In January 1905, there was a revolutionary tide in Russia. This was mainly caused by the defeat of the Russo-Japanese War in September and the Bloody Sunday Incident in January. In the country, workers, peasants and merchants were holding demonstrations in order to express their discontent to the Tsarist government. Although Nicholas II issued the October Manifesto to pacify the discontent of people temporarily, he still had to face some problems after the 1905 Revolution. To regain the support from people, he needed to carry out the reforms in the October Manifesto.
All Russian governments in this period faced strong opposition to their regime with the period as a whole punctuated by riots, disturbances and revolutions. Political change was expected in Russia during this period, particularly during the Tsarist regime where the growth of the revolutionary intelligentsia, ironically an effect of the Great Reforms, led many to question the need for a Tsar or a royal family at all. The first main success of political opposition is widely considered to be the assassination of Alexander II at the hands of the People’s Will in 1881. Although they assassinated their Tsar, it is very likely this did not actually lead to their desired outcome, it being greater political freedom/democracy. Many historians have said Alexander II was considering the formation of a parliament in Russia.
Divisions of opposing groups of the Tsar were important to the survival of Tsarist rule in 1881-1905 as the political opponents of the Tsar were clearly divided in their aims and methods. However, other factors such as the church and the power the Tsar held over it; the conservative culture of the Russian people; lack of education especially amongst the peasants and workers; the retributions from opposing the Tsar and the Okhrana were also effective in keeping the Tsar in a state of power. The different political parties all had a similar aim for change and most of wanted to remove the Tsar from power. However they all had different approaches and different plans on how to run the Russia after the Tsars removal. Firstly, the opposition groups of the Tsar were known as the Populists, the Liberals and the Marxists.
How far were divisions among its opponents responsible for the survival of Tsarist rule in the years 1881-1905? (30 marks) Divisions in Russia between 1881-1905 were indeed very high, especially divisions within the parties such as the divide within the Socialist Revolutionaries (SR's), Social Democrats (SD's) and The Liberals. The SD's were divided into the Mensheviks - who were lead by Martov - and the Bolsheviks - who were lead by Lenin. The Liberals, who only reached divisions in 1905 after the October revolution, divided into the Kadets and Octobrists. The SR's were divided into two groups, the anarchists and revolutionaries.
There is a strong emphasis put on keeping those in the fold of the Church and going out and recruiting the heathens who do not come to Church. Instead Billings has so graciously broaden the prospective to show the Church that the people who are not coming should still be a part of the Church community and their needs are just as important as those inside the Church. The greatest opportunities for the Church are when the ‘outsiders’ decide they have a reason to come and use the Church as a resource. They may need the Church for a baptism, a wedding, or a funeral; these opportunities are great to show that the Church bears life and is there to support them. The present society appears to have an identity predicament with the Church, because there is a tremendous amount of self-help propaganda in this society; therefore they simply do not care about a commitment with the Church, but can read about how to be better people in the comfort and safety of their own homes.
To what extent was the lack of political representation the most significant cause of the 1905 revolution? There were a number of different causes that contributed to the start of the 1905 Russian revolution however some were more significant than others. One of the contributing factors was the lack of political representation due to the existence of an autocratic regime. Whilst this was an important factor, the most significant factors were the social and economical issues that caused unrest amongst the Russian population. The long-term policies of Russification imposed by the Tsar in the 1880s, caused a lot of political unrest within Russia and these contributed to the 1905 revolution.
Explain why Alexander II emancipated the Serfs (10 Marks) Tsar Alexander II was a conservative who believed it was his divine right to rule Russia. This autocratic rule was described as tyrannical by many who visited Russia, especially so when it came to how the Serfs were treated, who were eventually emancipated in 1861. Alexander II’s conservative rule created causes over time, which led to the emancipation of the Serfs. This therefore makes Alexander II’s conservatism a major cause of the emancipation. As well as this, the conservatism may have caused a ‘domino effect’ of sorts, which in turn, could have led to the foundations of all of the other causes that led up to emancipation.
These people were hoping the pope would say some words of wisdom and of consolation to the families who lost loved ones to daily counterrevolutions. Also, many people felt that the Pope would make some sympathetic remarks to those affected by teenagers who were killed in an accident and buried. One lady even asked for the Pope to offer a prayer for those who had recently died. Most importantly of all, however, was the public’s demand for a church on the side of the poor. The Pope also conducted many speeches during his time in Nicaragua and thus provided hope in the people’s belief in the Mass that he would provide peace.
To what extent had Russia’s problems been solved by the time of Lenin’s death in 1924 ? Since the start of the 20th century Russia had a vast range of problems, which had to be sorted if Russia had any ambitions to be a powerful nation. These problems included a collapse of a whole social system as Tsarism was abolished in 1917. Nicolas ii was forced to abdicate because of his inability to make decisions and the critical economic state, Russia’s failure in the First World War didn’t help his popularity. This naturally led on to a power struggle.
Russia Questions by topic D3: Russia 1881-1924 | Alexander III and Nicholas II up to 1914 | Alexander IIIHow far did Alexander III bring political and social change to Russia?To what extent does Alexander III deserve the title of “reactionary”? | OppositionHow far do you agree that the use of repression was the main reason for the weakness of opposition to Tsarism in the years 1881–1914?How far were divisions among its opponents responsible for the survival of Tsarist rule in the years 1881–1905?Why did opposition to the Tsarist regime increase between 1881 and 1904? | ReformTo what extent did Russia undergo economic and political reform in the years 1906–14?How far do you agree that the economy of Tsarist Russia was transformed in the years to 1914?How far was Tsarist autocracy modified in the years 1906-14? How far were the social and economic reforms under Stolypin a success? How far do you agree with the view that the October Manifesto was a significant change in Tsarist Russia?To what extent was the Tsarist system of government modified in the years 1881–1914?