(A)AUTOCRACY AND THE ROLE OF THE TSAR



(A)AUTOCRACY AND THE ROLE OF THE TSAR

For this section you must be familiar with the terms of autocracy (- one ruler- appointed by God- answers to no-one.- )and know a bit about the last 3 Tsars:

• Alexander II – also known as the Tsar Liberator- was responsible for the Emancipation of the Serfs( later became known as the peasants) he tried to improve things for the Russian people- it wasn’t enough and he was assassinated by the Socialist Revolutionaries in 1881.

• Alexander III – took over from his father in 1881 and he increased his hard line policies and did not believe in improving things.

• Nicholas II (the tsar you really need to know about) took over from his father in 1889- he was a weak Tsar- didn’t want the job- more of a family man. His wife Alexandra was a German princess- she was a much stronger person. Nicholas listened too much to his advisors and didn’t believe in changing things or improving things for the Russian people. He continued his father’s hard line policies.

B WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO LIVE IN RUSSIA IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY/EARLY 20TH CENTURY?

For this section, you need to know a little about what it was like for the various social groups living in Russia. (The Peasants / the Proletariat and the National Minorities, The privileged classes)

You should remember the following facts which applied to everybody:

• Russia was a massive country and it was very difficult for ideas to spread or for people to challenge the Tsar- there was no real transport, communication systems, infrastructure etc. The majority of people were peasants who lived in the countryside-

• There was no freedom of speech

• There was no fair legal system- no trial by Jury etc

• Imprisonment without trial was common

• Exiles to Siberia, hangings and floggings were commonplace.

THE PEASANTS

• This was the largest social group (85% of the population) who lived in dire poverty in the vast Russian countryside.

• They were deliberately kept poor and uneducated by the Tsar in order to keep them under control

• They were controlled by the MIR- (the village commune) and they restricted their freedom.

• They were not allowed to move about- a strict passport system was in place

• They were heavily influenced by the Russian Orthodox Church- who hailed the Tsar and preached devotion to him.

• The large majority of the peasants respected the Tsar and saw him as their “little father”

• They were also controlled by the landlords – who owned the majority of the land and their freedom was restricted by Land Captains.

• LAND HUNGER was a serious problem – many peasants were starving because there wasn’t enough land to feed the ever increasing population.

• They were deliberately kept in poverty through the following:

o 49 YEAR MORTGAGES

o HEAVY TAXATION- poll tax and taxed on sugar, vodka etc- 7 times more than upper classes.

o SYTSEM OF COMMUNAL STRIP FARMING- they had to rotate the land amongst themselves so they could never really make a profit from what they did.

o POOR EDUCATION - controlled by the Orthodox church- kept them illiterate and restricted access to further education.

All of this was necessary for autocracy to survive; The Tsar and his ministers managed to keep the peasants in a state of backwardness and prevent challenges from reaching him.

THE PROLETARIAT

These were the new poor working classes who emerged from Russia’s rapid industrialisation from 1890 onwards. They lived in the few towns and cities and also endured hard, repressive conditions under the Tsar.

• By 1905, rapid industrialisation had created 2 ½ million industrial workers.

• Living conditions for the proletariat were horrendous. They lived in cramped , overcrowded barracks with no ventilation and shared beds.

• They were poorly paid and often had to send most of their wages home to their peasant families..

• They were subjected to harsh factory discipline- the imposition of fines and corporal punishment was all used to keep the workers in line.

• Accidents were common and the working day was painfully long. It was not until 1897 that a maximum working day of 11 ½ hours was established.

• Trade Unions were illegal as were the strikes which rapidly became a feature of Russian industrial life.

• In an attempt to divert genuine complaints of workers (wages,conditions etc) away from the hands of revolutionaries, the government established their own Zubatov unions.

• The Okhrana infiltrated factories to seek out any revolutionary activity.

• The government often called on the army to deal with the strikers- this often led to bloodshed.

All of these conditions plus the effect of living in large scale enterprises meant that the proletariat developed a strong class consciousness- something that had never featured in Russia society before. The effects of industrialisation were therefore vitally significant and posed as a new and serious threat to Tsarism.

THE NATIONAL MINORITIES

• Russia was a multi- ethnic empire- only ½ were great Russian Slavs. Within the empire there were also millions of Catholics, Jews , Muslims, Poles, Buddhists, Lutherans etc.

• These national minorities were treated appallingly by the Tsar. They were subjected to the process of russification ( the imposing of Russian culture , language and religion)

• Russia was also extremely anti- semitic- and Jews were therefore subjected to horrendous treatment. Pogroms (organised campaigns of violence and murder) against the Jews were actively encouraged by the Tsar and his government.

THE PRIVILIGED CLASSES

(1)THE BOURGEOISIE

• The majority of this social group was also created by the industrial revolution. These were the middle classes- the factory owners, entrepreneurs and professional classes- lawyers , doctors, civil servants etc.

• They lived in the cities alongside the proletariat- in fancy houses and enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle. This made the proletariat even more angry as they saw how other people lived.

• In general, the majority of this class were not looking for revolution as they gained a lot from autocracy. However, they did want to have some say in running the country and wanted to see reform and change introduced so that there could be more freedom of speech and a parliament ( or duma).

(2)THE INTELLIGENTSIA

This group of people were not as wealthy as the rest of the middle classes and tended to be people of education such as writers and lawyers- they were looking fro reform and brought new ideas to Russia.

(3)THE UPPER CLASSES /NOBILITY/ LANDED GENTRY ( all means the same things)

This social group undoubtedly benefited the most from autocracy. They accounted for about 1% of the population, yet they owned 25% of all the land. The Tsar was the head of the nobility. The nobility were loyal as they wanted to maintain their position.

C- WHO HELPED THE TSAR TO KEEP CONTROL?

The Tsar managed to implement his extreme hard- line and repressive policies with the help of various groups within Russia which were all used to bully and intimidate the population into submission. He surrounded himself with people who had power over the masses and could eradicate all threat to his power.

Each of the powerful groups all gained from his leadership- there was little likelihood of betrayal.

(i) MINISTERIAL COUNCIL –

The Tsar had the right to nominate 10 members of his Ministerial Council to help him run the country. The Tsar employed foolish, obedient men who were loyal and would offer no challenge to him

(ii) ORTHODOX CHURCH

• The orthodox church was extremely important in keeping the peasants in line.

• It hailed the Tsar as God’s representative on earth who must be obeyed and followed.

• The church was also responsible for the poor education system which deliberately kept the population in ignorance and illiterate.

• It was openly hostile towards members of other churches or racial groups.

• It played a leading part in the ‘russification’ campaigns waged by the government- especially against Poles and Jews.

(iii) THE ARMY-

Restored order and crushed opposition. The Cossacks were the most feared group of soldiers. The majority of the army officials came from nobility and was loyal as they wanted to maintain their position.

(iv) THE OKHRANA-

The Okhrana (Secret Police) had an extremely important role to play in the oppression of the Russian people. They made it extremely difficult for opposition movements to make an effective challenge to the Tsarist state before 1905.

• The Okhrana instilled fear in people, which prevented rebellion and dissent.

• They operated as undercover agents within revolutionary societies.

• Anyone could arouse the curiosity of the Police Director and his undercover agents. Members of the Cabinet and even the Tsar’s mother were under police suspicion and had their mail intercepted.

• Judges had neither independence from the government, nor respect from the people. Trials were held without juries.

• Lords and police could enforce arbitrary punishment.

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