The Growth of Opposition to the Tsar in Early 1917
What were ‘subject nationalities’ ?
• Non-Russians groups living under the Russian empire
What was the policy of ‘Russification’?
• Making non-Russians speak Russian, wear Russian clothes and follow Russian customs.
• There was also an effort to convert everyone to Russian orthodox Christianity
How many different ethnic groups did the Russian empire consist of?
• 20+
• For 6 people out of every 10, Russian was a foreign language
How did the ‘subject nationalities’ feel about the Russian empure?
• Many minorities wanted autonomy and resented being part of the Russian empire, especially
as Russians were often given the important jobs in non-Russian areas
Give an example of ‘Russification’
• In present-day Poland it was forbidden to teach children in polish
What is autocracy?
• a system of government by one person with absolute power.
How was Russia ruled before 1917?
• Russia was an autocracy, under the tsar who believed he had a divine right to rule
What was the name of the tsar’s secret police?
• The Okhrana
What was the official religion of the tsar + nobility?
• Russian orthodox Christianity
What percentage of the Russian population were orthodox Christian’s before 1917?
• 70%
What was the relationship between religion and governement?
• The church was closely linked with the tsar and supported his way of ruling.
• It taught that the tsar was the head of the country and the church - that he was God’s chosen
representative on earth
How did the tsar’s government function?
, • Tsar had a council of ministers that ran various government departments, but they couldn’t
make important decisions.
• There were thousands of civil servants, e.g. tax collectors, who carried out the day-to-day work
of government. They were generally poorly paid, encouraging bribery and corruption
How did the tsar punish those against him?
• They were imprisoned without trial or exiled to far-off Siberia
What were the conditions of Siberia?
• Because it is within the arctic circle, it is permanently frozen and barren. The people living
there were constantly on the edge of starvation
How did the tsar’s government control Russia?
• all unions of workers + strikes were forbidden
• newspapers/books were censored
• the okhrana suppressed all opposition by using spires to root out anyone against the tsar and
his system of government
Who as the last tsar of Russia?
• Tsar Nicholas II
When did Nicholas II become tsar?
• 1894
What was south-east Russia known as, and why?
• Russia’s ‘bread basket’ because it was very fertile
What were slaved in Russia called?
• Serfs
How were Jews treated in Russia?
• There were many attacks against them called ‘pogroms’, that were often approved by
authorities.
• Thousands of Jews left Russia for America or Europe
How did Nicholas II feel about becoming tsar?
• He was reluctant, possibly because he witnessed the assassination of his grandfather in 1881
Why was Tsar Nicholas II a bad leader?
• He was ignorant of the nature and extent of opposition to tsarist rule and refused to share
power
• he found the daily work of a monarch intolerably boring; he wasn’t passionate to help Russia
, • he was easily influenced, making him and therefore Russia vulnerable to manipulation +
attacks
• he was arrogant, refusing to listen to his people
Why couldn’t Tsar Nicholas II provide an heir to the throne?
• His only son, Alexis, suffered from an incurable blood disease known as haemophilia - he was
likely to die young
What percentage of the Russian population lived in the countryside?
• 85%
What percentage of Russian land was used for farming and why?
• Only 5% due to extensive tundra, first and desert
How were farms organised under tsarist rule?
• in most villages the land was divided into 3 large fields
• each household had a strip in each of these fields
• this encouraged subsistence farming using primitive hand tools. Which caused low food
production and frequent famines.
What is subsistence farming?
• growing only enough food to feed your family, no surplus for trade
When did industrialisation happen in Russia?
• End of the nineteenth century / 1800s
Why was industrial development of Russia restricted at the start of the 1900s?
• its size and undeveloped system of roads and railways, together with the absence of an
effective banking system, restricted growth of industry
• considering Russia’s size and resources, its manufacturing output was very low at the start of
the 1900s
When was Russia’s first rapid growth in industry?
• In the outbreak of the First World War 1914
Why did Russia have a rapid growth in industry by the outbreak of WW1 in 1914?
• increase in output of coal in Ukraine
• increase in output of oil in Caucasus
• deliberate government policy
Who modernised the russian economy?
• One of the tsars ministers, Count Sergei Witte (minister of finance)
, How did Count Sergei Witte modernise the Russian economy?
• He invited foreign experts and workers to advise on industrial planning + techniques.
• His reforms did stimulate industrial growth, but lead to poor living and working conditions for
workers, causing discontent
What was the social ranking of tsarist Russia?
• Tsar
• Aristocracy
• Nobles
• Clergy
• Army
• Capitalists
• Workers
What percentage of Russian population was part of the aristocracy?
• 1%
How much of the land was owned by the aristocracy?
• Almost 1/4
Who were part of the Russian middle class?
• Those who benefitted from the development on industry, including bankers, merchants and
factory owners.
• Many made fortunes from government loans and had a very pleasant lifestyle
How many Russians were peasants before 1917?
• Nearly 4 out of every 5 Russians
What were living conditions for the aristocracy?
• they were extremely rich, with lavish homes in the countryside, a second home in the city and
many servants
What were living conditions for the middle classes?
• They had a pleasant lifestyle, eaten out at expensive restaurants and frequently going to the
theatre/ballet
What were living conditions for the peasants?
• They lived in very poor conditions and survived on a staple diet of rye bread, porridge and
cabbage soup.
• When the harvests were poor, there was starvation and disease.
• The peasants had a life expectancy of less than 40 years, with many dying from typhus and
diphtheria.
Why were the number of town workers rapidly increasing?
What were ‘subject nationalities’ ?
• Non-Russians groups living under the Russian empire
What was the policy of ‘Russification’?
• Making non-Russians speak Russian, wear Russian clothes and follow Russian customs.
• There was also an effort to convert everyone to Russian orthodox Christianity
How many different ethnic groups did the Russian empire consist of?
• 20+
• For 6 people out of every 10, Russian was a foreign language
How did the ‘subject nationalities’ feel about the Russian empure?
• Many minorities wanted autonomy and resented being part of the Russian empire, especially
as Russians were often given the important jobs in non-Russian areas
Give an example of ‘Russification’
• In present-day Poland it was forbidden to teach children in polish
What is autocracy?
• a system of government by one person with absolute power.
How was Russia ruled before 1917?
• Russia was an autocracy, under the tsar who believed he had a divine right to rule
What was the name of the tsar’s secret police?
• The Okhrana
What was the official religion of the tsar + nobility?
• Russian orthodox Christianity
What percentage of the Russian population were orthodox Christian’s before 1917?
• 70%
What was the relationship between religion and governement?
• The church was closely linked with the tsar and supported his way of ruling.
• It taught that the tsar was the head of the country and the church - that he was God’s chosen
representative on earth
How did the tsar’s government function?
, • Tsar had a council of ministers that ran various government departments, but they couldn’t
make important decisions.
• There were thousands of civil servants, e.g. tax collectors, who carried out the day-to-day work
of government. They were generally poorly paid, encouraging bribery and corruption
How did the tsar punish those against him?
• They were imprisoned without trial or exiled to far-off Siberia
What were the conditions of Siberia?
• Because it is within the arctic circle, it is permanently frozen and barren. The people living
there were constantly on the edge of starvation
How did the tsar’s government control Russia?
• all unions of workers + strikes were forbidden
• newspapers/books were censored
• the okhrana suppressed all opposition by using spires to root out anyone against the tsar and
his system of government
Who as the last tsar of Russia?
• Tsar Nicholas II
When did Nicholas II become tsar?
• 1894
What was south-east Russia known as, and why?
• Russia’s ‘bread basket’ because it was very fertile
What were slaved in Russia called?
• Serfs
How were Jews treated in Russia?
• There were many attacks against them called ‘pogroms’, that were often approved by
authorities.
• Thousands of Jews left Russia for America or Europe
How did Nicholas II feel about becoming tsar?
• He was reluctant, possibly because he witnessed the assassination of his grandfather in 1881
Why was Tsar Nicholas II a bad leader?
• He was ignorant of the nature and extent of opposition to tsarist rule and refused to share
power
• he found the daily work of a monarch intolerably boring; he wasn’t passionate to help Russia
, • he was easily influenced, making him and therefore Russia vulnerable to manipulation +
attacks
• he was arrogant, refusing to listen to his people
Why couldn’t Tsar Nicholas II provide an heir to the throne?
• His only son, Alexis, suffered from an incurable blood disease known as haemophilia - he was
likely to die young
What percentage of the Russian population lived in the countryside?
• 85%
What percentage of Russian land was used for farming and why?
• Only 5% due to extensive tundra, first and desert
How were farms organised under tsarist rule?
• in most villages the land was divided into 3 large fields
• each household had a strip in each of these fields
• this encouraged subsistence farming using primitive hand tools. Which caused low food
production and frequent famines.
What is subsistence farming?
• growing only enough food to feed your family, no surplus for trade
When did industrialisation happen in Russia?
• End of the nineteenth century / 1800s
Why was industrial development of Russia restricted at the start of the 1900s?
• its size and undeveloped system of roads and railways, together with the absence of an
effective banking system, restricted growth of industry
• considering Russia’s size and resources, its manufacturing output was very low at the start of
the 1900s
When was Russia’s first rapid growth in industry?
• In the outbreak of the First World War 1914
Why did Russia have a rapid growth in industry by the outbreak of WW1 in 1914?
• increase in output of coal in Ukraine
• increase in output of oil in Caucasus
• deliberate government policy
Who modernised the russian economy?
• One of the tsars ministers, Count Sergei Witte (minister of finance)
, How did Count Sergei Witte modernise the Russian economy?
• He invited foreign experts and workers to advise on industrial planning + techniques.
• His reforms did stimulate industrial growth, but lead to poor living and working conditions for
workers, causing discontent
What was the social ranking of tsarist Russia?
• Tsar
• Aristocracy
• Nobles
• Clergy
• Army
• Capitalists
• Workers
What percentage of Russian population was part of the aristocracy?
• 1%
How much of the land was owned by the aristocracy?
• Almost 1/4
Who were part of the Russian middle class?
• Those who benefitted from the development on industry, including bankers, merchants and
factory owners.
• Many made fortunes from government loans and had a very pleasant lifestyle
How many Russians were peasants before 1917?
• Nearly 4 out of every 5 Russians
What were living conditions for the aristocracy?
• they were extremely rich, with lavish homes in the countryside, a second home in the city and
many servants
What were living conditions for the middle classes?
• They had a pleasant lifestyle, eaten out at expensive restaurants and frequently going to the
theatre/ballet
What were living conditions for the peasants?
• They lived in very poor conditions and survived on a staple diet of rye bread, porridge and
cabbage soup.
• When the harvests were poor, there was starvation and disease.
• The peasants had a life expectancy of less than 40 years, with many dying from typhus and
diphtheria.
Why were the number of town workers rapidly increasing?
