Russia In Revolution (1881 - 1924)

Front 1

What was the surname of the Tsars?

Back 1

Romanov

Front 2

Who was Nicholas II 's predecessor?

Back 2

His father Alexander III

Front 3

How was Alexander II called by the people?

Back 3

The Liberator

Front 4

Which new form of government was introduced by Alexander III ?

Back 4

Russification

Front 5

What does Russification mean?

Back 5

Forcing of non-Russians to be Russian. Means speaking Russian language, culture, ...

Front 6

Who did the Fundamental Laws say to be in charge again?

Back 6

The Tsar

Front 7

What's the mir ?

Back 7

Peasants' commune

Front 8

What did Stolypin do to reassert the Tsar's power?

Back 8

3rd June Reform to restrict the Duma (state council) and give power back to Tsar,
creating a class of loyal (more independent) peasants, the KULAKS, to rise agricultural efficiency,
setting up field court martials -> executions!!! ...

Front 9

Who was Minister of Finance in 1894?

Back 9

Sergei Witte

Front 10

What was the name of the port which Japan and Russia wanted?

Back 10

Port Arthur

Front 11

Why was the battleship Potemkin important?

Back 11

mutinies in June 1905

Front 12

What was Black Repartition?

Back 12

A judgement day , wished by the peasants, where the land should be shared fairly.
they thought the land should belong to those who work on it

Front 13

Who assassinated Alexander II ?

Back 13

People's will in 1881

Front 14

When was Stolypin killed?

Back 14

In 1911.

Front 15

When was the Lena-Goldfield-strike?
What happened?

Back 15

In 1912.
270 revolutionaries were killed

Front 16

What's the Duma?

Back 16

lower chamber/ council of the Russian parliament
workers and peasants!

Front 17

Which years are seen as the Russian Revolution?

Back 17

1881-1924

Front 18

What were the main features of Russia in 1900?

Back 18

Autocracy, huge empire ( 1/6 of world's land mass), Germany and Austria were the big enemy, massive population grow, Russification, society not rich, northern part frozen, over 19 different society groups, far behind with industry, ...

Front 19

What was Nicholas II's personality like?

Back 19

shy, childish (games), well-mannered, no self-confidence, passive, called 'girly', good education but not to be an autocrat, routinated, hard-worker...

Front 20

How was Alexander III called?

Back 20

The Peacemaker -> no major wars

Front 21

What's the Okhrana?

Back 21

Secret police network, loyal to Tsar.

Front 22

Who were the Cossacks?

Back 22

Loyal soldiers.

Front 23

What means autocratic?

Back 23

Only one leader with divine right to rule!

Front 24

How were the revolutionary groups called?

Back 24

Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs)
The Liberals
Social Democrats (SDs)
Populism

Front 25

What were Witte's plans?

Back 25

Trans-Siberian Railway to improve communication,
fast Industrialisation without revolution (like in Europe),
foreign investment to raise finance, low wages for urban workers, increased taxes, create wealth, catch up with the West,... (Capitalism!)

Front 26

What were the reasons for the Russo-Japanese War?

Back 26

expanding the Empire
winning a warm-water port
victory to give a moral boost to the Russian people
rivalry between Russia and Japan for dominance in Korea and Manchuria

Front 27

When was the Russo-Japanese War?

Back 27

8th February 1904 until the 5th September 1905

Front 28

What were the outcomes of the Russo-Japanese War?

Back 28

Treaty of Portsmouth:
Japan got a lot,
Island of Sakhalin was divided,
Northern Manchuria and Chinese Eastern Railway remained Russian

Front 29

What happened at Bloody Sunday ( 9th January 1905)?

Back 29

Father Gapon wanted to make a Petition (march of 150,000 people) demanding higher wages, shorter working hours and free elections
Tsarist groups opened fire (hundreds killed), but without an order of the Tsar
-> weakened loyalty to the Tsar!

Front 30

What were the main reasons for the 1905 Revolution?

Back 30

Loss of the Russo-Japanese War
Russification and suppression
bloody sunday
Industrialisation and increasing revolutionary ideas by better education
problems with agriculture - famine, land issue
bad living and working conditions

Front 31

What are the Fundamental Laws (1832)?

Back 31

supporting Autocracy and unlimited power of Tsar (divine right...)

Front 32

What are soviets?

Back 32

city workers' councils

Front 33

What was the Union of the Russian People?

Back 33

reactionary movement against liberals, workers and peasant unions
supporting the Autocracy

Front 34

Who were the Kulaks?

Back 34

more prosperous peasants who have left the mir (commune) to own a bit of land by their own
... loyal to the Tsar as supporter

Front 35

Why was there a Revolution in 1905?

Back 35

- loss of the Russo-Japanese War led to critizism of the government and dissatisfaction
- bad living and working conditions like low wages, high taxes (even increased by the war), long working hours,...
-Russification led to dissatisfaction
- industrialisation -> people living together in cities + better education -> easier to spread revolutionary ideas
- agricultural problems like famine and the land issue
- spreading ideas from the west (democracy,...)
- failure to reform government

Front 36

Which events followed the 1905 revolution?

Back 36

- 17th January : First General Strike
- 22nd January: New Minister of the Interior (Bulygin)
- spring: open political student meetings
- May: formation of the union of unions (demanded a democratically elected constituent assembly)
- June: Mutinies on Battleship Potemkin
- July: first meeting of All-Russian Peasants' Union (demands like in Gapon's petition and land issue)
- 6th October: Railway strike and general strike
( Bulygin was sacked and Witte appointed as PM)
- 17th October: Manifesto (freedoms and rights given and STATE DUMA introduced)
- 3rd November: Manifesto for peasants ( reduce payments for land and increased peasant land bank's resources to make it easier for peasants with little land to buy more)

Front 37

Why can 1905 be seen as a year of revolution?

Back 37

mutinies, strikes, formation of unions, ...
Change in Government!!!
However Tsar still in charge, but no Autocrat any more!

Front 38

When was Stolypin in charge?

Back 38

1906 until 1911 when he was killed

Front 39

What did Stolypin do to restore the order and the to reassert the Tsar's authority?

Back 39

Fundamental Laws 1906 (reducing the duma's power)
3rd June Reform 1907 (restriction of the duma! only people owning land were able to elect now)
Social Engineering (creating the Kulaks -> attempt to smash the MIR and to create a more loyal class of peasants => peasants now focused on each other rather than on the Tsar)
Suppression by Okhrana and field court martials (executions)
Improvement of education (e.g. doubled amount of students in primary education)

Front 40

How many executions were there in 1907?

Back 40

1,144

Front 41

What were Witte's and Stolypin's aims towards the reform of economy?

Back 41

- to reduce social unrest and to get control over the work force
- to catch up with the west
- rapid industrialisation to avoid revolution
- to increase productivity and efficiency of industry and agriculture
- to gain funds for investment

Front 42

How far did government policy change after 1905?

Back 42

- continued with most of their policies e.g. with Russificiation, Safeguard System and Suppression, loans to peasants to buy land, fast industrialisation
and no change in living or working conditions
- however: improved education, new class of peasants (loyal to tsar), and now existing DUMA
( but limited in its influence after 1906, controlled, tsar had the last word and only wealthy people...)

Front 43

Why might the Tsar have been quite safe in 1914?

Back 43

- army was happy and loyal to him which means protection and support

Front 44

Who was Rasputin?

Back 44

a peasant bought in by the tsarina to control her son's illness and who used his position as Alexandra's son's healer to create positions for him and his friends in church and government and to influence her choice of ministers and appointments
- rumours said he and the tsarina had an affair
- murdered in 1916 by Prince Vusupov

Front 45

What was the impact of the length of WW I on the army's morale?

Back 45

- contradictory instructions by the Stavka and failures (Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes -> 230,000 men died
Shell Shortage, The Great Retreat, Romanians forced out of war although on Russia's side,...)
=> morale of army worsened extremely!!! and so no loyality to Tsar in 1917

Front 46

What was the Stavka?

Back 46

- command centre of the Russian Army

Front 47

Why was there a revolution in February 1917?

Back 47

- loss of faith into leadership through poor (political)decision making by the Tsar and Army commanders
- HUNGER and worse living conditions through a food shortage (worse efficiency in agriculture as army seized men and horses), hard and cold winter 1916, higher taxes, bread rationing
- 23rd February 1917: International Women's Day
=> a protest where the Tsar asked Army to shoot,
which however joined the demonstrators!!! CHAOS!!!

Front 48

Why was the Tsar's image ruined in 1917?

Back 48

- he went to the front himself and could now be blamed for the failure
- left Alexandra with German background in charge -> rumours about German spy and an affair with Rasputin
- aristocracy lost loyality towards Tsar by being sacked as ministers
-'progressive bloc' : he appointed himself as commander in chief and could now be blamed for every poor political decision

Front 49

What was the 'progressive bloc'?

Back 49

was created with the aim to form a 'ministry of public confidence' with ministers from the duma
- step to constitutional monarchy=> influenced by Tsar to maintain authority

Front 50

Why were the living conditions in cities and countryside worsening during the war?

Back 50

- population growth (Moscow 1.6-2.0 million)
-> less space
-> increasing demand of food
- peasants used as soldiers and army seized horses
-> agricultural work more difficult and less effective
=> HUNGER!!!
- high taxes as warfare was expensive

Front 51

When did Tsar Nicholas II abdicate for himself and his son?

Back 51

2nd March 1917

Front 52

What followed at/ after the International Women's Day?

Back 52

protest march of women -> general strike -> mutiny of soldiers -> fightings between regiments and still loyal police -> abdication of Tsar and later his brother
=> Duma committee formed a new government!

Front 53

Why was the length of the war important?

Back 53

- the longer the war...
... the more failures by the army
... the more soldiers needed
... the worse was efficiency of agriculture
... the more hunger
... the more exposed the fragile economy
... the more people lost faith into Tsar

Front 54

What was the Provisional Government (1917)?

Back 54

- made up of LIBERALS , to run the country until a costituent assembly would be elected
- not elected, but chosen by a duma committee
-formed at the 2nd March 1917

Front 55

What was the Petrograd Soviet?

Back 55

- formed at the 27th February 1917
- working class members
- to protect the intersts of the working class and soldiers

=> worked like a 'watchdog' to make sure the Provisional Government did nothing to damage the interests of the working class

Front 56

What did the Petrograd Soviet control?

Back 56

-Railways -> government couldn't move soldiers, etc around without the Soviet's knowing
- Telegraph station -> government couldn't send messages without the Soviet's knowing
- Soldiers -> usefule to control other areas
- Factories -> to control working conditions
- Power supplies

Front 57

Who had the real power in 1917?

Back 57

- the real power laid clearly with the Soviet as the P.G. couldn't do anything without its support

Front 58

Why did the Soviet didn't take power?

Back 58

- fear of a civil war and a counter-revolution
(they needed to keep middle-class and army on their side)
- they had little experience of government
- they had no clear leadership

Front 59

Who was Alaexander Kerensky?

Back 59

- a member of both bodies
- provided the main line of communication between Provisional Government and Soviet!

Front 60

What is a counter- revolution?

Back 60

- when the supporters of the old system try to take back power and re-establish the old system, if not the old ruler

Front 61

What is the Constituent Assembly?

Back 61

- when an old system collapses, it writes the new constitution - elected