Chapter 24.4 Notes Unrest in russia

Government and Society In the 1st half of the 1800’s Russia was a great power in Europe Russia’s empire was huge it stretched far eastward into Asia To govern this large empire with many ethnic groups they ruled with absolute and unlimited power and controlled many aspects of Russian lives Rules were called czars Russian was mainly agricultural Much of the population was peasants, many were serfs Russian serfdom was a way of life for many Russians

Reform and Repression The Decembrist Revolt Revolutionary ideals began to grow in Russia Russian wanted more freedoms and democracy Russian czars were resistant to reform which led to revolution Czar Alexander I died in 1825 which was an opportunity for revolutionist The revolutionist later named the Decembrist rebelled against the government Many Decembrist were in the military and military leaders The groups of 5,000 assembled near Winter Palace refusing to pledge their allegiance to the new Czar, Nicholas I Nicholas I responded and crushed the revolution Even though it failed it help fuel later Russian revolutions

Reform and Repression Reforms of Alexander II After Nicholas II died Alexander II came to power in 1855 Russia did not have modern technology or industry necessary to build a military that could compete with Europe’s other powers 1861 Alexander II freed all of the serfs and allowed them to own land. He thought that is terrible living condition continued for the serfs they would rebel He thought giving serfs their own land would help with the market economy Alexander II set up a new judicial system and allowed some local self-governments He reorganized the army and military Industrialization began Despite reforms revolutions movements were growing and calling for radical change 1881 the radical group The People’s Will assassinated Alexander II

Reform and Repression Unrest Under Alexander III Alexander III was the next czar He was a reactionary and want to go back to an autocracy or absolute rule He went against certain people groups that opposed him He ended all of the reforms his father put in place A different sort of unrest was occur at the time, mobs were attacking, killing, and destroying the properties of Jews in Russia… this was known as pogroms Some people blamed the Jews for Alexander II assassination Authorities in Russia did nothing to stop to pogroms

Reforms and Repression Industrialization under Nicholas II Nicholas the II was the next czar in 1894 Ruled as an autocrat- absolute ruler Industrialization grew rapidly in Russia during his reign Russia began building the Trans-Siberian Railroad to link western and eastern Europe

War and Revolution War with Japan 1900’s Japan was building an empire in the east and viewed eastern Russia as a threat In 1904 the Japanese attacked and eventually defeated the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War Russian lost control of some of their territory in the East and it shocked the people that they could be defeated by such a small country This resulted in the growing unrest and call for change with the Russian people

War and Revolution Marxist Ideas One group calling for change in Russia were the Marxists, who were Russian who followed Marxist communist theories Marx’s followers wanted to create a socialist republic- a society in which there would be no private property and that state would own and all factors of production and distribution In 1902 a Marxist named Vladimir Lenin published his works that advocated for overthrowing the czar he called for Russians to rise up against “ the shame and the curse of Russia”

War and Revolution The Revolution of 1905 By 1905 many Russians were ready to rebel against the czar On Jan 22, 1905 an orthodox priest, Father Gapon, planned to bring a petition with a list of demands to Nicholas the II When Gapon and protestors neared Winter Palace troops fired at the group killing hundreds. This day became known as Bloody Sunday After this rebellion broke out throughout the countries Works went on strike University students protested Peasant rebelled against their landlords People were disobeying the czar’s strict rules This began the Revolution of 1905 Scared of rebellion the czar promised reform but by October did not follow through 2 million workers went on strike and the construction of the Trans-Siberian RR stopped

War and Revolution The October Manifesto In response to the strike Nicholas II issued the October Manifesto- an official promise for reform and more democratic government Manifesto Promised: A constitution Individual freedoms to all Russians Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly Many Russians gained the right to vote Established the Duma- the representative legislative body in Russia (like Congress) They could approve all new laws The Czar would continue to rule Russia he promised not to pass any laws without the approval of the Duma

War and Revolution Nicholas II did not want to give up absolute power When the Duma first met he ended the meeting because they made to many demands After the Revolution of 1905 Nicholas did make more reforms However, there was not a balance of power and did not help the demands for democracy People still wanted more reforms…