Summary
Summary Russia Notes
- Module
- Russia 1894-1941
- Institution
- OCR
14 pages of detailed notes on Russia . Includes key facts, dates and statistics, as well as multiple historians' quotes to support interpretations.
[Show more]
1 review
By: alunfranc • 1 year ago
Content preview
Tsarist RussiaRussia Pre-1894
Tsar System
● Romanovs ruled Russia since 1613
● Robert Service: 'Peasants cherished an icon of the ruler on their hut walls'
● Council of Ministers had no collective discussions
● Tsar appointed own governors & ministers
Alexander II (1855-1881)
● Came to throne during Crimean War: concluded peace then initiated wide range of social,
economic
administrative & legal reforms
● Viewed himself as enlightened
● Relaxed censorship - ‘intelligentsia’ formed
● Emancipation of the serfs 1861 – serfs given own farmland
● Happy serfs wouldn’t rebel
● More would join army & restore military pride
● Nobles resented giving up 1/3 of land, kept good land for themselves
● Peasants had to pay redemption payments back to gvt, which they struggled to do after
grain markets collapsed in 1870s & 1880s
● Peasants unable to leave mir so growing population meant shrinking allotments - average
size was 5.1 dessiatines in 1860 shrunk to 2.7 by 1900
JN Westwood – ‘enormous step forward’ but failed because peasants unable to make redemption
payments
● Had to control countryside communities (mir) to keep Russia in order – Zemstva formed
1864
● Gave sense of political freedom
● Elected rural councils
● Never truly democratic
● Landowners given greater political powers locally as compensation for lost lands
● Poor & rich unhappy w/ Tsar – Alexander II became more oppressive, first step towards
revolution
● Earned epithet 'Tsar Liberator' for giving peasants freedom but had no intention of sharing
power & was assassinated by terrorists ('The People's Will' group) in 1881
Alexander III (1881-1894)
● Severe rule as believed father's assassination was sign reforms were a mistake
● Began by reversing reforms & purging ministers deemed sympathetic to change
● Repressive but did allow for period of stability
● Demanded more active policy in Balkans
● ‘the Reaction’ – restrictive measures to deal w/ acts of revolt that came for lack of gvt
support
● Temporary law established 1887 not removed until 1917
● Gvt could control courts w/o adhering to legal system
● Okhrana given new powers, freedom of press abandoned, censorship reintroduced,
essentially creating police state
● Universities controlled by gvt
● Intelligentsia & ‘Westerners’ felt betrayed
● Statue of Measures to Preserve National Order made Russia police state, Okhrana developed
● 1889 - Land Captains introduced w/ powers over peasantry
● Did allow considerable industrial development
Rule of Nicholas II
, Nicholas II (1894-1917)
● Weak, inflexible & politically naïve
● Not prepared to make concessions
● Had idealised view of his father which affected his beliefs
○ (Developed 'almost mystical reverence towards the memory of his father' - Figes)
● Outraged public at coronation when attended banquet after 1400 killed
● Had potential to save monarchy by allowing constitutional one
● Relied on advisors e.g. Pobedonostsev
● Forced out Count Witte & Petr Stolypin who could have saved Tsarism
● Soviet joke that Nicholas II should be posthumously rewarded Order of the Red Banner 'for
his services to the revolution'
Darby: 'Alexander and Nicholas II did not possess their forbear's vision. They placed their faith in
reaction and repression'
Konstantin Pobedonostsev
● Russian jurist (studier of law), statesman & adviser & tutor to 3 Tsars
● Nicknamed 'Grand Inquisitor' & came to be symbol of Russia's absolute monarchy
● Was major decision maker during reign of Alexander III: appointed to the senate in 1868, to
the council of state in 1872 & being Ober-Procurator of the Most Holy Synod 1880-1905
(meaning he supervised the Russian Orthodox Church)
● Had immense power over domestic policy in particular
● Large influence as tutor of Nicholas II
● Behind many pogroms - gave people scapegoat & outlet
● Advocate of Russification & religious conformity
Russification
● Policy of making Russia ethnically more Russian
● Russian declared official 1st language
● Widespread & systematic state influence in education, religion & culture
● Forced people into Christian faith
Anti-Semitism
● Many different ethnicities but one main Tsarist policy was ethnic discrimination &
persecution
● Ethnic minorities more industrious than other members of society so made more money –
fear of these helped fuel religious intolerance (particularly anti-Semitism)
● Over 600 new measures introduced e.g. Jews forced to live in ghettos
● 'Black Hundreds' - ultra-conservative Russian nationalists, notorious for attacks on Jews
● No. of pogroms increased during Nicholas' reign due to encouragement of it
● Local communities eager to join in
Response/Effect of Policies
● 5 million Jews fled Russia
● More organised opposition - variety of parties from moderate reformers to violent
revolutionaries
● In 1890s, large increase of Jews in anti-Tsarist movements
● 1897 - Jews formed own revolutionary 'Bund' (union)
Problems of Russia in 1894
● 1/6 of world’s surface
● Still autocratic gvt in 1894
● Most of economy based on agriculture – no industrial revolution
● Aristocratic elite had laissez-faire attitude to reforming society
● Pop. nearly doubled 1861-1905 (76 million to 140 million)
● Orlando Figes: the ‘whole Tsarist empire was rife for collapse’ by 1905
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller frenchandmore. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £3.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
85443 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now