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Summary Introduction: Russia up to 1917

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PEARSON (PEARSON)

Introduction to Russia Pre 1917. Useful context for the later study post 1917 for the course. Insight into the economy, the government, society, opposition, the army, February Revolution etc

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Uploaded on January 9, 2024
Number of pages 2
Written in 2022/2023
Type Summary

introduction
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Introduction: Russia up to 1917

1. The Geography of the Russian Empire:

-11 time zones and over 100 minority languages spoken

- covered modern day Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Finland, the caucus regions, parts of Poland and
Turkey and the Baltic Republics

- Land made up of Steppes, ¾ is Siberia which is mainly taigas and incredibly cold weather. Europe and Asia
divided by Ural Mountains

- geography and different ethnicities and languages makes difficult to govern.

2. Society:

-Population of approx. 130 million people of Multiple Nationalities and Ethnicities.

-Had an Autocratic Ruler (the Tsar), with complete control. No/Limited Democracy. Censorship.

-80% were Peasants, 15% Urban Workers, 4% Middle Class, 1% Aristocracy/Church

-Many Peasants/Workers in debt and very poor. Suffered from Rising Taxes. Very wealthy Aristocracy.

-Little land reform and redistribution.

-Rise of Revolutionary Ideas. Riots in cities.

3. Economy:

- 4 of every 5 citizens were peasants in 1900
- They try to work near their homes to improve their lives.
- As the population grew, plots of land grew smaller and smaller.
- Between 1861 and 1900 the size of plots halved.
- Nobles where 1 percent of the Russian population and owned about n25 percent of the land
- Average workday of 1 and a half hours.
- In 1900 another class of Russians started to become rich. They were the capitalists. Banking industry and
trade.
- Easy profits for capitalists made worse lives for workers.

4. Government:

- Autocracy led by Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra his wife (monarchy without a share of power)
- He could make new laws, increase taxes, sack ministers
- Civil servants to control the vast population (government ministers-minor officials)
- Used the “Okhrana” or Secret Police to suppress any opposition (censoring, spying, arresting
- Used military soldiers “Cossacks” to handle violent opposition (uprisings, riots)
- His wife Alexandra was confident and self-willed encouraged him to rule as an autocrat
- The “Duma” (Parliament) didn’t have much power/wasn’t efficient as it was advisory (Tsar could dismiss it,
couldn’t reach agreements)

5. Religion:

- The Church massively influenced the Russian population
- This Church had some success in establishing itself as the dominant religion in Russia.
- The tsar had given the Church many privileges, and when the Bolsheviks took power in 1917, they separated
the Church and State, with the government taking over Church-owned lands.
- The Church supported the White Army in the Russian Civil War
- The Soviet government was atheist, so the Church had no place in society under Lenin.

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