Russian and Soviet History

Russia before the First World War

Opposition to Tsarist Rule

The impact of the First World War

1917: the fall of the Tsar

The Bolshevik Revolution

The role of Lenin

The role of Trotsky

Bolshevik rule 1918 - 1924

The Russian Civil War

The New Economic Policy

Lenin's legacy

The development of communist rule

The impact of Communism on the people

The failure of reform and the decline of the Communist state

The nature of Stalin's dictatorship

Changes in industry and agriculture under Stalin

The changing role of women in the USSR

De-Stalinisation

Khruschev's reforms

The Decline of the Soviet Union

The fall of the Communist state

The role of Gorbachev

Russia before the First World War: politics, society and the economy.

Active History hosts an excellent simulation that introduces Russia on the eve of Revolution. TOP ACTIVITY: A Virtual Tour around Tsarist Russia! A great way of familiarising students with the issues and personalities of Russia on the eve of World War One. Students can choose from a simpler game, and a more sophisticated one. There is also a worksheet to accompany the adventure, which is lavishly illustrated with GENUINE colour photographs! Click here or on the image to try out the simlation. Note: the simulation was written for AS Level students so some elements of it will be quite hard to understand. However, you should be able to identify key features of Russian Society, discover the names of some key individuals and get a few ideas about why people were becoming diilusioned with Tsrarist rule even before the outbreak of the First World War. TIP: If you are at a school that subscribes to activehistory.co.uk you can access some very helpful revision games on this topic. My students - ask for the username and password if you've forgotten / lost them.

Politics:

Features of Tsarist Government before the war

For an excellent summary of how strong the Tsarist regime was in the years leading upto the First World War, go to JohnDClare.net and read his excellent introduction to the period.

Chronology

• 1613 - the Romanov's become rulers (Tsar's) of Russia
• 1812 - Napoleon invades Russia and is defeated on the outskirts of Moscow
• 1861 - Tsar Alexander II emancipates (frees) the serfs (peasants) and introduces some reforms
• 1904 - Russia is humiliated in her war against Japan
• 1905 - Tsar Nicholas II forced to reform following failed Revolution
• 1914 - Russia entered the First World War
• 1916 - Rasputin is assassinated
• 1917 - Tsar Nicholas II abdicates in February and is replaced by a provisional government
• 1917 - Bolshevik Revolution
• 1918 - Romanov family executed by Bolsheviks

System of government

Local Government

This consisted of a combination of Zemstvos and Dumas.

A Zemstvo was a district council. It was established to maintain and provide roads, medicine and education within its area. The councils for urban areas (towns) are sometimes called municipal dumas. These local councils were elected by landowners, merchants and artisans. Power though, was held by an execuive controlled by the Governor of the region - who was appointed by the Tsar.

National Government

Following the 1905 Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to accept a State Duma. This was introduced alongside the October manifesto. This said that Russian people should have freedom of speech, assembly and association and that laws in Russia should be ratified (agreed) by the State Duma. However the Tsar wanted to retain power for himself, and before the first State Duma met, he introduced the Fundamental Laws which stated that the Tsar and his ministers had executive authority for matters relating to the law, the chruch and the Duma. He also insisted that he could dismiss the Duma and that decisions and laws made by the Duma had to be signed by himself in order to become law.

Consequences:

1. Limited democratisation introduced. The Duma provides a place for discussion and debate but holds no real decision making power.
2. The Tsar retains authority and can bypass the will of the Duma if he wants to.
3. Autocratic power retained by and for the Romanov Family.

Russian Society

Russia is HUGE. It contains hundreds of different ethnic groups who live in hugely different environments. The Russian Empire stretched from modern day Poland to the Pacific and from the arctic circle to Afghanistan. Russian society reflected these massive differences.

Key Points:

Russia's population in 1900 is estimated to have been approximately 110 million.

Of these:

• About 3 million were Industrial workers
• 1 million were members of the nobility or aristocracy
• Approximately half a milion were members of professional classes (Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers etc...).
• The vast majority of the rest of the population were peasants.

This is quite different to Western European states at the same time. In Western Europe Indstrialisation had led to a much higher proprotion of Industrial and Professional workers.