IB Lecture 3 Introduction: Structure of the Old Regime Russian Revolution IB Lecture 3 Introduction: Structure of the Old Regime

Structure of the Old Regime Population increased from 40 million in1815 to 165 million in 1914. Most of these people lived in Western, or European Russia. Russia’s ‘length’ is more than 5000 kilometres from its Eastern border to its western border, while its ‘height’ is over 2000 kilometres. The massive size of Russia was a particularly significant problem for governments of the 19th century, because communication was poor and there were a great number of different nationalities within the Russian Empire. This made the rule of a central government difficult.

Russia was a class based society. In the 1897 census: 82% of the population were identified as peasants (those who lived on the land and/or worked in agriculture) 4% were working class (small traders and factory workers) 1.5% were from the commercial class (factory owners, merchant traders and bankers or financiers) 12% were from the upper class (nobility, upper clergy, military officers) 0.5% were from the ruling class (members of the court, government and the tsar and his family) These figures show a much smaller working class than was evident in most of the rest of Europe because Russia had not experienced industrialisation on such a significant scale.

Russian Government Russia was governed by the Tsar who was an autocratic ruler, ordained by god. There was no democracy in Russia, and members of official bodies were appointed and given powers only to advise the tsar or control administrative matters. The Imperial Council - a group of honourary advisers The Cabinet of Ministers - ran the government departments The Senate - supervised legal matters. The Tsar was the only one with power. It was a crime to oppose the Tsar, and he maintained a strict control over printed material. Liberal ideas existed in Russia in the form of secret groups and societies who sought political reform or revolution. Their members comprised mostly of the upper classes as most of the peasants were illiterate and conservative.

The Okhrana The Tsar’s secret police, the Okhrana, were dedicated to maintaining the Tsar’s absolute authority, and they raided, arrested and imprisoned many members of the secret societies.

Ruling and Upper Classes The ruling and upper classes regarded the peasants with contempt, because they were illiterate and uneducated. This led to the radicalisation of extremist groups – Assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881. Their overwhelming majority in the state of Russia forced the ruling class to use repressive measures to ensure that there was no freedom of speech. They did not seek an improvement in the conditions of the peasants because it would have been a direct threat to their power. This further radicalised the opposition groups, leading to extremist activities such as the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881.

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church was an independent Christian church that reinforced the Tsar’s authority. In many cases, the church’s priests were so conservative that they preached the importance of obedience to the Tsar.

Industrialisation Industrialisation had not occurred in Russia on the same scale that it had in most of Western Europe and the United States. The major cities of Moscow and St Petersburg had large textile factories, but most of the rest of Russia had only small scale wood or wool production. This slow economic development was hampered by its undeveloped transport system and massive size. There was also an ineffective banking system that made quick access to capital (and subsequently investment) difficult.

Urban working conditions

Agriculture Russia’s agricultural system was inefficient Land too far North to be arable Not enough arable land to go around Emancipation of the Serfs 1861 Strip system of farming Even though Russia’s land mass was huge, much of the land was too far north to be suitable for crops or animals. To make matters worse, 80% of the people were peasants and there was not enough arable land to go around. For centuries, peasants had been tied to the land as serfs (slaves), but in 1861 the Emancipation Decree abolished serfdom and entitled the peasants to buy land. The price for this land was beyond many peasants, however, as the government imposed huge land taxes to compensate the former landowners. The only way most peasants could buy land was to borrow money from the government in a method similar to today’s mortgage repayment system. This bound the peasants to the land and their repayments for decades afterwards. A majority of the peasants, however, could not afford to buy large parcels of land, and they would buy a small section and split it up among each household in the family. Known as the strip system, it was an inefficient way to produce agricultural goods.

Russian Peasant life

Russian Army Russia’s army was large, and it cost the government 45% of its total expenditure to maintain. The Russian army conscripted large numbers of peasants, often as a form of punishment for law breakers. Training camps were harsh (usually set up in harsh, remote regions), and thousands died every year during peacetime. The Russian army conscripted large numbers of peasants, often as a form of punishment for law breakers. Training camps were harsh (usually set up in harsh, remote regions), and thousands died every year during peacetime. Russia’s army was large, and it cost the government 45% of its total expenditure to maintain. The higher ranks of the army were reserved for the upper classes (nobility), and peasants were rarely promoted to these positions on merit. Most positions were bought and sold like property.

Russian Bureaucracy The Russian bureaucracy was corrupt and inefficient. Consisting of members of the lower classes, these officials controlled the police forces and civil administration. They possessed an inordinate amount of power that affected the lives of ordinary Russians, and which they used to further their own aims.

We rule over you, We govern you, We pray for you, We eat for you, We shoot you – We work for you and We feed you

Imperial Russia – Social Structure

Zemstvas - elected, rural councils set up after the Emancipation of the Serfs. The only ones able to vote in the elections were landowners, but it was a form of representative government. Mir – the traditional village commune that maintained order and collected taxes.