What was Russia like at the beginning of the 20th century? It is important for students to be aware of the socio-political and economic structures that were in place at the time. From this point, they can then make judgements as to the extent and scale of changes in many areas. By addressing the nature of Russian geography and society at the outset, preconceived ideas, misconceptions and perhaps prior knowledge can be addressed or utilised.
Russia on the A Level or GCSE course is not just Russia!
A very simple point that is often not understood by students. As so many books and documentaries simply refer to Russia, students often think solely in terms of European Russia. This leads to a lack of awareness of the bigger picture and failure fully grasp the political geography, the economics or the social differences and changes covered in the course.
Questions about the Russian Empire.
- Which modern-day countries can be found within the borders of the Russian Empire c1900?
- How well established was Russian rule over her empire?
- What types terrain / geographical landscapes are found inside the borders of the Russian Empire?
- Put simply, this is a huge empire. What problems having so large an empire cause a government?
- What are the potential benefits to the Russian people/state of having so large an empire?
The political and physical geography of the Russian Empire is hugely important for students to grasp. It plays a huge role in the economic issues that undermined Tsarism, impacts on the manner in which Bolshevism is imposed on the USSR and is a major factor in the Great Patriotic War. Students need an awareness of the diversity within the Empire.
- From the arctic tundra of the north with rich deposits of minerals through the Steppe into rich agricultural lands.
- The location and significance of the Ural Mountains, Southern Oil fields and fertile farming lands.
- Russia’s natural harbours and the challenges that their locations present.
- Plus the simple fact that Russia is not just one nation but rather it is many cultures that been brought under Russian or Soviet rule.
Ethnic Groups within the Russian Empire
As noted above it is important that students understand the diversity of the Russian Empire. Not only is the physical geography of importance but so too is the cultural diversity. The map above illustrates the major ethnic groups within the empire c1900.
Questions about the diversity within the Russian Empire.
- What problems does the ethnic diversity of the Empire present to the Government?
- In a world before online translations, how easy would for policies, laws and important announcements to be quickly disseminated and understood across the whole empire?
- What attitude would students expect the senior Russian nobility to have towards the none ethnically Russian elements of the empire? How might this affect policies? What might the localised or regional responses those policies be?
In essence, these questions are asking students to consider how and why policies of Russification were implemented, along with ascertaining the possible consequences of these policies. If students can establish the basics themselves, will grasp the complexities of such policies and the political ramifications of them much more readily.
Russification
As the empire had grown it was accompanied with attempts to Russify culture. Languages and practices were often subverted. This was designed to reinforce Russian control, tie the population to the Tsar and to enable systems to replicated over the full, diverse range of the Russian Imperial system. Similar policies have been used by numerous Imperial powers over the years: Romans did it, the British Empire also did it.
Natural Resources within the Russian Empire.
The sheer size of the Russian Empire meant that she had access to a wide range of natural resources. In addition to those shown on this map, there are numerous types of timber that could be forested within the Empire and huge that were suitable for specific types of agriculture.
Questions about Russia’s natural resources.
- Most of the Manufacturing base and population of the Russian Empire in 1900 was the west of the Ural mountains, in Europe. What problems will Russian industries face in acquiring the raw material they need?
- Roughly speaking, what proportion of Russian mineral deposits were in the Arctic circle? Why is this a problem? How can these problems be overcome?
- The rich mineral deposits within the Russian Empire present an opportunity to profit through exports. Why would this prove to be difficult for the Tsarist regime?
Transportation: Russian Railways to 1917.
Key the success of the Russian Empire’s economy is its ability to transport raw materials and food quickly and efficiently. Historically this had utilised River and systems which had been modified during the reign of Peter the Great. As Russia entered the Industrial Age, she began to invest in railways. The table below shows how many miles of track that were functioning within the empire at given dates. Note, the Trans Siberian railway accounts for 5771 miles of track.
| Year | Miles of track |
|---|---|
| 1838 | 16 |
| 1855 | 570 |
| 1880 | 14,208 |
| 1890 | 19,011 |
| 1905 | 31,623 |
| 1917 | 50,403 |
Questions
- The Russian Empire prior to the First World War was 8.8 million square miles in size. Had the system adequately covered Russia by 1917?
- Look carefully at the map of Russian railways. Which parts of the empire were not catered for by the outbreak of war? Why is this significant?
- Most Russian railways and navigable rivers ran either on a north-south basis or ran east from the main centres of population. Only two major railway lines linked with Western Europe (both via Warsaw). What are the economic and military consequences of this?
For comparison, Great Britain had 22000 miles of railway track in 1914. Germany had a system that had stations in every town and by 1914 there were branch lines to sources of raw materials. Indeed the German White Book, containing the Schlieffen Plan, was centred around the rapid deployment of troops via the railway network.
Context: Russia before 1914
This sequence of questions is designed to have students thinking about what the circumstances were at the time. They use this to better understand the complexities of Russian and Soviet economic, political and ideological theories, policies and practices. The following lesson introduces the political structures of Tsarist Russia utilising contemporary sources along with a selection of interpretations.
Modern Comparisons
Russia today continues to have a wealth of natural resources. Minerals, oil and gases are extracted from sources across the country, including well within the arctic circle. Much of Western Europes energy supply is based on imports from Russia, making use of pipelines to bring these raw materials far beyond the Russian border. Russian Empire was replaced by the Soviet Union which in turn became the Commonwealth of Independent States. Now the former Russian Empire/ USSR is a large number of, independent states. Russia retains a lot of influence over many of these areas and there remain disputes over some territories.