Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Evaluate the role of autocracy in the decline and fall of the Romanovs. -…
Evaluate the role of autocracy in the decline and fall of the Romanovs.
Tsarism could not have survived because of its underlying weaknesses in the structure of the tsarist regime - its administration, bureaucracy and political institutions
Impact of the war
Russian society was on the eve of war so deeply divided and the political and bureaucratic structure so fragile and overstained that it was completely vulnerable to collapse, even without the war
Regime would have collapsed sooner or later, war or no war.
the outbreak of the war merely delayed the onset of revolution
Modernisation
If Russia had of modernised, there would have been little chance of autocracy surviving the process
Although some of the government eg. Witte, Stolypin, saw the need for reform, the Tsar was hostile to the political demands and social transformations that reforms entailed and obstinately stuck to an outdated vision of autocracy
Autocratic regime could not cope with problems resulting from industrialisation and modernisation
Roots of revolution found in conflict with society modernising and becoming more educated, more urban and more complex and this was incompatible with autocracy
Futile to try to reform a archaic regime that was bound to fail
Structure of Tsarist state
Russia was an autocracy and the tsar was an absolute ruler
tsars were considered to have been appointed by God to leave their people which is how their maintained their power
Conservative, traditional, religious form of government
had an imperial court made up of nobles, to advise him, and a cabinet of ministers but they were responsible to him alone not a parliament which meant that the tsar made all final decisions
corruption and bribery was common umong the officials who ran his empire- this undermined respect for authority
bureaucracy was impenetrable for ordinary citizens who rarely found that their interests were served properly
1905 revolution reflected discontent with the anachronistic system of autocracy (groups from both Left and Right wanted an end to the autocracy).
Opposition to political and change
lack of a mechanism to ventilate grievances or protest, or even discuss problems and desire for change openly meant those wanting change went underground-only way to change
growing professional middle class that wanted a greater role in government and wanted an alternative to autocracy
no move towards constitutional government
Repression
opposition was not tolerated - Tsar regime was oppressive and intolerant
political parties were not allowed
public gatherings of more than twelve people required police permission
government made use of an extensive secret police network, the
Okhrana
to root out dissidents and people likely to cause trouble
people who were deemed dangerous to the regime were put in prison or excited to Siberia
Degree of March 1882: declared that police could subject any citizen to surveillance
the army
crucial to the survival of the tsarist regime
Cossacks
were the section of the army that were Loyal supporters of tsar
they were feared because they were brutal and ruthless