Growth of Opposition to Tsarism 1906-14

Tsar's Repressive Policies

To deal with most opposition the Okhrana was used to temporarily silence them, although this opposition would quickly return filled with more anger towards the Tsar
Tsar also used a policy of Russifacation in which any non-Russian communities would give up their cultures and languages for a Russian one- many communities did not like this and so opposition grew
Tsar used pogroms aimed at persecuting Russian Jews- once again people did not like this causing opposition towards the Tsar

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Industrialisation scheme the Russian Govt. used on the workers led to heavy taxation and exploitation of the workers
Their working conditions once deteriorated and as a result after 1908, strikes and protests at frustration towards the Tsar was all very much common again
Stolypin tried to appease the peasants and while it worked for a while it did not stay forever- a series of bad harvests after the land reforms once again led to food shortages and then another inflation crisis
Creation of the Kulaks resulted in unrest and tension between the peasantry classes, again leading to opposition towards Nicholas II and the regime

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October Manifesto allowed for the creation of Dumas and between 1906-1914 there were four Dumas which were dismissed
Duma One: Set up in 1906 lasted, three months due to failure of Russia experimenting with a constitution which resulted in arguing over a parliament with no real power and any laws wished to be passed were rejected by the Tsar, Duma dissolved through Fundamental Laws
Duma Two: 1907, opposition from SRs and SDs- accused of subversion and so Nicholas dissolved the Duma in June 1907
Duma Three: Lasted five years and then dissolved
Duma Four: Lasted two years with no real purpose other than its members continually opposing the Tsar

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Stolypin’s rule led to 1144 executions in 1907 to remove any opposition- this was known as Stolypin’s necktie
The Tsar then dismissed Stolypin along with Witte
Many people could not understand this as they thought they were good ministers
Stolypin was then assassinated in 1911
WW1 then came about and opposition relaxed and the Tsar ruled on for four more years

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