SGQ#2

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
To what extent is there a set of circumstances that will predict the rise of a single party state?

RUSSIA: Modern World History p. 339-343

Were the revolutions of 1917 inevitable?

A. Reforms under Nicholas II
1. How was Nicholas able to survive the 1905 revolution?

i. his opponents were not united

ii. there was no central leadership (the whole thing having flared up spontaneously)

iii. He compromised with the October Manifesto, promising concessions

iv. most of the army remained loyal


2. What reforms did Nicholas institute?
i. improvements in industrial working conditions and pay

ii. cancellation of peasants' redemption payments

iii. more freedom for the press

iv. genuine democracy in which the Duma would play an important part in running the country

3. What happened to the Dumas?
The first one was rigged to elect select people, but still imposed reforms too drastic for Nicholas, so he had them dispersed by troops after only 10 weeks. The second suffered the same fate, so Nicholas changed the voting system to deprive peasants and urban workers of the vote. The third and fourth Dumas lasted longer because they had no actual power (Nicholas had control of the secret police and the ministers).



B. Strengths of the regime
1. how did Stolypin gain support of some peasants?

i. Redemption payments abolished

ii. Peasants were encouraged to buy their own land

iii. what is a kulak? a comfortably-off peasant on whom the government could rely for support against revolution (so stolypin hoped)

2. how did the regime gain support among industrial workers?
Factories came under the control of inspectors, improving working conditions, insurance scheme introduced


3. other positive signs for the regime

i. A 1914 program for "universal education within 10 yrs", extra 50,000 primary schools opened

ii. the revolutionary parties seemed to have lost heart (leaders in exile etc.)



C. Weaknesses of the regime
1. why were Stolypin's land reforms failing?

i. Peasant population growing too rapidly

ii. Farming methods too inefficient to support growing populations adequately

2. what was the trend with industrial strikes in the years leading to WWI?
2000 separate strikes in 1912, 2400 in 1913, and over 4000 in the 1st 7 months (more and more, things maybe getting better but not good enough)


3. what three groups did the government especially target for repression?

i. peasants

ii. industrial workers

iii. intelligentsia (educated classes)



4. revolutionary parties - what did each hope for?

i. Bolsheviks - a small disciplined party of professional revolutionaries who would work full-time to bring about a revolution

ii. Mensheviks - stuck with Marxism and a proletarian revolution, industrial workers needed to be in majority over peasants

iii. Social Revolutionaries - a mainly agrarian society based on peasant communities operating collectively (did not approve of increasing industrialization or proletarian revolution)



5. How was the royal family tainted by scandal?

i. Stolypin's death - Nicholas was suspected to have taken part in the murder

ii. Rasputin - his drunkenness and numerous affairs with court ladies and the Duma requested he be sent away from the court



D. World War I
What were considered failures in Russia's effort in WWI?

i. Incompetent and corrupt organization

ii. Shortage of equipment

iii. Poor transport organization and distribution meant arms and ammunition were slow to reach the front.

iv. Trains were monopolized by the military.

v. Nicholas made the fatal mistake of appointing himself supreme commander; his tactical blunders threw away all the advantages won by Brusilov's offensive, and drew on himself the blame for later defeats, and for the high death rate