RUSSIA - Key personalities

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Nikolai Milyutin
- Influential voice in the ministry of internal affairs. Favouring reform within the Slavophile tradition. Largely responsible for drafting the terms of the Emancipation edict and he also supported the creation of the Zemstva.
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Dmitry Milyutin
- Trained in a military academy and earned a reputation as a military scholar. Analysed reasons behind Russia's defeat in the Crimean War. Became obvious choice for Alexander II's minister of war. Made a count. Against serfdom.
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Catherine (Alexannder II's mistress)
- Allexander found her a position as his ill wife's ladies in waiting. By 1866 they were writing to each other at least one a day. She bore him four children and married her 40 days after the death of his wife. Children debarred from succession.
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Count Dmitry Tolstoy
- Noble who became over-procurator of the Holy Synod. Joined council senate where he was minister of education from 1866 to 1880.
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Mikhail Katkov
- Influential right-wing journalist who edited the Moscow news. Gave him great power over the literate public. Favoured by Alexander II for his conservative political views, support of Russian interests and opposition to Polish nationalism.
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Konstantin Pobedonostev
- Chosen as a tutor to Alexander III from 1865. Became very close to him and gained the nickname 'the black Tsar'. Probably wrote Alexander's accession manifesto of 'unshakable autocracy'. Believed in absolutism, nationalism and anti-semitism.
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Alexander III
- Watched his father die so was fearful of revolutionary activity. Refused to live in the winter palace. Large and immensely strong. married a Danish princess and had 6 children. Died of kidney ailment, probably brought on by heavy drinking.
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Empress Maria Feodorovna
- Born in Denmark but adopted the orthodox religion and new name in 1865 whens he married the future Alexander III. Became and elegant and imposing empress and a domineering mother. Tried to oppose her eldest son Nicholas's marriage.
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Von Phleve
- Director of the secret police. Vice minister for internal affairs and secretary of state for Finland. Committed to upholding autocratic principles. Suppressed revolutionary and liberal movements, subjected minorities to forced Russification.
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Ivan Turgenev
- Russian novelist and playwright who developed 'westernising ideas while travelling in Europe. He helped to influence educated Russian opinion in favour of the abolition of serfdom and addressed the problems contemporary Russian society.
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Count Leo Tolstoy
- Wrote as he travelled Europe. After returning to his family estates he set up a school for peasants and wrote war and peace which established his reputation. Later devoted himself to social reform, advocating simplicity and non-violence.
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Karl Marx
- German Jew. Worked as a journalist. Writings on economic and social conditions of Paris led to his expulsion from the city. Settled in Belgium. Write the communist manifesto and Das Kapital.
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Georgi Plekhanov
- Attracted to populsim and became leader of land and liberty and black partition. Exiled in 1880 and settled in Geneva. Studied Marxism. Co-found the Marxist group 'emancipation of labour'. Became menshevik in 1903. returned from exile in 1917.
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Aleksandr Ulyanov
- Lenin's older brother. Attended St Petersburg university with his brother. Participated in radical student politics. Illegal meetings, Running propaganda campaings, reform of the people's will, with a commitment to terrorism. Hanged.
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Mikhail Von Reutern
- German from Russian Baltic landowning class. Produced economic reforms. Believed that state money and control should direct economic change. Encouraged development of railways.
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Ivan Vyshnegradsky
- Head of the ministry of finance 1870-92. Successfully reduced the budget but only because of harsh measures.
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Sergei Witte
- Worked in railway development. Promoted to minister of communications and then minister of finance. Able minister and author of the 1905 October manifesto. Became Russia's first prime minister that year but resigned after six months. Opposed WW1.
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Tsar Nicholas II
- Small, naturally reserved, regarded by his father as a dunce and a weakling. Excellent manners, good memory, multi-lingual. Not practical. Politics bored him and he never wanted to become a Tsar. Reign marked with revolutions.
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Father Georgi Gapon
- Became an Orthodox priest and prison chaplain. Believed he had a divine mission to help the workers. Organised workers' unions but remained intensely loyal. Escaped after bloody sunday but was found hanged in 1906. Possibly SR agents or Okhrana.
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Ivan Goremykin
- Lawyer with strongly conservative views. Served as minister for internal affairs and became prime minister in 1906. Forced to resign in July after disagreements with the first Duma. Close ally of Rasputin and again became prime minister in 1914.
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Pyotr Stolypin
- Established himself as an influential figure after an outbreak of rural violence. Appointed minister of internal affairs in 1906. Muzzled Dumas, new court system, health and educational measures and carried through major programme of land reform.
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Grigori Rasputin
- Peasant form western siberia. Spent three months in a monastery but never took vows. Wandered through Russia living off charity and displaying a talent for healing, penetrating eyes. Drank heavily. Influence at court = murder 1916
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Prince Georgi Lvov
- Wealthy landowner and Liberal kadet leader - served in first duma and became leader of the Russian union of Zemstva in 1914. Favoured decentralised government but otherwise traditionalist in outlook. First chairman of the provisional government.
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Pyotr Struve
- Lawyer, economist and philosopher who became interested in marxism and polulism in 1890s. Leader of moderate wing of Russian marxists. Forced into exile - Germany - produced radical literature which was smuggled into Russia.
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Lenin
- Was a lawyer. Attracted by Marxism and became leader of marxist group in St Petersburg. Wrote pamphlets and organised strikes - exile to Siberia. Went into exile in Switzerland. Remained in exile until 1917.
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Trotsky
- Became involved in Marxist groups and strike activity in his teens. Imprisoned and exiled to Siberia. Escaped using false passport and disguise. Travelled to London and became friends and associate with Lenin. Hurried back from USA to lead 1917.
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Alexander Kerensky
- Lawyer and served in the duma of 1912. 1917 - joined SRs and became valuable link in dual power as SR representative on the Petrograd soviet and minister of justice in the provisional government. Only member of both PS and PG.
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Stalin
- One of the few leading Bolsheviks who could claim peasant roots. Attracted by social democratic movement whilst training to be a priest. Expelled from seminary. Repeatedly arrested and exiled to Siberia. Escaped several times. Succeeded Lenin.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

- Trained in a military academy and earned a reputation as a military scholar. Analysed reasons behind Russia's defeat in the Crimean War. Became obvious choice for Alexander II's minister of war. Made a count. Against serfdom.

Back

Dmitry Milyutin

Card 3

Front

- Allexander found her a position as his ill wife's ladies in waiting. By 1866 they were writing to each other at least one a day. She bore him four children and married her 40 days after the death of his wife. Children debarred from succession.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

- Noble who became over-procurator of the Holy Synod. Joined council senate where he was minister of education from 1866 to 1880.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

- Influential right-wing journalist who edited the Moscow news. Gave him great power over the literate public. Favoured by Alexander II for his conservative political views, support of Russian interests and opposition to Polish nationalism.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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