The beginning of the end - PowerPoint Presentation

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The beginning of the end

Russia 1861 to 1905

Russia lagged behind the rest of Europe

Not only politicallyIndustry and trade were largely underdevelopedIndustrial Revolution had barely begun in Russia

Serfs

In 1861, nearly 90 percent of the population were of subjugated peasants (serfs and state peasants).Farmed the land communally Worked the land of the nobles or statePaid rent to their landlords

Life of a serf

Average life expectancy – 35 years old

Remote villages that lacked schools or communication with the rest of the world

The interests of the collective family unit came before those of the individual

Grouped together in communes consisting of between four and eighty households

Tsars used the Russian Orthodox Church as a means of control

Tsar Alexander II (1855-81)

Came to power at a time when economic pressure and social unrest was growingDefeat in the Crimean War, coupled with an antiquated agricultural system and the worsening economic forced Russia to consider national reform

First step toward modernization -Elimination of the system of serfdom

Allotted land to peasant communities – it encouraged (eventually required) peasants to acquire land through forty-nine-year mortgagesPoverty increased rapidly among peasantsNobles not prepared to exchange life of comfort for a life working the land as farmers

Other reforms of Alexander II

Jury trials

Relaxed censorship laws

Created local elected assemblies (

zemstvos

)

State-run industries

Invited foreign and domestic entrepreneurs to build factories

Expansion of railroad system

“Populists” opposed industrialization

Capitalism destroyed rural peasant communities by breaking up the communes and forcing people into the cities.Believed only through revolution they would be able to attain real land and liberty “Go to the People” movementAssassination of Tsar Alexander II

Tsar Alexander III (1881-94)

Launch a harsh crackdown against political activityEnacted counter-reformsPolicy of RussificationRigid censorship Secret police redoubled its efforts against revolutionaries“Land captains”

1891 famine

Famine and disease struck 36 million peasants Government tried to hand crisisWith the economy dependent on foreign currency, government encouraged grain exportsHalf a million peasants perished from famine and disease

Ideas of Karl Marx held appeal

Sharp critic of capitalist economic system and the processes of industrializationExplained the social world systematicallyArgued through the efforts of the working class, a socialist, classless society would develop that would end exploitation and provide for all members of societyMarxism

Tsar Nicholas II (1894-1917)

Relied on the secret police and heavy-handed tactics to maintain orderReluctant reformer whose weakness led his advisors to jockey for power

Negative effects of industrialization

New working class lived in overcrowded and unsanitary housingWorked for more than 12 hours a dayLarge-scale strikesEconomic downturn in 1899 led to dissatisfaction among the small middle classUprising, strikes, and discontent reached a new level in 1903

Major Political Groups

The populist Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs) – more radical, slogan “Land and Liberty”The Marxist Social Democrats (SDs) –Vladimir Lenin believed that a successful revolution depended on working-class consciousness among workersSocial Democratic party split in 1903 in two: Mensheviks and Bolsheviks

Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)with Japan increased tension – Russia loses

Construction of Trans-Siberian railroad line brought Russia and Japan into conflict over Manchuria and Korea

Army fought with outdated weapons and was poorly

supplied –

As

casualties and expenses mounted, opposition increased criticism of government and calls for new constitution