The Decline and Fall of the Romanov Dynasty Part 1

1. The Decline and Fall of the Romanov Dynasty Part 1 Case Study Modern History Preliminary Course By S.Angelo History Head Teacher East Hills Girls Technology High School 2007

2. Background Information • Major themes • Historical development • Agrarian problems and the peasants • Economic and industrial development • Role of the State • The Nobility • The development of ideas and ideologies

3. Historical development • Kiev and Novgorod were settled and developed by Slavs • Tartars overran most of Russia and stopped the developments in Kiev • Novgorod continued to develop and traded with the Hanseatic League • The Tartar rule was largely instrumental in determining the pattern for Russia – local lords – boyars – ruled their own estates and surrounding areas with no overall chief • In order to rid Russia of the Tartars the people had to unite • The Prince of Moscow gained power through this process and became the Tzar of Muscovy • The Tartars were eventually expelled and a new kingdom set up in Moscow by Ivan the Terrible • At the end of the 16th Century development in Russia was similar to other countries • However, the desire to dominate all areas led to the defeat of Novgorod and the destruction of trade and the merchant class until the late 19th century • It also destroyed any form of democratic rule without a ruler

4. Agrarian problems and the peasants • Tartar domination stressed agriculture rather than trade as an economic basis • This was to ensure self sufficiency • Society blended autocracy and feudalism and was state controlled • Patriarchal groups were the main landholding unit • Land could be seized by the strong and weaker groups had no protection in law • By the end of the 16th century free peasants had become serfs • This was most likely due to the reliance of landowners for labour to work on their estates • Kovalevensky suggests that this may also have been linked to the economic dependence of serfs on the landowner for tools, animals and other necessities which were borrowed and repaid in labour • In the 17th century laws were enacted restricting the movement of peasants (Restrictive Code of 1649) • Indebtedness, custom and legislation now meant the peasants were in actuality serfs • 3 kinds of serfs • obrok = paid rent in money or kind • Barshchina = worked a certain number of days on landowners’ estates • Household serfs

5. Economic and industrial development • Tradespeople were also bonded and could not move freely • Industry was not part of towns, but rural until the 19th century when the State took control • Trade was limited and the largest market was the regular army • Peter the Great encouraged the development of factories and peasants were forced to work in them • The larges were cotton and textiles • Industrial development was hampered by great distance and lack of an adequate communication system – first railway was not built until 1850 and not developed until the 1880s • Religious beliefs also hampered the development of the economy and industry • The move to Greek orthodox meant a belief in thrift, frugality, simplicity • Agricultural development was not geared to produce for sale • Industrial production was limited by the state

6. Role of the State • Every group in society had to give some service to the state • Landowners were the military, administrative, economic and financial agents of the State • In turn the State depended on the Nobility • By 1800 Russia had a population of 36 million • 54% serfs of landowners; 40% state serfs • 6% (about 2 million) were not serfs

7. The Nobility • The 18th century saw a revival of privilege and demand for more privilege and power by the Nobility • In some countries this led to revolution, centralized government, new bureaucracy, or parliamentary reforms • In Russia the Nobles were a class with a Table of Ranks which existed virtually intact until 1917 • The most powerful group was the Guards Regiment until 1825 • Catherine the Great freed Nobles from state service in 1762 • Charter of Nobility codifying their privileges • control over local government • monopoly over land and serf ownership • Nobles were mostly poverty stricken • Poor harvests – poor soil and climate • Division by inheritance (smaller landholdings) • Lack of improvement in technique • Dependence on the tsars for land

8. The development of ideas and ideologies • The intelligentsia until the end of the 19th century were usually Nobility – most others were illiterate • Liberalism developed fostered by the ideas from young officers during the Napoleonic Wars • The landowners had no share in the administration • Education was limited to the upper classes • 1824 the Minister for Public Instruction stated that knowledge was only good when it was used like salt – used appropiately • Education was graded according to the social level and future occupation of the students • Slavophiles developed – a group of landholders with close connections to their estates and the provinces • Westerners – anti bureaucratic group supported by the petty nobility, lower clergy, merchants, younger sons • However all these developments took place in the shadow of censorship laws brought in by Nicholas I in 1826 which meant nothing political could be discussed • Literature then became the vehicle for dissemination of ideas • Philosophy was suppressed • Karl Marx’s Capital was allowed because it was an academic theory for specialists • After 1848 all Russians living abroad were recalled, no foreigners were allowed in and no reports of the French Revolution were published • In 1850 scholars and universities could no longer get material from abroad • You could not even use the word evolution because it sounded too much like revolution

9. Key Terms and Concepts • Autocracy • Rule by one person with unrestricted power • Liberalism • Political theory that government powers should be limited and the rights and freedoms of individuals should be protected • Slavophile • Lit. Slav lover – landowners who had close connections with their estate and provinces • Russophile • Lit. Russia lover – • Serfdom • Basis of social and economic order – bound a class to give services, good or money to another privileged class • Orthodoxy • Christian belief of the Greek-speaking Orthodox Church; the government and ruler were intimately linked – the ruler was the earthly reflection of God and reinforced the concept of autocracy

10. Key People: The Romanovs • The Romanovs ruled Russia 1613 – 1918 • Mikhail Romanov 1613 - 1644 • Alexis 1645 – 1676 – relied on his boyar advisers and there were many uprisings 1648, 1662, 1670-71 • Peter the Great – transformed Russia; wars, religious, political • Elizabeth I (daughter of Peter the Great) 1741 – 1762 • Peter III & Catherine the Great (German princess) – reformer – attempts to westernise Russia; - support for nobility – increase in education; medical; expansion wars – Russo-Turkish; Poland • Alexander I 1801 – 1825 – restored some freedoms; increased army; Napoleon’s invasion of Russia – and defeat of French • Nicholas I 1825 – 1855 – Decembrist revolt; Crimean War • Alexander II 1855 – 1881 – encouraged the arts – Tchaikovsky; Tolstoy; Pushkin; Gogol; Dostoyevsky; reforms – abolition of serfdom – Emancipation Acti 1861 - 52 m (45%) freed • Alexander III 1881 – 1894 – development of Marxism; Bolshevik and Meshevik groups; Lenin – unrest -> tighter controls • Nicholas II 1894 – 1918 revolution; war; and the 1917 revolt ending with the assassination of the last of the Romanov family

11. Geography & Maps and Graphs • Examine your maps/graphs • Topography • Weather • Time Zones • Provinces and Population • Industry Consider the significance of each one for the history of Russia. Discuss and write a report of about 250 words citing your evidence with clear reference to each of the maps. Submit for comment.

12. Topography Source: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/FOR/russia_cd/rel_maps.htm#land

13. Weather Temperature Snow

14. Russian Time Zones • Time Zones – consider the problems with so many different time zones • Source: http://www.worldtimezone.com/time-russia24.php

15. Population: People and Races • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html • Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census) • Slavic Finno-Ugrian • Turkic Mongolian & Korean • Iranian Ibero-Caucasian • Romance Germanic • Letto-Lithuanian

16. INDUSTRY – by 1900 • http://library.thinkquest.org/C005121/data/russia.htm • Railroads (1250 miles in 1860 and 15500 miles by 1880) – exportation of grain • Petroleum – ½ world’s production of oil • Steel & coal • Foreign capital used

17. Internet Resources • http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook39.html • http://www2.sptimes.com/Treasures/TC.2.3c.html