How stable was Russia on the eve of the First World War?
- Created by: beckylackner
- Created on: 22-02-17 18:00
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- How stable was Russia on the eve of WW1?
- INTRODUCTION
- - State opinion in opening sentence (Tsarist regime somewhat stable in comparison...)
- Tsar autocrat but failed in dealing with problems
- State the factors that will be assessed in essay to reach a conclusion (economic, political, public, army)
- Paragraph one - POLITICAL STABILITY
- The limited powers of the Dumas
- The Fundamental Laws of 1906 - "No law can come into force without Tsar's approval".
- Made Nicholas' views on change quite clear
- Complex voting system; to minimise numbers of representatives from discontented classes
- State council
- 1/2 members appointed by Tsar, 1/2 elected by Zemstva, gentry assemblies, clergy and academic institutions
- DUMA FAR FROM COMPLIANT - peasant deputies radical and irrepressible
- 1/2 members appointed by Tsar, 1/2 elected by Zemstva, gentry assemblies, clergy and academic institutions
- OCTOBER MANIFESTO
- The Fundamental Laws of 1906 - "No law can come into force without Tsar's approval".
- COUNTER
- Kadet defiance despite limits to power
- Vyborg manifesto (issued by Kadets and Trudoviks) asked people to resist the Tsar through non-payment of taxes
- Provoked little response; most who signed arrested and barred from standing in elections
- Showed open hostility to the Tsar and his Duma(s), although unsuccessful; conveyed growing discontent
- WEIGH UP: stable to extent, showed the beginnings of mass discontent - but for the time being quite stable
- DUMA FAR FROM COMPLIANT - peasant deputies radical and irrepressible
- WEIGH UP: stable to extent, showed the beginnings of mass discontent - but for the time being quite stable
- Showed open hostility to the Tsar and his Duma(s), although unsuccessful; conveyed growing discontent
- Kadet defiance despite limits to power
- The limited powers of the Dumas
- Paragraph two - PUBLIC/SOCIAL ORDER
- Lack of effective opposition
- Groups like Liberals, Socialist and Communists suppressed and many forced to live abroad
- (e.g. 1895, Lenin arrested and later exiled to SIberia)
- Bolsheviks also not major threat until 1917 (10-25,000 members before WW1)
- Okhrana used to persecute opposition groups ruthlessly - deported to Siberia/forced into exile
- Groups like Liberals, Socialist and Communists suppressed and many forced to live abroad
- COUNTER
- Repression didn't stop unrest
- Lena Goldfields 1912
- Discontent of working conditions (16h days, accidents common, 700 ACCIDENTS FOR EVERY 1000)
- Low pay (barely above bread line), food coupons
- Strike broke out RANCID MEAT (Andreyversky) - 29/02/1912
- Demands (30% wage increase, 8h working day, fine elimination)
- DEMANDS IGNORED - 500 dead/woinded (250 dead)
- Discontent of working conditions (16h days, accidents common, 700 ACCIDENTS FOR EVERY 1000)
- Lena Goldfields 1912
- Repression didn't stop unrest
- Lack of effective opposition
- Paragraph three - ARMY/LOYAL STABILITY
- Remained loyal - BLOODY SUNDAY
- Peaceful protest about reinstatement of workers in Putilov factory
- 105,000 workers downed tools
- Went to Winter Palace - Tsar NOT in
- Report says women & children placed in front if column; still shot
- c200 killed, c800 wounded
- Report says women & children placed in front if column; still shot
- Went to Winter Palace - Tsar NOT in
- Met armed troops - tried to disperse them by peaceful persuasion - THEN SHOT
- COUNTER
- Moscow Uprising 1905
- Battlefield between workers & police
- More than 1,000 killed in suppression of uprising
- - Prisons filled up - militant workers lost jobs - socialist parties forced underground
- When Soviet leaders arrested 3/12/1905, Moscow SDs declared strike and distributed arms to workers
- WEIGH UP: M.U shows although army loyal in crushing opposition, uprisings becoming more frequent thus harder to suppress all - STABILITY WEAKENED
- c200 killed, c800 wounded
- WEIGH UP: M.U shows although army loyal in crushing opposition, uprisings becoming more frequent thus harder to suppress all - STABILITY WEAKENED
- Moscow Uprising 1905
- Remained loyal - BLOODY SUNDAY
- Paragraph four - ECONOMIC STABILITY
- Economy had grown well by 1914
- Stolypin's reforms - redemption dues abolished, Peasant Land Banks (money borrow for buy land)
- Ownership went from 20%, 1905 to 50%, 1914
- Agricultural output rose 1/3 (46m tonnes in 1906, 62m in 1913)
- 1914: Russia growth rate HIGHEST IN WORLD
- Was hoped reforms would reduce demand for labour in the countryside - increasing urbanisation
- Peasants content
- Stolypin's reforms - redemption dues abolished, Peasant Land Banks (money borrow for buy land)
- COUNTER
- Still economic weaknesses
- Russia only now catching up with other industrial powers - still FAR behind
- Russia had out-of-date farming economy (most peasants lived in country and controlled by nobles)
- Poor working conditions and worker poverty
- Created a large workforce, disaffected and concentrated in Petrograd
- STOLYPIN ASSASSINATED 1911 - many reforms not implemented 'Only thing that could've saved Tsarist regime'
- Still economic weaknesses
- Economy had grown well by 1914
- INTRODUCTION
- WEIGH UP: although lack of effective opp. sporadic outbursts like this showed start of continuous discontent exacerbated by ww1
- Stable to extent - ALTHOUGH outbursts, able to suppress
- DEMANDS IGNORED - 500 dead/woinded (250 dead)
- (e.g. 1895, Lenin arrested and later exiled to SIberia)
- WEIGH UP: Although Russia economy booming, other countries already achieved this - more of an embarrassment
- Helped in stablising Russia on WW1 eve - what if had not happened? Effect on Russia in war...
- 1914: Russia growth rate HIGHEST IN WORLD
- Created a large workforce, disaffected and concentrated in Petrograd
- Helped in stablising Russia on WW1 eve - what if had not happened? Effect on Russia in war...
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