“Political Repression Was the Most Important Factor in Bringing Stability to Russia After the 1905 Revolution.” How Far Do You Agree with This Statement?

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“Political repression was the most important factor in bringing stability to Russia after the 1905 revolution.” How far do you agree with this statement? When analysing how Russia stabilised itself after he 1905 revolution, we have to consider the main factors: political repression and reform. The statement “political repression was the most important factor in bringing stability to Russia after the 1905 revolution” it’s suggesting that one is more important than the other. I’m going to analyse to what extent both factors helped in stabilising the country and how they did so. Looking at repression, the problems they dealt with and how they solved them: the terrorist attacks and harsh punishments, reform groups and the black hundreds and finally the revolutionary ideas and closing of newspapers and trade unions. Then I will consider the reforms: poor, unhappy peasants and the abolishment of redemption payments and freeing of communes, underproductive agriculture and ‘The Peasant Land Bank’ and lastly the effect of the Duma. Overall I think that both the repressions and reforms had equal impact in stabilising Russia, but are also dependant on each other. Firstly, Repression, Russia had a terrorist problem during and following the 1905 revolution. In 1907, 1,200 government officials were murdered in political terrorist attacks by revolutionaries. Meaning that the revolutionary ideas and parties were still strong and threatening the government position. They tackled this problem by making the trial and punishment system harder and harsher. Stolypin (the Tsar Chief Minister) was the main man responsible for this, he met terror with terror by using field court Martials – these involve the armed forces deciding who’s guilty and what their punishments should be. Due to the stricter and tougher jury system 1,144 death sentences were handed out between October 1906
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