Russia Pre-1917- Revolution

1. RussiaPre-1917- Revolution History 12 Ms Leslie

2. 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

3. 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

4. Imperial Russia17-19th Century • A great time for Russia • Grew culturally and territorially • Rulers = Peter the great and Catherine the Great

5. The people were mostly illiterate farmers • Feudal system • Czar Alexander II abolished slavery in 1861 • Factories had horrid working conditions • Alex II assassinated in 1881 and replaced by this son

6. Alexander III 1881-1894 • Authorities shifted attention from the failings of the government by creating scapegoats and encouraging pogroms • Pogroms -

7. Was physically intimidating - a body builder to make up for his 5’6” height • Died of kidney failure from trauma from a train accident

8. 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

9. Despite this, the people loved Nicolas II • Believed he was appointed by God • Kept pictures of him in their homes and worshipped him • Related to heads of Greece, UK, Denmark, Germany

10. What was Nicholas II like? • Not very smart • Easily manipulated by his advisors • Relied on • His son, • His allowed Rasputin to gain dangerous control of the government.

11. Population of the 1910’s • 1910- • 1914 - • Only 40% • 80% • Life expectancy = 40 years • Well educated middle class - had the most books per capital in 1913

12. Most lived on communal farms called Obschina or Mir. • The Obschina organized taxes and allotted land to households • Peasants could not • Punishment = • Agricultural reforms had not caught on eg crop rotation

13. famine • Lots of famines • 1891 - famine +cholera + typhus = 400,000 dead • 1890 - 64% of conscripts declared unfit to serve

14. Revolutionary movement • Nihilists – • Populists – • Marxists - • Liberals -

15. Problems with Industrialization • Far behind rest of Europe • Because of late start industry was modern and they lacked skilled workers • Relied heavily of foreign loans and taxes for growth • France owned 2/3rd • Germany owned • Britain owned

16. Biggest problem - massive, abused proletariat

17. Industry • 5th • Average hard labour work day • Child labour common. Start age 4 • Kids worked in cotton mills. Injuries common, rickets, cotton lung • Unions Banned

18. Labour Problems • Industrial workers small in number • Exploited • Demanded • Started to demand

19. Peasant Problem • 3/4 of the population • Although no longer serfs, still had a separate administration and courts • Illiterate and superstitious • Excessively taxed - main source of tsarist revenue.

20. 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

21. 1905 Revolution causes • - • - • - • -

22. 5. 6. Liberals organized the Constitutional Democratic Party (Cadet). Wanted democratic reform 7.

23. Bolsheviks (Majority) – • Mensheviks (minority) -

24. 1905 Rebellion/Revolution • Jan 22/Jan 9 • Workers under the leadership of Father Gapon marched on the Winter Palace • Wanted:

25. Bloody Sunday

26. Result • Showed tsar’s incompetence • Tsarist supporters changed their minds • creation of the ‘Shildlovski Commission’

27. Oct 1905 • Oct 20-30 – • First soviet formed in St Petersburg • Soviet (council) =

28. The Tsar responded with the October Manifesto promising: • Extremists not appeased, but moderates happy and a full revolution didn’t happen

29. The Duma Russian Parliament

30. Long term impact 1905 • Tsar used him powers to arrest and harrass opposition • 1906-07, 4,400 deaths due to terrorism • Catch 22 -

31. Marxism • Came to Russia in the 1880s • Lenin knew revolution would happen in Russia first as it was the weakest capitalist state (contrary to Marxism) • 1903 the Russian Marxist movement split in two

32. Bolsheviks • Professional revolutionaries • Majority

33. Mensheviks • Moderate • Feared Lenin would become a dictator • Minority

34. WWI and the revolutionary movement • Bolsheviks opposed the war from the start • Lenin exiled in Zurich, Switz. • Most Bolsheviks banished to Siberia

35. Home front • War meant more food shortages • 1914 • 1915 • This left the Tsarina in charge - she let Rasputin make decisions…

36. War stats • 15.5 million man army • 1.65 million died • 3.85 million wounded • 2.41 million POWs • 1917 1.5 million deserted • Lack of medical attention • Not enough equipment for soldiers. 1 in 3 didn’t have a gun

37. Beginning of the collapse • 1917- • Little transportation • February - • Police joined rioters and a general strike formed

38. 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