Opposition to the Tsar - SR's and RSDLP
- Created by: Tori
- Created on: 13-02-20 11:21
View mindmap
- Oppostion to the Tsar - SR's and Social Democrats
- The Social Democrats
- The Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) was established in 1898.
- Marxism
- Movement emerged in the late 19th century.
- Inspired by Karl Marx.
- Believes that industrialisation and capitalism led to the exploitation of the proletariat (workers).
- Advocated for a proletariat revolution against capitalism to create a free and equal society.
- Divisions
- Disagreed funadmentally on the strategy of the RSDLP.
- Lenin and the Bolsheviks argued the proletariat in Russia was too weak and uneducated to create a revoltuion.
- Hence, argued that the RSDLP should become a vanguard party.
- A small secretive party of professional revolutionaries who would lead a revolution on behalf of the workers.
- Hence, argued that the RSDLP should become a vanguard party.
- Martov and the Mensheviks argued that the RSDLP should be a mass party.
- They should edcuate and organise the proletariat.
- Lenin and the Bolsheviks argued the proletariat in Russia was too weak and uneducated to create a revoltuion.
- Disagreed funadmentally on the strategy of the RSDLP.
- The Socialist Revolutionaries (SR's)
- Founded in 1902.
- Stressed the needs of Russia's peasants.
- Main aim was land reform
- Also believed that peasant communes (or mirs) could become the basis of a new socialist society.
- Viktor Chernov, leading SR figure, was influenced by Marxism.
- Argued that together the proletariat and the peasants should over throw the Tsar.
- Political violence
- Influenced by anarchism and nihilism, they stressed the importance of revolutionary violence.
- Radical SR's were responsible for the assasiantion of some government ministers:
- Nikolay Bogolepov (1901) - Tsar's education minister.
- Vyacheslav von Plehve (1904) - minister of the Interior.
- Radical SR's were responsible for the assasiantion of some government ministers:
- Influenced by anarchism and nihilism, they stressed the importance of revolutionary violence.
- Reasons for the Failure of Opposition Groups
- The groups faced many obsticles, hence the SR's and RSDLP remained small.
- No more than 100,000 members between them by 1905.
- Divisions
- Liberals wanted reforms to guarantee political rights.
- However, socialists wanted a full-scale revolution to change the economic and social structure of Russia.
- The RSDLP was divided between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.
- Sr's divided on the issue of violence.
- Liberals wanted reforms to guarantee political rights.
- Repression
- The government is extreemly successful at oppressing opposition groups through:
- Okhrana exiled radical leaders.
- Lenin was exiled to Siberia.
- Pavel Milyukov and Pyotr Struve were both banned from attending the 1st Congress of the League for Liberation (seen as too influential as they were the organisation's leaders).
- Okhrana exiled radical leaders.
- The government is extreemly successful at oppressing opposition groups through:
- Strike breaking
- Police and army used extreme violence to end strikes.
- Used on almost 800 occasions between 1900-02.
- Police and army used extreme violence to end strikes.
- The ukase
- A decree (or ukase) was issued by the Tsar in 1904 to try diffuse the political opposition.
- Stated that the government would respect individual rights.
- The decree divided the liberals.
- Some believed this was the first step to serious reform.
- Some recognised this would never be implemented.
- The decree divided the liberals.
- Stated that the government would respect individual rights.
- A decree (or ukase) was issued by the Tsar in 1904 to try diffuse the political opposition.
- The Okhrana
- Kept revolutionary parties under surveillance.
- Okhrana 'agents provocaterus' infiltrated radical parties, then stirred up trouble and divisions within them.
- Kept revolutionary parties under surveillance.
- Illiteracy
- The SR's and RSDLP's both relied on newspapers to spread their message.
- However, the vast majority of Russian peasants could not read.
- Hence, it was difficult for radicals to influence groups such as the peasants.
- However, the vast majority of Russian peasants could not read.
- The SR's and RSDLP's both relied on newspapers to spread their message.
- The groups faced many obsticles, hence the SR's and RSDLP remained small.
- The Social Democrats
- Aswell as Russian Liberals, the Tsar faced Socialist opponents.
Comments
No comments have yet been made