tsarist russia

• why was russia so hard to rule

  • land
  • climate
  • communications
  • people
  • russification
• what is russification


  people of russia (from any nationality) were forced to speak russian, wear russian clothes and follow russian customs. russian was spoken in schools and in courts.
• what were the peasants

  • made up 80% of the population
  • farming was very backward
  • shortage of good land
  • lots of hunger + disease
• what were the town workers

  • industry was growing - needed funds from peasants
  • slum housing
  • long hour days, low wages
  • no trade unions
  • alcoholism, hunger, disease
• how was russia ruled

  by tsar nicholas - an autocrat. he believed he had been chosen by god. thousands of civil servants (but lots of corruption and bribery). newspapers and books censored. okhrana was secret police. cossacks were the strong army
• was the tsar fit to rule russia

  • was a very family orientated person
  • used violence to shut things down
  • knew very little about his people
  • avoided making big decisions + refused to delegate
  • appointed incompetent family members to important positions
• who opposed the tsar?

  socialist revolutionaries : aimed to get rid of tsar, give all land to peasants, used violent acts

  social democrats: aimed to get rid of tsar and create a socialist state, split into mensheviks + bolsheviks

  liberals : wanted democracy and civil rights, used speeches and meetings
• what was the russo-japanese war ?

  tsar wanted people to stop criticising the gov, and thought an easy victory would help. prices rose in cities, shortages of food, lack of industrial goods, unemployment. plus the japanese were winning, and in 1905 when port arthur was lost, people protested about his incompetence
• bloody sunday


  1905, father gapon organised a march to bring a petition to the tsar. 200,000 people on 22 jan marched towards the winter palace. they were met with soldiers. hundreds to thousands killed.
• overall causes of 1905 revolution

  • economic and social issues
  • political repression
  • squeeze on agriculture at a bad harvest
  • russo japanse war
  • bloody sunday
• what happened during 1905 revolution?

  • 400,000 people on strike
  • sailors on potemkin mutinied in june
  • everyone demanding civil rights
  • riots and landowners houses burnt
  • war ended and tsar promised to pay back soldiers
  • in october, st petersburg soviet was formed
• how did tsar survive 1905 revolution

  • published the october manifesto (duma, civil rights, no censorship)
  • used force to stop any riots
  • his opposition was very divided
• did life get better after 1905?

  • stolypin set up his 'necktie' and 1000s were executed
  • okhrana still in action + censorship still a thing
  • first 2 dumas were dissolved for being too radical, but 3rd and 4th were better
  • stolypin set up his land bank for peasants to buy land
  • was an industrial boom
• who was rasputin


  seemed to 'heal people' but was very controversial. he healed tsar's son of haemophilia. was seen to be dirty, and sex crazy. bad reputation for tsar.
• steps to 1917 revolution from 1914

  • ww1 had negatively effected the soldiers
  • food shortages at home
  • factories closed due to industrial materials being sent to the war
  • prices rising at home
  • unemployment
• what happened when nicholas went to front lines

  • 1915, nicholas decided to take over the war - could now solely be blamed for failures
  • left tsarina in charge (seen as german spy) + was also v close with rasputin
  • tsarina wouldn't work with dumas, replaced ministers with friends of rasputin
  • railways fell into chaos and food and coal would be left rotting on the sides
• the revolution begins...

  • people began to lose support in tsar
  • many riots for higher wages + international womans day
  • tsar ordered to take down with force, but army refused
  • tsar is forced to abdicate on a train on his way back to petrograd