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Russia Pre-Revolution. History 12 Ms Leslie. Very very beginning. Russia has been around since the 10th century Mostly made up of Ethnic Slavs who went north escaping the Turkish empire These migrating Slavs clashed with Mongolians and Tartars.
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RussiaPre-Revolution History 12 Ms Leslie
Very very beginning • Russia has been around since the 10th century • Mostly made up of Ethnic Slavs who went north escaping the Turkish empire • These migrating Slavs clashed with Mongolians and Tartars
15th century - Grand Duchy of Moscow established = creation of a strong Tsardom or Czardom • The first Tsars were the likes of Ivan the terrible and Ivan the Great • Took a lot of territory from the Tartars, Kazans and Crimeans
Imperial Russia17-19th Century • A great time for Russia • Grew culturally and territorially • Rulers = Peter the great and Catherine the Great
The People • Mostly illiterate Farmers • Feudal system • Czar Alexander II abolished slavery in the late 19th century • Factories had horrid working conditions
Nicolas II • Started his reign in 1894 • Autocratic and ineffective • Romanov family very wealthy • Population of 165 million • Secret police (OKHRANA) • Censorship of the press • Czar’s word was law
Despite this, the people loved Nicolas II • Believed he was appointed by God • Kept pictures of him in their homes and worshipped him
What was Nicholas II like? • Not very smart • Easily manipulated by his advisors • Relied on his wife for direction • His son, Alexei, was a Hemophiliac • His allowed Rasputin to gain dangerous control of the government.
Population of the 1910’s • 1910- 111 million people • 1914 - 170 million people • Only 40% ethnic Russians • 80% subsistence farmers (not for profit) • Life expectancy = 40 years • Well educated middle class - had the most books per capital in 1913
Most lived on communal farms called Obschina or Mir. • The Obschina organized taxes and aloted land to households • Peasants could not leave the commune • Punishment = exile to Siberia • Agricultural reforms had not caught on eg crop rotation
famine • Lots of famines • 1891 - famine +cholera + typhus = 400,000 dead • 1890 - 64% of conscripts declared unfit to serve
Industry • 5th economic power in the world • Average hard labour work day = 14-18 hours • Child labour common. Start age 4 • Kids worked in cotton mills. Injuries common, rickets, cotton lung • Unions Banned
1896 the people had enough and rioted in St Petersburg • 1902 street demonstrations • 1901-1907 arson in rural areas common • 1904 a social revolutionary assassinated the minister of the interior
1905 Rebellion/Revolution • Workers under the leadership of Father Gapon marched on the Winter Palace • Wanted higher wages, 8 hour day, free elections and universal suffrage
Nicolas ordered military to fire on protesters who were only armed with orthodox crosses • This even is called Bloody Sunday (Jan 9) • Popularity for the Tsar starts to wane
Result - creation of the ‘Shildlovski Commission’ to hear grievances of workers by elected representatives • Never actually convened • Gave workers a taste of electoral activity. • In the autumn they elected a soviet in St Petersburg lead by Leon Trotsky
September 1905 - nationwide general strike resulting in communities across Russia creating their own soviets • The Tsar responded with the ‘October Manifesto promising a Duma, Religious freedom, union rights, political parties. • Extremists not appeased, but moderates happy and a full revolution didn’t happen
The Duma • Russian Parliament • Made up of Czar supporters • Czar could dismiss Duma when ever, and did so frequently
The Revolutionary Movement • Started with ideas from the French revolution in the 1830s • 1860’s saw student movements and Nihilists questioning all values • Secret newspapers circulated (no freedom of press) • Tried to organize the peasants but they were happy with not being slaves anymore
Authorities shifted attention from the failings of the government by creating scapegoats and encouraging pogroms • Pogroms - attacks against Jews
Marxism • Came to Russia in the 1880s • Lenin knew revolution would happen in Russia first as it was the weakest capitol state (contrary to Marxism) • 1903 the Russian Marxist movement split in two
Bolsheviks • Professional • Headed by Lenin • extreme
Mensheviks • Moderate • Feared Lenin would become a dictator
WWI and the revolutionary movement • Bolsheviks opposed the war from the start • Lenin exiled in Zurich, Switz. • Most Bolsheviks banished to Siberia
Beginning of the collapse • Not enough equipment for soldiers. 1 in 2 died, 1 in 3 didn’t have a gun • 1917 fuel and food scarce - bread lines • Little transportation • February riots broke out over bread • Police joined rioters and a general strike formed
Army called in and they shot the rioters • Fear of civil war causes Czar to resign and the provisional government is formed • But more on all that later • The end