A. Reforms under Nicholas II
1. How was Nicholas able to survive the 1905 revolution?
i. his opponents were not united
ii. there was a lack of central leadership (due to the revolution having flared up spontaneously)
iii. he was willing to compromise at the critical moment by issuing the October Manifesto which promised concessions
iv. most of the army remained loyal
2. What reforms did Nicholas institute?
i. improvements in industrial working conditions and pay
ii. cancellation of redemption payments (the annual payments to the government by the peasants (the former serfs) in return for their freedom and land)
iii. more freedom for the press
iv. genuine democracy in which the Duma would play an important part in running the country
3. What happened to the Dumas?
- The First Duma (1906) wasn't democratically elected. This is because all classes were allowed to vote so the system was rigged so that landowners/the middle classes would be the majority. This put forth demands that angered Nicholas such as the confiscation of large estates, a democratic electoral system, and the right of the Duma to approve the Tsar's ministers, the right to strike, and the abolition of the death penalty. Nicholas had the Duma dispersed by troops after ten weeks.
-The Second Duma (1907) suffered the same fate, and Nicholas then denied peasants and urban workers the right to vote.
-The Third Duma (1907-12) and the Fourth Duma (1912-1917) lasted longer. They had no power because the Tsar controlled the secret police and ministers, so the Dumas criticizing the government had no effect whatsoever.
B. Strengths of the regime
1. how did Stolypin gain support of some peasants?
i. Redemption payments were abolished
ii. peasants were encouraged to buy their own land
iii. what is a kulak? A comfortably-off peasant on whom the government could rely for support against revolution.
2. how did the regime gain support among industrial workers?
There were signs of improving working conditions, and in 1912 a workers' sickness and accident insurance scheme was introduced.
3. other positive signs for the regime
i. Programme announced to bring about universal education within ten years,
ii. 50000 primary schools were opened by 1914.
C. Weaknesses of the regime
1. why were Stolypin's land reforms failing?
i. The peasant population grew too rapidly (at a rate of 1.5 million a year).
ii. Farming methods were not effective enough to support this growing peasant population adequately.
2. what was the trend with industrial strikes in the years leading to WWI?
The shooting of 270 striking goldminers in Siberia in 1912 set off several industrial strikes. There were over 2000 separate strikes in 1912, 2400 in 1913, and over 4000 in the first half of 1914. This happened before WWI broke out.
3. what three groups did the government especially target for repression?
i. Peasants
ii. Industrial workers
iii. Intelligentsia (educated classes)
4. revolutionary parties - what did each hope for?
i. Bolsheviks - Marxist. They wanted a small, disciplined party of professional revolutionaries, who would work full-time to bring about revolution.
ii. Mensheviks - Marxist. They were accepting of a party membership that was open to anyone, and they believed that Russia would need to be fully industrialized before a revolution could take place. They had little cooperation from peasants, who were one of the most conservative groups in Russian society.
iii. Social Revolutionaries -Not Marxist. They didn't want increasing industrialization and didn't think in terms of a proletarian revolution. They wanted an agrarian society after the overthrow of the tsarist regime and wanted peasant communities operating collectively to be the base of the new society.
5. How was the royal family tainted by scandal?
i. Stolypin's death - It was believed that Nicholas was a party to Stolypin's murder, who was shot by a member of the secret police. Nothing was proved but Stolypin was becoming too liberal for the Tsar's comfort so it's believed that his death was not a disappointment.
ii. Rasputin - He claimed he would be able to cure the son of Nicholas and Alexandra of haemophilia, but he eventually became a real power behind the throne himself.
D. World War I
What were considered failures in Russia's effort in WWI?
i. Poor transport organization and distribution, therefore arms and ammunition were slow to reach the front, and food didn't get to the cities in significant quantities.
ii. Police and troops mutiny, and no one was left to defend the autocracy.
iii. Nicholas made the mistake of appointing himself supreme commander, and therefore threw away all of the advantages won by Brusilov's offensive, and drew on himself the blame for later defeats and a high death rate, with his tactical blunders.
iv. Bread was scarce and very expensive.
v. There was an incompetent and corrupt organization and a shortage of equipment.
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