russia- Tsar
- Created by: emily_coope
- Created on: 01-03-17 18:11
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- Tsar Nicholas II
- opposition
- Bolsheviks
- operate under centralized leadership
- Be made up of a small number of professional revolutionaries
- job of the party to bring socialist consciousness to the workers
- Mensheviks
- take in all those who wished to join
- encourage trade unions to help working class conditions to imporve
- allowed members to have a say in policy making
- Bolsheviks
- Personality/ beliefs
- very for himself, little or no respect for those below
- supporter of russification
- Russian culture promoted
- only language in education was Russian
- Russian orthodox religion was promoted
- non-russians had to pay heavy taxes
- only official language in law-courts and governement
- national minorities and ethnic groups (jews) were disproportionately represented
- jews were discriminated against
- jews werent allowed to live in russia, if they were not to follow the religion
- jews were beaten, ***** and killed
- the tsar made the situation worse with his hatred against Jews
- The war with Japan
- Russia were defeated by japan
- Japan were more successful
- they carried out a successful modernisation programme
- better equipped
- had a better led army
- had a better led navy
- russia were no longer seen as a threat to other countries
- russia are no longer the dominant empire
- russia was weak like their forces and fought badly
- russia was defeated by japan
- Russia were defeated by japan
- 1905 revolution
- The repressive Tsarist regime
- strict on they russia was governed
- strongly influenced by Pobenostev that russia only needed one person in charge
- The peasant anger
- wages were low, long working hours, many accidents occurred and laws didnt protect them, foreman were allowed to beat them
- laws such as schooling for children were ignored
- lifestyles were bad, housing was appalling, overcrowded, insanitary, lack of privacy.
- 97,000 workers went on strike in 1897, Nicholas refused to do anything about it
- they had been freed from suffdom (working on certain land), but it didnt bring any benefits
- still had to use medevil farming methods, little increase of yeild
- suffered from a bad harvest in 1902-1903
- Growth of opposition groups
- middles class russians could get involved in local councils, zemstov,civil service.
- the russian people wanted a freer, more democratic society
- some groups wanted revolution
- some groups wanted their message to be heard
- they found the corruption and inefficiency of russia frustrating
- The Russian-Japanese war (1904-1905)
- Russia had lost the war and people were not happy about it and wanted a change
- All their money was lost on a costly war with japan instead of spending it on the country
- losing the war was a humiliating defeat for russia
- it showed that nicholas was not only tyrannical but also incompetent it weakened his ability to deal with opposition
- Bloody Sunday 9th Jan 1905
- the sacking of 4 workers in St petersburg sparked a strike of 100,000 workers
- it was an economic strike with the demand for minimum wages, and limited working days
- a petiotion was called for 8 working hours per day with minimum wage and better treatment
- also called for freedom of speech and assembly, the right to form trade unions and elected parliament
- as the march reached the winter palace, the troops had began to fire shots are the workers, killing at least 130, and wounding 300
- order broke down and russia defended into chaos.
- it continued for the rest of the year, strikes, demonstrations, petitions, terrorists
- the Tsar was at war with his own people, the bond between the Tsar and his people was now broken, they would never trust him again
- The repressive Tsarist regime
- The build up to the revoltuion
- Long term discontent
- Alienated intelligentsia
- middle class liberals wanted to participate government; wanted some form of elected natioanl assembly
- students protested against repressive government controls
- Revolutionary
- socialist revolutionaries- wanted peasant revolution to create socialism based around peasant communes
- Social democrats- (marxists) wanted urban working classes ti stage revolution to create a socialist state, then communism.
- National Minorities
- wanted more autonomy and independence
- wanted an end to the policy of Russification
- Peasants
- grievances included: poverty, need for more land, high taxes, payments on land
- suffered periodic famines
- increasing peasant population was putting more pressure on land
- workers
- grievances included: long hours, low pay,terrible working and living conditions
- more political power
- Alienated intelligentsia
- Government Policy
- Tsarist regime
- weak, indecisive Tsar
- Repressive government
- move towards constitutional government
- denied basic freedoms e.g free press, freedom to form political parties
- No concessions to nationalities - any protests repressed
- Wittes economic policy
- under wittes industrialization policy, urban workers and peasants squeezed very hard by high indirect taxes and low wages
- economic slump after 1900 led to high unemployment and social tension in towns
- Poor harvests in 1900 and 1902 led to starvation and violence in countryside
- Tsarist regime
- catalyst
- outbreak of russia-japan war, feb 1904
- defeats on land and at sea shocked public
- January 1905- port arthur
- war caused shortages of food and fuel, high prices and unemployment
- Huge upsurge of discontent as tsars government perceived to be incompetent
- Spark
- Bloody sunday- sunday 9th jan 1905, Tsars troops fired on peaceful demonstrator
- revolution
- Long term discontent
- 1905-the consequences
- makes him look weak s being told what to do instead of making his own decisions
- overthrown
- lose Tsar regime
- army reluctant to kill peasants
- army may turn against the tsar
- giving into demands
- accepted October manifesto
- freedom of speech
- freedom of association and unwarranted arrest
- an elected duma (parliament)
- had been abandoned?
- Modernisation
- Russia had to modernie as it lagged far behind its competitors
- had to modernise to match the industry of USA, Germany, Britain,France
- needed to modernise to raise the standards of living for ordinary people
- sergie witte
- finance minister from 1892 to 1903
- was the architect of russian industrialisation
- relied not only on foreign loans but also on foreign expertise
- encouraged the growth of private enterprise and created a new class of go-ahead russian industrialists, entrepreneurs and businessmen began to emerge.
- the governments needed a lot of money to invest in the railways and in expensive capital equipment.
- witte came up with two sources:
- foreign investment, negotiated huge loans. encouraged the influx of foreign money. adopted the gold standard, which gave it strength when exchanged with other currencies.
- russian people themselves: he increased their direct taxes and also indirect taxes on everyday items, workers wages were kept low so that money went back into industrial development rather than wage bills
- threat to the tsarist regime
- millions moved from the countrisde to the cities to work in the factories
- living and working conditions became poor for the working class
- a more educated workforce would create people to challenge the government
- the growth of the middle class would create pressure for political change for more an accountable and representative government.
- The first World War
- heavy defeats and huge number of russians killed
- anger about the way the Tsar and the government conducted the war
- caused distress, short supplies of food, goods and raw materials
- hundreds of factories closed, and thousands were put out of work
- inflation was rampant; lack of fuel mean that people were cold aswell as hungry
- the Tsra made the mistake of leaving the Tsarina and rsputin in charge of the government
- the role of rasputin
- made a terrible mess of running the country when left in charge
- he dismissed able ministers and in favor of friends or toadies who performed poorly
- caused the cities to deteriorate rapidly with food and in fuel in very short supply
- became discredited
- rumors went around him and tsarina was having an affair which damaged the royal family
- tsraist regime collapsing
- personality and leadership
- his personality was weak but obstinate, indecisive, lack of interest in world around hum
- did not have the skills or capabilities to do the job of ruling russia
- used repression as his main weapon in dealing with problems, relying on the army, which did not like to be used as a police force
- attitude to political change
- resisted all forms of change, confirmed believer of autocracy, not keen on zemstov or allowing local self-government
- october manifesto- wrenched out of him, never committed to it and subsequently reneged on promises, missed opportunity to bring liberal intelligentsia onto his side
- did not really want the duma or representative body in first place and in fundamental laws showed his unwillingness to share power
- would not co-operate with the dumas during 1906-14 or with the progressive bloc
- reform
- never willingly supported wittes or stolypins reforms: did not want to change in society these would entail
- wanted to protect court power and power of landowning classes. sided where he could wh right wing groups who resissted reform
- half heartedly supported stolypins land reforms. resisted extension of zemstiv to western provinces
- no real concessions to workers on limiting working day or improving working conditions
- rejected trade unions or bodies representing workers
- misjudgments and mistakes
- Nicholas failed to realise seriousness of the situation building up in 1914 and the need to respond to the demands of iberals and workers
- bloody sunday 1905 resulted in massive loss of respect for tsar
- appointment of nonentities and incompetents to run government after stolpins death
- his and tsarinas support fr rasputin damaged the reputation of the royal family
- going to the front in 1915, taking onpersonal responsibiity for war
- leaving government in the hands of tsarina and rasputin
- rejected proposals of the progressive bloc
- February 1917- still not really aware of the dangers to the regime and took no action util too late
- personality and leadership
- honeymoon interpretation
- the tsraist administrative order was being dismantled
- the provisional government dismissed the old tsarist governors and replced them with commissionors
- the provisional government
- crowds demanded that the duma take charge of russia
- of the duma were frightened and worried , what if generals loyal the tsar arrived with troops to execute them
- some slipped away into the crowds, those left and argued long into the night
- the decided to form a temporary government (provisional government)
- they run the country until elections be held to choose a government and decide how russia would be ruled
- the soviet
- As the provisional government was being formed, another body the petrograd soviet talking shape in a different part of the same building
- workers and soldiers sent representatives to form a soviet to look after their interests
- in the next few weeks, soviets appeared over russia but the petrograd soviet was the most important
- the soviet issued No.1 which gave ntrol of the armed forces in petrograd
- Dual power
- the provisional government was accepted the government but could only carry out decisions if the soviet agreed
- people were in favor the first measures taken by the government
- political prisoners were freed the government announced that they would be freedom of press, freedom of speech, the right to strike and an end to all discrimination
- provisional government and the petrograd soviet held meetings.
- alexander kerensky a member of both bodies and provided the main line of communication between the two.
- situation between february and october
- the soviet controlled: railways, factories, power supplies, soldiers in petrograd, telegraph station.
- the mensheviks and the SR's believed that russia had to go through a bourgeois revolution before the workers could assume power.
- believed the workers needed a period of education before they could play a role in running a country.
- soviets wanted to avoid civil war and counter revolution . they needed to keep the middle class and army commanders on their side.
- troops were kept out outside of the city because they were reassured that the duma politicians were in control of the situation
- opposition
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