Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Collapse of the Tsarist Regime
- Pressures of War
- Industrialisation
- The Society Before
- Variety of nationalities, no sense
of national identity
- Constant demands for
independence
- The Country side
- Peasants did not own land, and so they
were property of their Landowners
- Peasants were subjected to
a form of salvery know as
"SERFDOM"
- in 1861, serfs were freed and allowed to have some land
- it was not enough land to make a decent living.
- Village elders gained control
over the lives of individual
peasants
- Russia could provide food but...
- Bad harvests = Famine.
- Also no crop rotation
- Agriculture needed modernisation
- population growing fast, not
enough land
- Landowners
- most important and influential
- provided the local
government
- acted as the link between
common people and the tsar
- But their position was becoming less secure, as
tension increased between peasant and owner -
they wanted land for themselves
- Many landowners ran their estates
inefficiently & fritted away their wealth.
- local councils
(zemstvos), pressed
the Tsar for reforms
- The Cities
- Witte became Finance Minister in !892
- Tsar Nicholas ll
- Absolute Ruler
- Russia's Ministry was chosen by
him, and only answerable to him
- Local governement was also chosen by the
tsar, that way he could keep and eye on them
- Ruled in a harsh and
repressive manner.
- To prevent Russia from Falling into Anarchy.
- Crushed any sign of dissent or
opposition
- "What is going to happen to me and all of
Russia? I am not prepared to be a Tsar. I never
wanted to become one. I know nothing of the
businesss of ruling."
- Reaction of Nicholas ll after his fathers death. _reluctant already.
- Indecisive and found it
hard to concentrate
- Unable to respond the
pressures for change
- Saw Modernisation as a threat
- The country needed a flexible and
imaginative leader
- Russian Orthodox Church
- Deeply Religious
- Helped with upholding authority, in return they
gained political influence
- Due to size and diverse population, not the
entire country belonged to the church