Collapse of Autocracy

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  • The Collapse of Autocracy 1894 - 1917
    • Nicholas II
      • Continued Alexander IIIs policies - rustication and repression
      • Russo-***anese War
        • Causes
          • d by: Russia has long standing influence over far east, threatened by ***an's interest in Amur River
          • Sabre-rattling - to engage public support against common enemy
          • Misplaced confidence - larger army, transiberian rail and chinese eastern rail, racial supremacist
        • Failure - Battle of Mukden lost 85,000 Russians
          • The Peace of Portsmouth Aug 1905 - Lost large amount of foreign territory to ***an
        • Illustrates technical failures, opposition to regime, poor modernisation
      • Bloody Sunday
        • Caused by: Russo-*** War, famine 1891, increasing revolutionaries and liberals, radicalisationof Zubatov trade unions, Okhrana
        • 150,000 gathered at Winter Palace, organised by Gapon (priest),
          • To hand Tsar a petition with proposed work terms
          • 200 died, 800 injured
        • Resulted in wave of protests and strikes = 1905 rev
      • October Manifesto
        • Granted civil liberties e.g. freedom of speech, no censorship, elected duma
        • With managed to isolate opposition by splitting radicals and liberals
          • Octobrists satisfied with terms of manifesto - first step to reform
        • End to general strike by St Petes Soviet
        • 'Counter Revolution
          • right wing groups support Tsar e.g. Union of Russian People - anti socialist and anti semitic
            • Feared change - conservative,funded by Minister of Interior
          • Leaders and deputies arrested, uprising by SDs crushed - brutal crackdown
            • Mass arrests, executions and beatings by police and Okhrana
          • Announce cut in redemption payments and Peasants' Land Bank to appease peasants
            • Troops sent to ****, beat and execute peasants - 15,000 killed
              • Used cossacks to instil fear in ethnic minorities
                • Old order of repression back
                  • Stolypin's neckties - peasants killed in their hundreds
              • Stolypin's neckties - peasants killed in their hundreds
        • Dumas
          • Made up of cadets, Octobrists, Rightists, Progressists, Trudoviks, National Groups
          • Restricted powers with Fundamental Laws 1906
          • 1st Duma - tense, but high hope, demanded more power = dissolved
            • Cyborg Appeal = counter-productive - scattered violence = repression
              • Stolypin's Neckties - 3000 killed
          • 2nd Duma -revolutionary groups join = radical - left v right - dissolved
          • 3rd Duma - electoral reform - dominated by right liberals- blocked Stolypin's reforms
            • Achieved land reforms, national health scheme, army reform, education law 1908
          • 4th Duma - interrupted by war, critical of handling of Lena Goldfields Massacre 1912
        • Survived because: army largely loyal, quick end to russo-*** war, repression, lack of coordinated pop, october manifesto, traditional loyal
    • Provisional Government
      • Dual Power
        • Prince Lvov = Primeminister- consists of ProvGov and Petrograd Soviet
        • Soviets Order No 1 - Soviet to control all weapons - powerful, also control factories, power supplies, rail
        • Soviet lets Provgov rule - don't want counter rev
        • Little conflict initially, public approval - freedoms granted, worst aspects of tsarism abolished
        • Soviets set up outside capital = chaotic and disunity = divisions
      • Challenges facing Prov Gov
        • War - cadets want to continue, socialists want to end it  = divisions
          • Kerensky launches July Offensive - unsuccessful = anger, some move towards Bs
        • Land and Peasants - didn't want to make a decision, peasants want redistribution,refuse to send grain to cities
        • National Minorities - want independence= divisions, Cadets want unity, socialists believe in autonomy
        • Social reform - works expect reform, but reform too slow = labour militancy
        • Economy - downward spiral, no food, inflation- no solution from provgov
    • World War One
      • At the front - early successes but poor leadership and breakdown of distribution system and resources = low morale
        • But soldiers fought hard - contributed to allied victory
      • Home Front - Popular wave of support for Tsar initially, but poor economic conditions = factories closed, no food. 8 mil dead
        • Militant strikes increased 1916
      • Gov Incompetence and Tsar's Role
        • Buckled under total war pressure, Zemstvas more effective at organising relief
        • Tsar wouldn't cooperate with progressive bloc in Duma or zemstvas
        • Tsar took direct control of army 1915 - personally responsible
        • Tsarina and Rasputin rumours of scandal - authority of Tsar damaged
    • February Revolution
      • Not much input from revolutionary groups
        • More material grievances but gov incompetence = turn to rev
      • Main Events
        • 100,000 workers strike 14th Feb,
        • International Womens' Day march 240,000
        • Red flags, overturn status, shout revolutionary slogans, no obvious organisation from radicals
          • Petrograd Soviet set up - organise food relief
          • Duma forms Provisional Government with army support
        • Put down by force and repression = mutiny in army 66,000
      • Tsar abdicates
        • Pressures of war, loss of army support, loss of traditional support, economic issues, his own mistakes, opposition
    • Opposition
      • 1895-1905
        • Russification,land captains, factory conditions, Okhrana, famine, reduction in Zemstva's powers
        • SRs
          • Grew from Populist movement, broadened to include all opposition to Tsar
            • Most popular group w/ peasants
          • weakened by internal divisions - terrorism and moderates
          • 1901-1905 - responsible for 20000 political assassinations including Phleve and Grand Duke Sergei
        • SDs
          • Marxist party - class struggle and industrial proletariat throwing over capitalist
          • Split into Mensheviks and Bolsheviks when Lenin and Martov fell out 1903
        • Liberals
          • Octobrists - moderates, loyal to Tsar, wanted reform not rev
            • Regarded October manifesto as constitutionaladvances
          • Kadets - largest liberals, want constitutional monarchy
            • Party of liberal intelligentsia, integral to provgov formation
      • 1905 Revolution
        • Strikes, demos, riots, citizens formed militias
          • Revolt in countryside by peasants - attacked landlords, mutinies in army (made of largely peasants)
          • Nationalities - strong nationalist ID emerged, autonomy demanded e.g. Poles anf Finns, 300,000 troops sent to Poland
          • Mutiny of Potemkin - shock to gov - crew mutiny over conditions, greeted by crowds, fired on them = 2000 dead - loyalty of army paramount
          • General Strike - 2 million workers strike sept to oct - real hardship. Clashes w/ police and Cossacks. St Petersburg Soviet formed = strength of urban workers
        • Revolutionary groups in exile - absent
          • May - liberals come together to press for political reform - national representative assembly
          • 100s of Zemstvas campaigned for political change - gov as incompetent after Russo-*** war
    • Rise of Bolsheviks
      • April Theses
        • Lenin demanded power to soviets, end of war, land redistribution,no coop with provgov
          • Increased Bolshevik support - slogans
      • July Days
        • Uncontrolled rioting 3-5th July - first challenge to provgov
        • 20,000 soldiers on streets - violent atmosphere
        • Attempts to arrest B leaders - B plot or spontaneous? - Lenin fled
        • July Offensive failure = collapse of provgov
      • Kornilov Affair
        • Kerensky appoints Kornilov to restore order and crush radicals, but rumours of military dictatorship
          • Army soldiers loyal to Bolsheviks put down Kornilov = popularity
      • October Revolution
        • Bolsheviks control Soviet, provgov unpopular - Lenin persuades BCC to act
          • Red Guard units, sailors and soldiers seize key points of city e.g. rail, bridges
            • Storm Winter Palace 25th Oct where provgov convened - only defended by army cadets - disarmed them and arrested provgov
        • Portrayed heroically by Bolsheviks - myth of mass support and heroism
        • Bolsheviks fragile but in power - Lenin announces new government
          • They have majority in All Russian Congress of Sovets now - Trotsky stages walkout
        • Bolsheviks in Power
          • Sovnarkom = main instrument of gov - only Bs in it
          • Foundations shaky, esp outside center
            • Lenin wants 1 party rule - 1000s petitions = has to allow constituent assembly elections
              • First Measures
                • Ended war, redistributed land, gave control of factories to workers, gave rights to national minorities
                • Closed down opposition press, outlawed other parties, Cheka set up, civil service purged, new judicial system
                  • Opp to Bs = weak. Used class warfare to control middle classes
                    • SRs won majority in Constituent Assembly (410) but Lenin wrote it off as illegal and bourgeoisie
                • Decree on peace collapsed = Russia in weak position
        • Popular revolution vs Coup D'etat vs people created circumstances beneficial to Bs

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