Russia, 1861-1905

1. List the general goals of the:

a. socialists

-wanted to create a classless society where there would be no more exploitation and suffering of the peasants and workers
-to dismantle the capitalists economic system, taking land from the owners and giving it to the state

b. liberal reformers

-based off of Enlightenment
-wanted to rid the problems of Russia and corredct the injustices of the past by using the western constitutional practices

2. List three characteristics of serfs' lives.

-were extremely poor because they lived in a harsh climate, had a short growing season, and had high demands from most landlords
-lasted on average only thirty-five years of age
-shared their housing with chickens and other farm animals
-lived in remote villages that lacked education or communication with the rest of the world

3. List four reforms of Tsar Alexander II.

-abolition of serfdom
-Jury trials and relaxed censorship laws
-loval elected assemblies known as zemstvos, they would adress road maintenance, irrigation, education, and taxation
-try to industrialize Russia with state run industries and expansion of the railroad system

4. Why did the populists go "to the people" in 1873-1874?

The populists went "to the people" in 1873-1874 because they believed that that they could easily persuade the uneducated peasants to join their revolutionary cause and they wanted to build a strong connection wiht the peasants. The peasants made up most of the Russian population and with their support the populists could probably win the revolution.

5. List two consequences of the famine of 1891.

-peasants were very bitter because they were starving and discontented
-because the government tried to hide the famine then finally asked for voluntary aid organizations there became a political and social awakening among educated Russians

6. Why was Karl Marx important to Russian intellectuals?

Karl Marx was important to Russian intellectuals because it explained the social world systematically, offered an explanation for the causes of the famine, and could help Russia become more like Europe. He explained the world systematically by telling in his books that the rest of the world was industrializing, which was making some countries stronger. Also, they were convinced that in the end of all the steps involved in Marxism there would be a classless society and peace. Marxism also just came at the right time, right after the famine, and it coincided with the causes of the famine. Lastly, because Europe was so industrialized and successful, and Marxism promoted industrialization the intellectuals thought that they could be more like Europe if they followed Marxism.

7. What were the Goals and Methods of the following political groups in early twentieth century Russia? (see page 8 of the reading)

a. Liberal Democrats-The goals of the Liberal Democrats were to to evolve into a more Western European system of government. Their moral beliefes were individual liberty and the role of the state protecting the rights of its citizens. They did this by just appealing to the middle class, there were no drastic measures, and support came mostly from the middle class.

b. Socialist Revolutionaries-Socialist Revolutionaries were the most radical because they were like the populist part and used terrorist tactics to gain support and control. Their goals were to socialize all land and transfer it to the communes and replace the monarchy with a democratic republic.

c. Social Democrats-The Social Democrats thought that if Russia was industrialized and became more capitalistic it'd be a perfect country. They focues more on the working class instead of the peasants. The Social Democratic party split into two parties, the bolsheviks and mensheviks. The Bolsheviks were led by Lenin, who wanted to lead the workers into revolution because he believed that that was the only way to have a successful revolution. The mensheviks believed that it had to take time for revolution to occurr and that the west had to have a revolution first because they were the most industrialized.

8. How did Bloody Sunday change people's attitudes toward the Tsar?

Bloody Sunday changed people's attitudes toward the Tsar because when citizens went to bring petitions to the Tsar the secret police and troops fired on the people killing many, and the Tsar did nothing to stop it. Therefore, there were more rallies and more people were shot at, and the Tsar still did nothing. Since the Tsar did nothing to stop the shooting and never accepted or looked at the petitions that were originally made the people lost all belief in him, and believed that the Tsar was not chosen by God and there needed to be a new way of government a revolution.

9. List four reforms in Tsar Nicholas's October Manifesto.

Four refomrs in the October Manifesto include an expansion of civil liberties, a limited monarchy, a legislature elected by universal suffrage, and legalization of trade unions and political parties; which Tsar Nicholas hurridly signed because of all the riots.