Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Russia: 1894-1905
- Backwardness
- Slow to grow
industrially: low
number of urban
workers
- Size of Russia and
underdeveloped
transport system
limited chances of
industrial expansion
- Farming restricted to
Black Earth region,
most of Russia not
suitable for crop
growing or cattle
rearing
- Russian peasants
described as "dark
masses", held in check
only by severe
repression (82%
peasants in 1897)
- Social policies of Nicholas II
- Russification: (Begun under
Alexander III, continued by
Nicholas) policy of restricting
influence of non-Russian
minorities by emphasising the
superiority of all things Russian
- Opposition from
oppressed minorities
- Anti-semitism: 600 measures
introduced, imposing heavy
social, political and economic
restrictions on the Jewish
population
- Led to more organised
opposition such as the
Jewish Bund, formed in 1897
- Economic reform under Witte
- Emphasis placed on
modernising Russia to the
extent as other European
countries.
- Negotiated large loans and
investments from abroad,
whilst imposing heavy taxes
and heavy interest rates at
home
- Encouraged inflow of foreign
capital allowing Russia to be
placed on Gold Standard
- Witte believed that modernisation relied on
developing effective railway system,
especially the Trans-siberian railway which
was still incomplete by 1914
- Wittes problems: 1. Made Russia to
reliant on foreign loans and investments 2.
Too much focus on heavy industry,
neglected light engineering 3. Paid no
attention to agricultural needs
- Opponents to Tsarism
- Because they were
denied legal recognition,
many resorted to extreme
measures
- Proved to be suspicious and
intolerant of each other, making
co-operation difficult
- Octobrists: Believed in
maintenance of Russian Empire,
drawn from commercial,
industrial and landowning
interests
- Constitutional Democrats
(Kadets): wanted Russia to
develop as a constitutional
monarchy in which power of the
Tsar would be restricted
- Populists: Regarded future of
Russia as in the hands of the
peasants, believed in overthrow of
tsarist state
- Socialist Revolutionaries: grew
from Populists, agreed with
power to the people and not to
the tsar, become increasingly
violent
- Social Democrats: Achieve
revolution in Russia by
following ideas of Marx,
emphasis on the workers,
split in Mensheviks and
Bolsheviks in 1903
- Russo-Japanese War
- Reasons: Secure warm
water port, Pursue
expansionist policy over Far
East, Distract attention from
domestic troubles
- Russia greatly
underestimated Japan,
army and navy far more
prepared
- Port Arthur fell to Japan
in January 1905, next
month town of Mukden
is seized
- Russia's defeat was seen
as a national humiliation.
Incompetence of govt
seemed more obvious and
excited social unrest