HISTORY REVISION

THE COLLAPSE OF TSARDOM

EARLY 20TH CENTURY RUSSIA

Enormous: hard to control as difficult to communicate

Rapid population increase (1885 97m, 1897 116m, 1913 155m): flood into big
new cities e.g. St Petersburg and Moscow - crowded, dirty and disease
(cholera, typhoid, syphilis), pressure provide land for peasants and food for all
Many nationalities: not one nation of the same people, minorities oppressed
by russification - forced to use Russian language and suppressed indigenous
cultures (resistance subjected to violent pogroms)
Autocracy: divine right total power, not interested affairs of state, influenced by
others (wife, Rasputin), merciless man always answered with violence
Town: 2% workers, majority young males who work in factories, mines,
steelworks and the railways, females work in textile, dreadful living conds.,
literacy rates increasing (57.8% 1897 x2 national av.)
Country: peasants 80%, recently released from serfdom so loans from gov.
buy land (left with huge debt, excessive subdivision of land, broke up
communal life, pop. moved to towns), nasty brutish lifestyle, life expectancy
35, violence and brutal punishments common (e.g. domestic violence)
Nobility: extremes of wealth far greater than rest Europe, <1% of pop. own
25% of land, power declined since emancipation of serfs, lived in towns
Army & Navy: huge but v. poor (defeat in Crimean War and Balkan Wars),
oppressed protests at home, poorly equipped and trained, officers selected by
class not ability, severe discipline
Oppression: to deal with opposition, Okhrana highly efficient, Cossacks break
up disturbances, violence meant opposition was also violent
Religious: Orthodox Church great power, v. conservative (opposed political
reform, encouraged blind faith to Tsar chosen by divine right), backed
pogroms against minorities e.g. Jews
Not industrialised: behind times, backward, concentrated on old-fashioned
farming, industrialising fast though
Opposition
Socialist Revolutionaries: peasants, want rid of Tsar and gov., give all
land to peasants, used propaganda and terrorism
Social Democrats (Mensheviks and Bolsheviks): workers & students,
want overthrow Tsar + create socialist state, Mensheviks mass party for
force and Bolsheviks small secret party for infiltration
Liberals: middle classes & some gentry, want parliament + elections
with constitutional monarchy + civil rights (freedom of speech (not
censored), worship, conscience), books and articles with discussions,
meetings and speeches

1905 REVOLUTION
In 1905, Russia reached boiling point and revolution broke out. The most important
factors that contributed to this were:

The poor living and working conditions of the peasants and workers (LT)
Both had little money: peasants paying off loans (with which bought
barely enough land to survive land hunger) to the gov. So crushing
debt and workers had v. low wages
Both had cheap, simple diet and during bad harvests no food at all
The peasants did backbreaking physical labour and angry rich
landowners for not giving up land
The workers lived in cheap houses, tenement buildings or barracks,
conds. poor with lodgings dark, dirty, crowded, lacking sanitation,
disease-ridden, little privacy and sharing beds.
A problem for a long time and wanted change. When no change
increased already present anger towards Tsar
The effects of government economic policies (LT)
The gov. increase taxes fund development of industry, heavy taxes
essentials and rising food prices exacerbated the problems of poor
living conds.
First industrialisation went well but then industrial slump in 1902,
thousands lost jobs, poor harvests between 1900-02 led starving
peasants violence
How well the country was governed by the Tsar and his ministers (LT)
Tsar had little interest in affairs of state, no idea about problems of
Russians
Responded to problems with violence, had little effect disturbances
through 1902 and 1903.
The Russo-Japanese War (ST)
Began war with Japan in 1904, Tsar was good as victory in a short war
stop criticism
Exacerbated bad conds.: prices soared as war caused shortages in
food and other goods, lack industrial materials caused facts. close so
workers unemployed and hungry
Japanese defeated the Russians a lot, humiliating Japan was small,
uncivilised Asian nation compared to huge, civilised Russia.
1905 Port Arthur fell to Japanese, renewed criticism of the Tsar
TRIGGER FACTOR - Bloody Sunday
Conds. v. bad and tension high so Father Gapon organised a march to
ask Tsar for help
22 January 200,000 marched to the Winter Palace to deliver petition
to Tsar but met by troops.
Cossacks and soldiers massacred peaceful protesters inc. women and
children, casualties estimated at <100 by the government but at
thousands by others
News of massacre quickly spread to other cities

By the end of January, there were more than 400,000 workers on strike. For the rest
of the year, the government had little control as a spontaneous revolution began.
4th February Grand Duke Sergei assasinated

February Workers strikes spread to other cities, demanding eight-hour day,

higher wages and better conds
March-May Defeats of Russo-Japanese war led to demands for new
government
June Sailors of the battleship, Potemkin, mutinied
June-July Peasant riots widespread in countryside: seizing land, looting,
burning landowners homes
September Peace treaty signed with Japanese so Russian troops free to put
down unrest back home (paid back-pay and promised better conds. so loyal
to Tsar)
20th October general strike began which rapidly spread through country
26th October - St Petersburg Soviet formed, soviets formed in other cities.
30th October Tsar published October Manifesto
Parliament or Duma elected by people
Civil rights e.g. freedom of speech, worship and conscience
Uncensored newspapers and the right to form political parties
December All the troops back: Tsar used force to close down St Petersburg
Soviet, crush uprising in Moscow, sent out troops to take revenge on workers
and peasants who rioted and bring them under control

HOW DID THE TSAR SURVIVE?

Opposition had weaknesses and divisions: Revolutionary groups did not have
one common goal SRs wanted rid of Tsar and give land to peasants, SDs
wanted overthrow Tsar and create socialist state, Liberals wanted civil rights
and Duma meant that when one group achieved goal would stop fighting so
easy to divide
Divided opposition with concessions in October - October Manifesto satisfied
goals of Liberals as gave Duma, right to form political parties, civil rights and
uncensored newspapers, dropped out of rev. leaving workers and peasants
without guidance of educated people, rev. descended into chaos with no
organisation
Loyal troops return from war Return of troops gave Tsar brute force he
needed to crush already weakened rev., troops remained loyal as promised
back-pay and better conds., Tsar now strong enough to take power back by
sending them to attack remaining peasants and workers, virtually no
revolutionaries left and new ones too afraid to take action
Nobles loyal Unlike in later March 1917 rev., nobles loyal to Tsar, so some
support

REFORMS

Okhrana still active with thousands informers, had to carry internal passports
and travellers had to register with police when outside home districts
Duma - couldnt pass laws, appoint ministers, control finance in important
areas (e.g. defence), Tsar dissolve it when he wanted, favoured nobles (2,000
nobles one rep and one for 90,000 workers)

1st, 1906 lots of workers and peasants voted in so very radical

(demanded more power, more land for peasants, rights for ordinary
(e.g. free education and freedom to strike), Tsar soon dissolved
2nd, 1907 lots of workers and peasants again, more radical, Tsar
dissolved it
3rd 1907-12 Stolypin changed elections to make more difficult for
workers and peasants be elected, much more conservative, but often
critical of gov., good measures passed on army & navy and accident
insurance for workers, Tsar started to work with
4th 1912-14 Achieved little before war started, began to work closely
with the Tsar during the war, able people appointed to important posts
Newspapers fined for writing articles criticising gov., white spaces where
material censored
Stolypin made PM in 1906 military courts, thousands hanged on spot,
Stolypins Necktie, reforms on countryside and cities
Countryside ambitious peasants who wanted to be middle class bought land
from neighbours who were satisfied with quality of life, peasants bank set up
to provide loans to do this and improve land/use modern methods to produce
more food, wanted class of prosperous landowning peasants (Kulaks who
remain loyal to Tsar as feared losing land if rev. broke out), 15% took up offer,
grain production increased and record harvest 1913, poorer peasants sold
land and became labourers without land to support families, 4 million
peasants encouraged to settle on new land along Trans-Siberian railway but
arrived to find best taken by rich so returned very angry
Wager on the strong and sober
Cities 1906-14 industrial boom, 1905-14 industrial production doubled,
Russia fourth largest producer of coal, pig iron and steel, Baku oil fields joint
number 1, facts. v. efficient most up-to-date methods, working conds. awful,
long hours, av. wages below 1903, food prices risen greatly, poor peasants
moved to cities for work, 2/5 of facts. over 1,000 workers in 1914 (Bolsheviks
spread message to angry workers) so strikes e.g. Lena Goldfields Siberia
1912 troops sent to kill (170 workers killed 373 wounded), similar effect to
Bloody Sunday

THE FIRST WORLD WAR

In 1914, war with Germany broke out. It united the whole nation against one enemy
(St Petersburg renamed Petrograd, burg is German for town) and problems were set
aside. The Tsar was the most popular he had been for years with crowds cheering as
troops paraded past him to the front. They thought the war would be an easy win.
The enthusiasm, however, did not last long as they saw how powerful the German
army was.
Home
The Front
Tsars mistakes
Tsarina and
First united Russia
Initial success against Aug 1915 Tsar made
Rasputin
Many male
conscripted
soldiers die
Shortage
workers
food

Austrians
Brusilov
himself Commander Tsarina incompetent
Offence (death/cap.
in Chief of army
German spy rumours
1.5m Austrians)
No military exp.
Tsarina not listen to
how bad problems
farm Messages sent by Directly responsible
radio

Germans
for defeats could
are or work with
less
listen
not blame Generals
Duma
Hug defeats Masurian Left Tsarina (see left) in

peasants
after pro.
of
so

Lakes
and
charge of Russia
Food shortages
22 minister changes
Tannenburg
(70000 Listened to Tsarinas
in 22 months
Rising food prices (by
cas./
100000
cap.)
advice
on
war

No work was done

300%) outstrip rising
Low morale soldiers Told
Tsar
only
e.g. railways chaos,
wages
saw comrades killed
minor
problems,
no food, fuel or
Single track rails (75%)
Blamed unfeeling and
listened to her not
other supplies
used for war, not food
ineffective officers
Rodzianko
Under
Rasputins
transport to cities
Desertions
influence
Industrial materials + End
1914
1m
Rumours of affair
coal shortages
cas./cap., 8m by Mar
Rasputin
deeply
Unemployment
in
1917
unpopular
with
facts.
2.5m dead by Feb
nobles peasant
Cold cities
1917
and insane

Equipment
(e.g.
boots),

Listened advice
Harsh winter 1916
munitions
and
Dismissed
able
Workers asked work
weapon
shortage
ministers for those
longer hours
(1914 4.6m rifles for
in
favour
of
Facts. closed
6.5m men) - take from
Rasputin

Lost confidence in gov.

dead soldiers
incompetent
and
Inflation, rising goods Poor tactics & generals
scoundrels
prices
(e.g.
Miasoydevo
Lost support of
Ban vodka
exec.)
public
Corruption & treason
Murdered by Prince
Poor training as by
Felix Yusupov in
1915/
1916
all
Dec 16
conscript
(often
peasants)
Not modern - bayonets
Severe discipline
Poor infrastructure
75%
single
track
railways so hard to
deliver supplies
Thousands casualties
left unattended
Week 18,000 left at the
Petrograd station

1917 REVOLUTION
Economic

Social

Workers worked for low income Many different nationalities

for long hours
Russification
Taxes on people to improve Fast growing pop. 50%
industry
increase 1860 1897
Heavy taxes on grain, increase Not
enough
land,
on alcohol and salt
competition
Industry grew rapidly in iron, 4/5 pop. peasants
steel, railways
Simple diet
Industrial slump 1902
Bad harvest 400,000 died
Thousands of workers lost
1891 (with Cholera)
jobs
Life expectancy 40 years
Strikes and dems. in cities
Disease
Poor harvests 1900 & 1902
Few animals hard labour
Starving peasants violence Loans from gov. after freed
and
burned
landlords
from serfdom 1861
houses

Political
Huge difficult to govern and
poor communications
Rev. already in 1905
Tsar used army to promised
back pay and better conds.
October Manifesto
Opposition:
SRs,
Liberals,
Mensheviks, Bolsheviks
Humiliation
Russo-Japanese
War
Peaceful
protest
22/01/05
turned to Bloody Sunday
Tsar reacted with violence:
crowd shot at, Cossacks
Nicholas
Cruel and merciless -

 Gov. reacted with violence

Angry at social inequalities
Russo-Japanese War prices Thousands workers in cities
rose in cities, food shortages, Cheap wooden houses/
lack ind. materials = facts.
large tenement buildings
close
Simple diet
People lost jobs
Dark
dormitories,
30
1906 1914 industrial boom,
workers
prod. increase by 100% Little privacy
between 1905 1914
Disease easily spread
2/5 facts. had over 1000 Stolypin started to improve
workers
so
easier
to
agriculture but war interrupted
organise strikes
Poorer peasants forced to
Wages below level 1903
sell land and become
Prices rise
labourers
1912 Lena Goldfields strikes
Peasants
angry
when
arrived at Trans-Siberian
railway land to find best
claimed and return
Working conds. didnt improve
in industrial boom
Workers want better conds.,
wages and hours
170 workers killed by troops,
373 wounded (BS effect)
Trust for Tsar gone
Believed system outdated and
wanted change

answer always violence

Anti-Jewish
Autocrat, divine right
Knew little about people
and problems
Tsarina great influence
Ruthless Stolypin PM in 1906
Military courts
Okhrana used still in 1906
No freedom of press after 1905
Duma in 1906 had little power
Could not pass laws
Could not appoint ministers
Could not control finance
Tsar could dissolve it
Elections favoured nobles
Started
to
work
with
conservative 3rd Duma but
WWI came about before 4th
Actively criticising Tsar
Existence of organisation that
could run Russia PG +
Soviets

The War is a catalyst (see above)

The Revolution
Conditions March 1917
Crucial Role of the Army
Mar17 serious mood of discontent
1st Mar soldiers in Petrograd refused to fire on
crowds
Workers wanted political change - 7 th Mar 40000

Some regiments shot their officers and joined

workers strike for higher wages in Petrograd
the dems.
International Womens Day dems. - want food,
Had enough of war and bad conditions
fuel, better conditions, political change
Tsar wanted to put down the revolution by force
Marched to Duma to demand control of the
government
Was sent a letter about crisis point but ignored
it