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AUTHORITY AND CONTROL OF TSARIST RUSSIA (The Okhrana (What does it mean?,…
AUTHORITY AND CONTROL OF TSARIST RUSSIA
The Okhrana
What does it mean?
The okhrana were the secret police that work for the Tsar.They are similar to the gestapo in Nazi germany. They hunted down subversives who challenged the tsarist regime.
How was it used to control the Russian people?
They stood outside the law, had unlimited powers of arrest and were answerable only to the tsar. They rooted out dissidents and sent them to prison or exile in Siberia.
How effective was it?
The okhrana are believed to be resposoible for about 26 000 deaths. However, clearly they were not that effective as they failed to identify the dissidents and prevent them from carrying out the 1917 revolution
Russification
What does it mean?
In the 20th century the size and diversity of Russai made it difficult to govern so they employed a policy of Russification to keep the non-Russian national minorities in check. This restricted their influence and made them speak the Russian language, wear Russian-style clothes and adopt Russian customs. It was rigorously enforced
How was it used to control the Russian people?
Russian was spoken in schools, courts and regional governments. In Poland for instance, it was forbidden to tech children in Polish. Russian nationals typically got the important jobs in government and state-sponsored industry
How effective was it?
The national minorities saw this as a fundamental attack on their way of life and felt discriminated against. It created more problems as it encouraged the minorities to protest and lead uprisings seeking more autonomy
Russian Orthodox Church
What does it mean?
This was an independent branch of Christianity since the 15th century, therefore free from any outside confluence or authority such as the pope. This also meant they had developed their own tradition and customs seperate to the Roman empire.
How was it used to control the Russian people?
They were a very conservative body that were opposed to political change. They fully supported the tsar and his divine right to rule so encouraged believers to worship him and obey his commands as he was believed to be god's anointed
How effective was it?
The peasants at the time were deeply religious and the ROC was one of the pillars of the Russian system. The peasants were advised on all aspects of life from the church so to begin with were very respectful of the tsars and supported them as this is what they were told in church
Nature of Autocracy
What does it mean?
The Tsar was an autocrat, meaning absolute leader. People believed he was appointed by God to lead Russia. Opposition was not tolerated. The tsar controlled everything
How was it used to control the Russian people?
Political parties were banned before 1905 and newspaper, media and books were all censored. Opposing the regime was illegal and dangerous. Dissidents were hunted down and killed or exiled to siberia.
The cossacks were loyal to the tsar and feared amongst the people for their brutality and rutfulness. They crushed large-scale protests and marches with force.7
How effective was it?
The system was inefficient as all decisions had to be approves of by the Tsar. There was an attitude of corruption, in which bribery was commonplace. Tsarist Russia was an intolerant and oppressive regime.