educated and corrupt
-hereditary caste system led clergy to be a separate social class
-closed off nature of institution caused many to become disillusioned
-urbanisation led to less respect for the church too
-played little relevance in the lives of workers, more attracted to ideas of socialism

Question 21

continuity of working conditions in towns (1894-1914)

Answer 21

-workers in dormitories faced lack of sanitation and overcrowding
-workers in private accommodation saw no running water or sewage system
-30,000 inhabitants of St. Petersburg died of cholera 1908-09
-brutal factory discipline and low wages

Question 22

changes to working conditions in towns (1894-1914)

Answer 22

-2mil factory workers 1900-6mil by 1913
-women comprised 1/5 of workforce 1885, 1/3 by 1914
-1885:night time employment for women&children banned
-1892:employment of children under 12 banned
-1897:hours of work per day reduced to 11.5
-1912:sickness and accident insurance
-rise in political activism, 1914 saw 3574 stoppages around empire

Question 23

continuity to working conditions for peasants (1894-1914)

Answer 23

-mortality rates remained high, and unfit for the military
-still lived in wooden huts with monotonous food
-heavy tax burden, 1800s 2/3 houses in Tambov could not feed themselves without going in to debt
-recurring famines
-elders ruled, lack of modernisation

Question 24

changes to working conditions for peasants (1894-1914)

Answer 24

-regional variations emerged due to Kulaks
-increase in consumption of consumer goods
-literacy rate to almost 40% by 1914
-abolition of redemption payments and collective land ownership meant families were free to leave the commune
-some peasants disillusioned after Stolypin’s electoral changes