Alek Zelbo
History Essay
November 25
Maglioni
The Reasons Behind the Decline of Tsarist Russia
There were four major factors that lead to the collapse of Tsarist Russia. Russia was very spread out, nearly 125 million people spread out across Europe and Asia, making it hard to govern. Russia became weaker because of World War I (losing 200,000 men) causing the Tsarist government to lose the support of the military. Tsar Nicholas had difficulty responding to any criticism or creating social reforms because the aristocracy and military elites backing him were against any political or social change. Most importantly, the Duma abandoned the Tsar. All these events culminated in the fall of the Tsar and the formation of a Bolshevik government …show more content…
Tsar Nicholas’ reputation among the Russian population was heavily damaged after a humiliating succession of defeats in the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-1905. In addition, at that time unrest and discontent with the government’s policies reached their height when there was a strike of all workers and an attempted revolution against the government. People were demanding constitutional reforms and a more democratic Russia. Furthermore, the guards of the Winter Palace killed workers who had organized a peaceful protest to express their demands to the Tsar . This led to a series of riots and demonstrations and clearly showed that the population was upset and not happy with Tsar Nicholas.
In 1905 Russia started to rebuild. Tsar Nicholas, trying to stabilize his regime, agreed to make reforms such as enacting a new constitution, creating the Duma, and implementing the land reforms proposed by Stolypin. The Duma was a newly elected parliament. Along with the Duma came the legalization of political parties and trade unions. “Although the government was still not responsible to the Duma, this reform seemed only a matter of time, and the foundation seemed to have been laid for a responsible and liberal opposition. ” These reforms allowed Tsar Nicholas to remain in power for 13 more …show more content…
People were demanding social and political reforms but Nicholas was unable to comply because the Aristocracy and the Military elites would not allow these changes. Finally, when the Duma abandoned the Tsar and forced him to abdicate, the entire Tsarist regime was replaced with a strict, socialist system. The people were willing to sacrifice individual liberties in order to achieve social and economic equality. Bibliography Last modified 2002. Accessed November 26, 2014. http://www.johndclare.net. Ascher, Abraham. "The Search for Stability in Late Imperial Russia." Stanford University Press, 2001, 10-25. International World History Project. Last modified 9 26, 2006. Accessed November 25, 2014. http://history-world.org/. Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Modern Reader Paperbacks, 1968. Portalus.ru. Last modified 2006. http://www.portalus.ru/modules/. Princton.edu. Last modified November 5, 2014. Accessed November 28, 2014.
History Essay
November 25
Maglioni
The Reasons Behind the Decline of Tsarist Russia
There were four major factors that lead to the collapse of Tsarist Russia. Russia was very spread out, nearly 125 million people spread out across Europe and Asia, making it hard to govern. Russia became weaker because of World War I (losing 200,000 men) causing the Tsarist government to lose the support of the military. Tsar Nicholas had difficulty responding to any criticism or creating social reforms because the aristocracy and military elites backing him were against any political or social change. Most importantly, the Duma abandoned the Tsar. All these events culminated in the fall of the Tsar and the formation of a Bolshevik government …show more content…
Tsar Nicholas’ reputation among the Russian population was heavily damaged after a humiliating succession of defeats in the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-1905. In addition, at that time unrest and discontent with the government’s policies reached their height when there was a strike of all workers and an attempted revolution against the government. People were demanding constitutional reforms and a more democratic Russia. Furthermore, the guards of the Winter Palace killed workers who had organized a peaceful protest to express their demands to the Tsar . This led to a series of riots and demonstrations and clearly showed that the population was upset and not happy with Tsar Nicholas.
In 1905 Russia started to rebuild. Tsar Nicholas, trying to stabilize his regime, agreed to make reforms such as enacting a new constitution, creating the Duma, and implementing the land reforms proposed by Stolypin. The Duma was a newly elected parliament. Along with the Duma came the legalization of political parties and trade unions. “Although the government was still not responsible to the Duma, this reform seemed only a matter of time, and the foundation seemed to have been laid for a responsible and liberal opposition. ” These reforms allowed Tsar Nicholas to remain in power for 13 more …show more content…
People were demanding social and political reforms but Nicholas was unable to comply because the Aristocracy and the Military elites would not allow these changes. Finally, when the Duma abandoned the Tsar and forced him to abdicate, the entire Tsarist regime was replaced with a strict, socialist system. The people were willing to sacrifice individual liberties in order to achieve social and economic equality. Bibliography Last modified 2002. Accessed November 26, 2014. http://www.johndclare.net. Ascher, Abraham. "The Search for Stability in Late Imperial Russia." Stanford University Press, 2001, 10-25. International World History Project. Last modified 9 26, 2006. Accessed November 25, 2014. http://history-world.org/. Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Modern Reader Paperbacks, 1968. Portalus.ru. Last modified 2006. http://www.portalus.ru/modules/. Princton.edu. Last modified November 5, 2014. Accessed November 28, 2014.