L5 how stable was the tsarist regime in 1914

How stable was the Tsarist regime by 1914?

An in-depth look at the Russo Japanese War, 1905 Revolution, the October

Manifesto and Petyr Stolypin

So far… So Russia1. Russia – an introduction2. The Crimean War3. Alexander II – Reform4. Opponents of Alex II and Alex III5. Alexander III & Industrialisation6. Russo-Japanese war 19057. Revolution of 19058. Nicholas II, Stolypin and Russia on the eve of war9. World War 110. Revolutions of 191711. The Russian Civil War / Lenin12. Rise of Stalin13. Five Year Plans, Collectivisation and the Great Terror14. World War Two15. Last Years of Stalin

QuestionTo what extent did war provide a catalyst for change in Russia between 1853-1953?

Russo-Japanese War• Why did Russia go to war with Japan in

1905?• What impact did the loss of the war have on

the government?

Reasons for war with Japan

• Expansion in the East would compensate for declining influence in Europe

• Japan seen as an easy target• Long-standing territorial disputes in region• Ice-free port• Distraction from Russia’s domestic problems: ‘We

need a small, victorious war to avert a revolution’ (Interior Minister, Viacheslav Plehve)

• Economic: need to expand Russia’s markets into Far East

• Japanese attack on Port Arthur

Impact of war

• Russian military exposed as poorly prepared: Japanese army & navy better prepared than expected; Japanese secured strategic positions, e.g. Port Arthur

• Russian navy suffered embarrassing defeat: destroyed by Japanese navy at Tsushima, May, 1905

• Army was overstretched: Trans-Siberian railway proved of little value

• Failure in foreign policy provoked domestic unrest

Revolution of 1905 - Causes• Russian peasants had their horizons broadened

by military life, increased levels of literacy, the expanding rail network and some education.

• Workers were calling for rights and were represented by SR’s and SD’s in local government.

• Economic changes under Sergei Witte were taking place causing Russia to slowly industrialise.

• Growing pressure on land due to growing rural population.

• Defeat in Russo-Japanese War highlighted weakness of the state.

Events in brief

• Father Gapon led a peaceful protest. He went to the Tsar to ask for civil freedoms and political participation.

• He also wanted increased worker representation, a constituent assembly and the rule of law.

• Not a traditional revolution/coup – protestors were loyal to the Tsar.• Bloody Sunday – Sunday 9 January Tsarist troops fired on the protestors

outside the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. 200 killed, 800 wounded.• Belief amongst the Tsars advisers that workers strikes, army mutinies and

the creation of workers soviets had threatened the regime. • Various social and ethnic groups were angry at massacre. • The prestige of the royal family and the mystique of the Tsar as ‘The Father

of the Nation’ was smashed and gone forever.• Unrest spread amongst workers and peasants – the Tsar’s uncle, Grand

Duke Sergei was assassinated.• The Socialist parties helped to organise protests and give political

direction. Peasants called for a transfer of all ‘non-peasant land.’

• Overall – a completion of the 1860s reforms was desired. Workers had specific demands to pay, hours, conditions and political reforms.

• Peasants acted in collectives, seizing land from land-owners. • Workers called Soviets together, agreeing on policy as a

whole. The largest Soviet in St Petersburg put great pressure on Tsar to make concessions. Soviets were however, large and chaotic compared to peasant village assemblies.

• The Battleship Potemkin mutiny was against poor service conditions but had no real political aims. Caused further alarm to the regime.

• There were also some ethnic groups against the process of Russification.

• Revolution was not a conventional revolution - not co-ordinated by a specific group.

• Nicholas II, the autocrat, opposed to reforms but more groups emerged continued to emerge seeking change.

Task

• Use the PowerPoint notes to organise a list of grievances amongst the Russian people.

• Categorise them into groups and attach grievances to each.

17 October 1905. Russians celebrating the granting of the October Manifesto by Nicholas II, which led to

the granting of the 1906 Constitution.

Read Oxley p. 62Source 19

1. How well do you think the October Manifesto will appease opposition groups?

2. Does the October Manifesto show Tsar Nicholas II to be an autocrat?

Read p. 62Source 20

What is Trotsky’s attitude to the

Manifesto?

• Tsar survived by mixing repression and reform. He survived by releasing October Manifesto.

• The October Manifesto promised reform and split opposition into two camps - moderate liberals seeking constitutional reform and die-hard revolutionaries who wanted radical change.

• Tsar Nicholas II consented to a State Duma which gave vote to most adult males. Not a law-making parliament in the western sense, Tsar could dismiss it at will and ministers were not accountable to it. Only a weak constitutional check.

• The Tsar issued the Fundamental Laws (23 April 1906) before the State Duma met. P. 66

October Manifesto

Read p. 66Source 4

What does this source tell us about Nicholas II’s attitude to the reforms?

The State Duma – Constitutional monarchy or autocracy?

• Half the upper house was appointed by Tsar and half was the nobility. Lower house voted by majority of adult male population. This made it feel like autocracy to many.

• New political parties rose up around this time;• Kadets (for professional people) – not satisfied with concessions, United

Nobility – protect interests of aristocracy, Octobrists – wanted constitutional monarchy, SD’s – excluded or boycotted Duma. Other groups had little voice. Bolsheviks won some seats and organised workers groups.

• Turnout was high in elections of 1906• The new Duma wanted radical land reform, dissolved in three months by

Tsar. • Second Duma saw same results, conflict between it and the autocratic

regime. • Petyr Stolypin, the Prime Minister, persisted with Duma. He pushed for a

reduced franchise (people who could vote) with landowners and middle classes enjoying increased representation

State opening of 1st Duma, 1906. Do these images give

any clues over the powers of the Duma or its relationship

with the Tsar?

Petyr Stolypin, Prime Minister• Stolypin was the new Prime Minister. He wanted Duma

to be dominated by landed elite, Russians and urban elite and thus strengthen monarchy.

• Stolypin maintained loyalty of the army.• He aimed to give the peasantry full citizenship to inspire

loyalty and promote commercial farming in order to build up a prosperous peasant class.

• He wanted to release peasants from the constraints of the communes (mir and land captains) but many peasants were resistant to change. Crop yields were poor and rising population put pressure on land.

• Workers rights were also suppressed. Powers given to trade unions were decreased and wages/conditions forced back to pre-1905 levels.

• Stolypin murdered in 1911, suspicious circumstances. Laid the foundations for more repressive, reactionary regime.

• Lena Goldfields Massarce 1912 – miners killed for petitioning for improved conditions.

• Stolypin was repressive against the 1905 revolutionaries but restored order in the countryside.

Stolypin’s Reforms

Successes• ‘Wager on the strong’ – creation of new

prosperous class of peasants• Fostered good working relationship with

duma – last opportunity for peaceful reform under Tsars

Failures• Land reforms took time – Stolypin spoke of needing

20 years, but was killed after 5• Conservatism of Russian peasants – by 1914 only 10%

of land taken out of mirs• Ministry of Agriculture lost confidence in reforms

Eve of War• Despite Stolypin’s successes, Russia was still behind the

western powers in coal, iron and steel production on the eve of war.

• Nicholas II was an inherently weak individual – unable to distinguish between good and bad advice.

• Tsar was determined to uphold tradition of autocracy and privileges of landed nobility.

• Organised opposition still in infancy. Industrial unrest only in St Petersburg, public mood less volatile than 1905.

• By 1914 Lenin was marginalised and pessimistic about chances of revolution. In exile in mainland Europe.

• Tsar confident of military support.• Many Russians dissatisfied with the evident stresses and

strains in society but as yet no catalyst to force the issue.

Historiography

Soviet View• The post-1917 version of history is that the regime

lacked any basis for long-term survival in 1914.• Marxists believed Russia was slowly changing from

a feudal to a capitalist society• WW1 did create additional social and economic

pressures but not enough to account for the collapse of Tsarism.

• Bolsheviks were making good progress among the working classes even before the war.

Historiography

Anti-Soviet View• Tsarist regime had many factors in its favour

in 1914• Disastrous involvement in WW1.• Tsarism could have survived if it had adapted

to changing circumstances• Russia was making considerable social and

economic progress by 1914 – war shattered this progress.

Historiography

Middle-ground Views• There were some significant developments in Russia

pre-1914.• Difficult to assess how stable the regime was in 1914.• Was essentially the disastrous war experience that

brought down the Tsar in 1917.• Did not automatically dictate that Communists would

take over and establish first socialist state.• Before 1914 there was little evidence of the regime

being willing to adapt.