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