Russia
in Revolution: Russia
Struggled to Reform
Vocab and Identify:
Romanov
– the last family that held the throne of Russia. They held the throne for 300 years and the
last czar was Nicholas II.
Siberia – a bleak region in
northeastern Russia. Serfs were exiled
to Serbia by
nobles and landholders.
Nicholas II – the last czar of Russia. He was czar during WWI and abdicated the
throne during the Russian Revolution.
Alexander III – Second to last czar. He entirely rejected all reforms and
restricted the power of elected officials.
He instituted secret police and oppressed all minorities.
Romanov
– the last family that held the throne of Russia. They held the throne for 300 years and the
last czar was Nicholas II.
Siberia – a bleak region in
northeastern Russia. Serfs were exiled
to Serbia by
nobles and landholders.
Nicholas II – the last czar of Russia. He was czar during WWI and abdicated the
throne during the Russian Revolution.
Alexander III – Second to last czar. He entirely rejected all reforms and
restricted the power of elected officials.
He instituted secret police and oppressed all minorities.
- Most
Russians were serfs
- 80%
of people in Russia
were serfs
- They
were permanently bound to the noble whose land they worked
- Serfs
were sold and bought like merchandise
- They
had no rights and could be punished by the landholders without due
process
e.
Many people thought serfdom was wrong and that it
slowed down economic growth because serfs had to reason to produce more food or
learn new trades.
f.
Czar Alexander I thought about freeing the serfs but
ultimately did not do it.
- Decembrists
- A
revolt occurred in December 1825 (thus the name Decembrists)
- Army
officers led this movement; they had seen countries with bills of rights
and wanted the same for Russia
- They
formed secret revolutionary societies.
- They
put their support behind Constantine
- Their
revolt was put down by Nicholas I.
- Nicholas
I
- Resisted
change
- Refused
to free serfs
- Agreed
serfdom was wrong but backed landholders because they helped prevent
peasant revolts
- Censorship
- Secret
Police
- Poor
foreign policy: defeated in war against Britain,
France
and Turkey.
i.
The war showed that the Czar’s government was weak
ii.
It also showed that Russia’s
technology was behind that of Britain
and France
- Alexander
II
- Freed
serfs
- Mirs
- Serfs
still tied down because of taxes
- Gave
people the right to trials
- Set
up elected councils to deal with local matters
- Reforms
Encouraged Unrest
- Censorship
made it so politics had to discussed in secret
- Nihilists
- Narodnikis
- March 13, 1881, Alexander II
killed by radicals.
- Alexander
III
- Secret
police
- Censorship
- Reduced
power of elected councils
- Teachers
had to submit reports on every student
- Regarded
all minorities as dangerous
i.
People who didn’t speak Russian
ii.
People who didn’t worship in the Russian Orthodox
Church
iii.
People who questioned the Czar
iv.
Jews were heavily oppressed
- Nicholas
II
- Refused
constitution and change
- Russia
changed by itself
- Cultural
changes
i.
People began discussing ideas of foreign thinkers (e.g.
Darwin, Marx, Pasteur)
ii.
Russian artists, thinkers, and scientists were making
contributions
iii.
Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov
became great literary figures
iv.
Sergei Diaghilev
made Russian ballet the best in the world
v.
Tchaikovsky wrote music for
ballet and the concert hall
- Economic
developments
i.
Population of cities grew
ii.
Government encouraged growth of industry
iii.
Invested money in companies and set tariffs to protect
Russian goods from foreign competition
iv.
Encouraged foreign investment
v.
Built the trans-Siberian railroad.
vi.
Still far behind
1. production
low
2. wages
low
3. unions
not allowed
4. Large
gap between rich and poor