RussiaPre-1917- Revolution

History 12

Ms Leslie

Very very beginning

Russia has been around since the 10th century

Mostly made up of Ethnic Slavs who went north escaping the Turkish empire

These migrating Slavs clashed with Mongolians and Tartars

15th century - Grand Duchy of Moscow established = creation of a strong Tsardom or Czardom

The first Tsars were the likes of Ivan the terrible and Ivan the Great

Took a lot of territory from the Tartars, Kazans and Crimeans

Imperial Russia17-19th Century

A great time for Russia

Grew culturally and territorially

Rulers = Peter the great and Catherine the Great

The people were mostly illiterate farmers

Feudal system Czar Alexander II abolished slavery in

1861 Factories had horrid working conditions Alex II assassinated in 1881 and

replaced by this son

Alexander III 1881-1894

Authorities shifted attention from the failings of the government by creating scapegoats and encouraging pogroms

Pogroms -

Was physically intimidating - a body builder to make up for his 5’6” height

Died of kidney failure from trauma from a train accident

Nicolas II

Started his reign in 1894 Autocratic and ineffective Romanov family very wealthy Population of 165 million Secret police (OKHRANA) Censorship of the press Czar’s word was law

Despite this, the people loved Nicolas II

Believed he was appointed by God

Kept pictures of him in their homes and worshipped him

Related to heads of Greece, UK, Denmark, Germany

What was Nicholas II like? Not very smart

Easily manipulated by his advisors Relied on

His son,

His allowed Rasputin to gain dangerous control of the government.

Population of the 1910’s

1910- 1914 - Only 40% 80% Life expectancy = 40 years Well educated middle class - had the

most books per capital in 1913

Most lived on communal farms called Obschina or Mir.

The Obschina organized taxes and allotted land to households

Peasants could not Punishment = Agricultural reforms had not caught on

eg crop rotation

famine

Lots of famines 1891 - famine +cholera

+ typhus = 400,000 dead

1890 - 64% of conscripts declared unfit to serve

Revolutionary movement

1. Nihilists –

2. Populists –

3. Marxists -4. Liberals -

Problems with Industrialization

Far behind rest of Europe Because of late start industry was modern

and they lacked skilled workers Relied heavily of foreign loans and taxes for

growth France owned 2/3rd Germany owned Britain owned

Biggest problem - massive, abused proletariat

Industry

5th Average hard labour work day

Child labour common. Start age 4 Kids worked in cotton mills. Injuries

common, rickets, cotton lung Unions Banned

Labour Problems

Industrial workers small in number Exploited Demanded

Started to demand

Peasant Problem

3/4 of the population Although no longer serfs, still had a

separate administration and courts Illiterate and superstitious Excessively taxed - main source of

tsarist revenue.

1896 the people had enough and rioted in St Petersburg

1902 street demonstrations 1901-1907 arson in rural areas

common 1904 a social revolutionary

assassinated the minister of the interior

1905 Revolution causes

1. -

2. -

3. -

4. -

5.

6. Liberals organized the Constitutional Democratic Party (Cadet). Wanted democratic reform

7.

Bolsheviks (Majority) –

Mensheviks (minority) -

1905 Rebellion/Revolution

Jan 22/Jan 9 Workers under the

leadership of Father Gapon marched on the Winter Palace

Wanted:

Bloody Sunday

Result

Showed tsar’s incompetence Tsarist supporters changed their minds creation of the ‘Shildlovski

Commission’

Oct 20-30 –

First soviet formed in St Petersburg Soviet (council) =

Oct 1905

The Tsar responded with the October Manifesto promising:

Extremists not appeased, but moderates happy and a full revolution didn’t happen

The Duma

Russian Parliament

Long term impact 1905

Tsar used him powers to arrest and harrass opposition

1906-07, 4,400 deaths due to terrorism Catch 22 -

Marxism

Came to Russia in the 1880s

Lenin knew revolution would happen in Russia first as it was the weakest capitalist state (contrary to Marxism)

1903 the Russian Marxist movement split in two

Bolsheviks

Professional revolutionaries

Majority

Mensheviks

Moderate Feared Lenin would

become a dictator Minority

WWI and the revolutionary movement Bolsheviks

opposed the war from the start

Lenin exiled in Zurich, Switz.

Most Bolsheviks banished to Siberia

Home front

War meant more food shortages 1914 1915

This left the Tsarina in charge - she let Rasputin make decisions…

War stats

15.5 million man army 1.65 million died 3.85 million wounded 2.41 million POWs 1917 1.5 million deserted Lack of medical attention Not enough equipment for soldiers. 1 in 3

didn’t have a gun

Beginning of the collapse

1917- Little transportation February - Police joined rioters and a general

strike formed

Army called in and they shot the rioters Fear of civil war causes Czar to resign

and the provisional government is formed

But more on all that later

The end