To what extent did the rise of revolutionary groups in the late nineteenth century impact the decline and fall of the Romanovs? Evaluate the key grievances of groups within Russia and their role in the decline and fall of the Romanovs.
Russian intelligentsia: writers, artists, philosophers, political activists, the well-educated people of Russian society eg. Stalin, Lenin
Argued that tsarist regime was oppressive and that ordinary Russians lacked the basic freedoms present in Western European countries
Revolutionaries - Populism (left): some believed that the only way to bring about change in Russia was to overthrow the tsarist regime by revolution
Establishment: Later part of the 19th century
Supporters: Populists sought the support from ordinary people
Main beliefs: believed that peasants in Russia could develop their own form of socialism
Life would be based around cooperation and sharing in peasant communes, avoiding the evils of industrialisation and avoid capitalism
Methods: Speak their socialist ideals to the pleasantly by peaceful propaganda, however this proved to be largely ineffective and peasants overwhelmingly rejected these ideas
The Liberals: (right)
Liberal movement had grown significantly after the local government reforms of Alexander II in 1864, which had led to the establishment of town and district councils called zemstva
Created a class of people who became skilled in local politics and gave them greater autonomy to run their own arrears
Supporters: Support came from middle class intelligentsia eg. lawyers, doctores, teachers, engineer, professors
Establishment: In 1903, the Union of Liberation was formed demanding economic and political reform
Liberals were the major opposition to tsarism up to the 1917 revolution
Main beliefs: ’Westernizers” wanting reforms based on British model of parliamentary government
wanted an end to the autocracy and to see the extension of freedom and right
Methods: Argued that reform rather than violent action was the way to change the tsarist system and limit the tsar’s powers
Revolutionaries - The People’s Will (left):
Establishment: 1879 - some Populists formed The People’s Will
Directly gave birth to the Socialist Revolutionary Party
Methods: turned to terrorism to target the tsarist regime
goal to assassinate the Tsar (succeeded in killing Alexander II in 1881)
Revolutionaries: The Marxists
Russian intellectual turned to the latest theories of the German philosopher Karl Marx
The scientific nature of Marxism appealed to them
Methods: Marxist groups believed in action and began organising strikes in factories
Supporters: Working class weer integral to the revolution
Socialist Revolutionaries
Establishment: Formed in 1901
Split between moderates and radicals (supported terrorism) that persisted into 1917 revolution
Main beliefs: wanted peasant revolution to create socialism based around peasant communes
Land would be taken from landlords and divided up amongst the peasants
accepted the development of capitalism but argued that is expansion would prompt the growth of the proletariat who would rise against their masters
Methods: agitation and terrorism eg. assasination of government officials
Support: Peasants - saw the party as representing them
Influenced by Karl Marx
Peasants resented their attempts to radicalise them - so aims of the group were not achieved
Social Democrats (left)
Establishment: formed 1898 in Minsk-All-Russian Social Democratic Workers’ Party
Main beliefs: wanted urban working classes to stage revolution to create a socialist state, then Communism
Others wanted the focus to be on revolutionary tactics and the preparation of the working class for revolution
1903 - party split into 2 factions: Bolsheviks ( Operate under central leadership) and Menshevik (democratic)
Both factions very influenced by the ideas of marxism but we split over the role of the party
Different to popular socialists as they are targeting the workers
October Manifesto met their demands
Political opposition
the intelligentsia-alienated by Tsarist repression, conservatism and censorship
reflected discontent with the outdated system of autocracy (groups from both Left and Right wanted an end to the autocracy)
inefficiency of autocracy in managing demands for economic change and progress, and running a modern state (eg famines, the backwardness of the Army)
corruption and inefficiency of the civil service
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
. The response of the Tsars to protest- “Repression and Reform” cycle did not pacify the groups pushing for change nor did it crush them, so they continued to grow
Marxism found fertile ground as conditions were appalling and the working class grew due to progress with industrialisation
Activity by opposition groups increased dramatically in the last four months of 1904 and austocracy began to look fragile
Disillusionment and anger at the inadequacies of the tsarist regime, led to demonstrations against the government in Moscow.
repression created more resentment and determination to work against the Tsarist system
Theory that saw society as being characterised by class struggle, with the ruling class owned the means of production and exploited and oppressed the working class
Saw change being brought about by the revolution of the working class
The Tsar’s alienation of the intelligentsia makes them grow in their influence and further motivates them to fight against system of autocracy
During 1905, 3600 government officials were killed or wounded - produce fear in the midst of officials
Played an important part in destabilising the tsarist regime