INTRO TO RUSSIAN C.A. PART 2

Key Q: Why was Tsar Nicholas’ Russian Empire so difficult to govern? Complete the handout template using Walsh p You have the rest of this lesson + homework – to be finished for MONDAY (9 Sep) Nicholas’ reaction to his father’s death in 1894: “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 business of ruling.”

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING TOWARD? A SOURCE BASED ESSAY USE SOURCES AND PROPERLY EVALUATE 4 OF THEM (PROV., PURPOSE, CONTENT, CONTEXT, X-REF WITH OTHER SOURCES) 2,000 WORDS 25% OF YOUR GCSE 8 WEEKS TAUGHT COURSE (UP TO OCT HALF TERM) 4 WEEKS (8 DOUBLES) TO WRITE UP YOUR ESSAY RESOURCES: WALSH TEXTBOOK, MOODLE

Who were the Tsars & where did they come from?

1. Review & complete worksheet from last lesson… 2. Work on source questions on the handout sheet (A*/A)

The People -21 different nats.; only 40% Russian as 1 st lang… many huge distances; many resented Russian rule -80% were peasant farmers (unable to buy land… virtually slaves); conditions dreadful; taxes high; av. life ex = only 40! -No basic ed. – few peas. could read or write -Peas wanted more land… but were told in church to be loyal -Aristocracy (upper classes) = 1.5% people but 25% of land – loyal to Tsar; had jobs in his Government; worried about peasant rising -Middle classes – bankers, landowners, traders – main concern is controlling their workers

Land & Industry -Fast industrial growth in late 1800s: oil & coal prod UP X 3; iron UP X 4… but still backward vs. Br, Fr, Ger -Lots of land no good for farming & farming tech. v. backward (famine therefore a big risk) -Pop. increasing rapidly + many peasants moved to cities looking for work… but conditions terrible… child labour; hour days in factories etc.

The Tsar -Had ABSOLUTE power & determined to keep it -Believed God gave him this power -Loyal, hardworking… BUT weak, unimaginative & avoided tough decisions -Bad delegator… sacked one of his best officials, Witte, in 1906… about to sack another, Stolypin, in 1911 (but Stolypin was killed first) -Gave key jobs to family members, many of whom were corrupt

Religion -Orthodox Christianity… gave legit. to Tsar’s rule -Church was a powerful CONSERVATIVE voice, told people to be happy and accept things as they were

OPPOSITION… -1. Middle class Liberals (the “Kadets”) – wanted to keep Tsar but have more say (e.g. a British-style Parliament) -2. Social Revolutionaries (SRs) – wanted to take land from landlords to give to peasants – lots of support in countryside especially -3. Social Democrats – a Marxist/Communist group… most support came from cities… by 1903 had split into Bolsheviks & Mensheviks. Bolshs, led by Lenin, thought it was their job to lead a revolution; Menshs thought Russia was not ready for rev. yet. Both groups were illegal; most leaders lived abroad. -… by 1903 lots of strikes, demos and protests were happening

Control… -Lots were unhappy but resistance was limited… -Tsar had emergency laws & lots of police -… could arrest opponents; ban groups; and censor books & leaflets -He had 10,000 police to tackle political opponents (e.g. Bolshs & Menshs) -He also had a big secret police network (The Okhrana), who were feared… Mwa… ha… ha…

Who do you think drew this picture? What problems caused by having so many at the bottom? We rule you We fool you

The Land of the Tsars – Nicholas II