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Summary The MVP Russia and its Rulers 1955 to 1964 Revision Sheet

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A full in depth Revision Summary of the OCR Russia and its Ruler 1855 to 1964 course. Including all of the topics: The Nature of Government, The impact of dictatorial regimes on the economy and the society of the Russian Empire and the USSR, The impact of war and revolution on the development of th...

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  • May 9, 2023
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The MVP Russia and its Rulers 1955 to 1964
Revision Sheet

, The Nature of Government
Autocracy
Russia was governed under an autocracy from 1855 to March 1917. Historians argue that
there were three aspects to the Russian Autocracy:

• Tsars believed that God had placed them on the Earth to set moral standards. They
had a duty to ensure the people were protected from the evil elements of society
• Tsars believed they were accountable only to God and not to the people. Hence,
there was no need for democratic elections
• As the Russian Empire was so Large and diversified, autocracy was seen as a practical
straightforward way to rule. Advisers to the government argued that a liberal
democracy would have led too many people demanding too many things. Also, most
of the Russian Population was made up of illiterate peasants, it was believed that
democracy would be in the hands of those who did not have the ability to reason
Autocracy, Repression and Reform-

• Nicholas I (1825 to 55)- promoted autocratic ruling through the usage of slogans
such as ‘Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality). Orthodoxy meaning the intention to
not make radical changes, autocracy meaning complete obedience to the tsar, and
nationality meaning the need to create a united Russia. It was enforced by passing
the Fundamental Laws of 1832 which stated that: The emperor of all Russians is an
autocratic and unlimited monarch
• Alexander II (1855 to 81)- stuck closely to autocratic principles, especially after the
first attempt to assassinate him in 1866. He was willing to back reformers, but his
polices carried out with the need to preserve autocracy in mind. He maintained
respect got his authority when emancipating the surfs in 1861 by compensating serf
owners
• Alexander III (1881 to 94)- resigned with what is often known as an authoritarian
rule, it was seen as a reaction to his father's more liberal rule and assassination. Alex
believed that the Slav people lacked the intelligence to participate responsibly in
democracy. He was willing to make some minor reforms that benefited the whole
Russian Empire.
• Nicholas II (1894-1917)- continued the autocratic rule of his father. The October
manifesto of 1905 setting up the Duma appeared to be a move towards democracy.
The impact of these reforms was cushioned by the passing of the fundamental laws
of 1906.

,Dictatorship
Russia was governed by a form of dictatorship after the October Revolution. The leader of
the dictatorship, Lenin, based his ideologies on Karl Marx Fredrick and Frerich Engels. The
Marxist ideologies were based off two main principles-

• The superstructure of institutions that formed a base for the old tsarist society had
to be destroyed and replaced with bodies forming an egalitarian society
• Marx’s Labour Theory of Value’ became a justification for Lenin to overthrow tsarist
rule, especially as the tsars has started to move towards capitalism




The Labour Theory of Value-

This theory claimed that under a capitalist economy the proletariat would never gain the fill
value of their offers. A discorporate number of wages would be taken away to provide
capitalist with profits far higher more than what was needed to maintain industrialisation. In
other words, the proletariat would be exploited by the capitalists.

Implementation of Marxism/Leninism-

• Passing on his ideology through his writings
• Leading a Bolshevik Revolution against the Provisional Government
• Engaging in civil war from 1917 to 1921 against his opponents of the revolution
• Using war communism to ensure that there was no drift from his close followers or
those he perceived should support the Leninism proletariats and peasants

, • Making concessions in form of the New Economic Policy (NEP) after the civil war
seemed to be won
Totalitarianism
After Lenin’s death in 1924 a power struggle ensued. Stalin skilfully manipulated various
individuals to gain support for his leadership of the Soviet Union. From 1928 onwards Stalin
refined Marxism/Leninism and moved Russia towards Totalitarianism. There were three
main strands to Stalin’s Ideology:

• The implementation of a command economy
• A personalised superstructure to maintain control




Stalin and Totalitarianism-
Reasons why Stalin moved from Leninism to a dictatorship:

• He exploited circumstances to implement a practical solution to Russia’s problems
• Stalin did whatever he needed to gain and maintain power to fuel his desire to be
important
• Stalin believed Lenin was going to move to Totalitarianism

Destalinisation-
After Stalin's death in 1953 there was a power struggle, where Khrushchev was placed in
power because of. In 1956 he formulated a plan of moving away from Stalinism. In a speech
made in 1956 he denounced that:

• It was not Lenin’s choice for Stalin to follow his power
• Stalin was not prepared for WW2
• Stalin had committed crimes against the Russian People
• Outliner allies had been alienated by Stalin

Khruschev and his supporters then proceeded with De-Stalinisation by:

• Releasing political prisoners
• Relaxing censorship

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