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1. Alexander II A. Emperor of Russia (18551881) B. Enacted Some

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1. Alexander II A. Emperor of Russia (18551881) B. Enacted Some 1. Alexander II a. Emperor of Russia (1855­1881) b. Enacted some liberal reforms i. Freed all of the serfs in 1861!!! ii. Reorganized judicial system, abolished corporal punishment, imposed universal military service, took away some privileges from the nobles, and established Zemstvos which promoted self­government c. Still kept around a pretty brutal police force called the “Third Section” d. Killed in terrorist bomb blast e. 2. The People’s Will a. 19th century revolutionary political organization in Russia which was pro­Populism and advocated for agrarian­type socialism b. Mostly full of young socialist intellectuals c. They thought terrorism would achieve their goals d. Assassinated Alexander II in St. Petersburg with a bomb in 1881 3. Alexander III a. Emperor of Russia whooo b. Called “The Peacemaker” because there were no wars under his reign c. Super conservative ­­> reversed a lot of Alexander II’s liberal policies i. He weakened the power of the Zemstvos ii. Appointed government “land captains” to supervise peasant communes (they were really hated) iii. Passed the “May Laws” which restricted the rights of Jews d. 4. Sergei Witte a. Policy­maker who served under the Czars of Russia ­­ pushed for heavy industrialization b. Drafted the October Manifesto c. Member of the Council of Ministers and fully supported the Monarchy in Russia d. 5. Constitutional Democratic Party a. Liberal political party established in 1905 b. Members referred to as “Kadets” ­­ most members were intellectuals and professionals ­­ often served on Zemstvos c. Prominent members were Pavel Milyukov, Jews, and Volga Germans d. Become the only non­socialist functioning party by the aftermath of the February Revolution 6. Zemstvos a. Local government that was established as liberal reform under Alexander II b. They consisted of a representative council and an executive board c. Abolished by the time of the October Revolution 7. Mirs a. Peasant village communities ­­ mir community had a village government and cooperative b. Most peasants in Russia lived in Mirs c. Families were given land but it wasn’t distributed based on social qualifications/reasons but for economic purposes 8. Marx The Communist Manifesto a. Pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels b. Published in 1848 (year of revolutions) c. A summary of their theories of class struggle (historical + present) and the problems with capitalism d. 9. Social Revolutionary Party a. Major political party during the early 20th century b. General ideology: agrarian socialism and democratic socialism c. Took semi­control after the February Revolution and a lot of its party members were on the provisional government d. Split into post and anti­Bolshevik factions after the October Revolution 10. Marxism a. Socio­economic analysis of class relations and social conflicts that takes into account historical, economic, and political factors b. The three points of marxism were: philosophical anthropology, theory of history, and an economic and political program c. He believed that class struggle was synonymous with the rise of capitalism because of the tension between the mechanical/socialized production performed by the proletariat and the increasingly wealthy bourgeois d. He believed a proletariat revolution was the end result of capitalism (a highly industrialized society) which would bring about socialism and then at a highly developed stage of socialism, it would give way to communism e. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” f. Communism in Russia wasn’t true Marxism because hadn’t reached a highly developed level of capitalism g. 11. V.I. Lenin a. He was a member of the Social Democratic Labor Party and the leader of the Bolsheviks b. Ideologically he was Marxist but his political theories are known as “Leninism” c. He played the lead role in the October Revolution of 1917, after being sent back from exile in Germany by train, and established the one­party Communist rule of Russia d. Signed the Treaty of Brest­Litovsk with Germany to get Russia out of WWI e. He was an incredibly violent ruler and thought that opposition could be dealt with through violence ­­ mass murder of civilians called the “red terror” which was carried out by the Cheka (secret police) f. Led the country through the Russian Civil War between the Reds and the Whites which also caused widespread famine across the countryside g. His policy, the New Economic Policy, introduced a mixed economy to Russia h. Huge cult of personality surrounding him until the demise of the Soviet Union 12. Social Democratic Labor Party a. Formed in 1898 in Minsk as a revolutionary party b. Held the idea that an urban proletariat was needed to have a socialist revolution c. Rejected idea that peasants could be the basis of Socialist party 13. Bolsheviks Mensheviks a. Both were factions of the Social Democratic Labor Party b. Mensheviks: led by Julius Martov ­­ Mensheviks means ‘minority’ in Russian ­­ generally more moderate c. Bolsheviks: led by Vladimir Lenin ­­ Bolsheviks means “majority’ in Russia but neither side ever had total majority in the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party but the Bolsheviks got the majority of the vote on important issues at the Second Party Congress 14. Bloody Sunday a. January 22nd, 1905 ­­ this incident massively contributed to the Russian Revolution of 1905 b. Father Georgy Gapon led a huge demonstration to the Winter Palace to petition for workers rights but Nicholas II was not even at the palace at this time. The Imperial Guard was ordered to fire on the crowd and lots of people were killed and injured!! c. 15. Russo­Japanese War (1904­1905) a. War between the Russian Empire and the Japanese empire over imperial rivalry in Manchuria and Korea b. Japan soundly beat the Russian Empire and it was a huge blow for Russia’s imperialist ambitions in the far East c. Ended with Treaty of Portsmouth d. Lowered public morale 16. Soviets a. Political organizations and bodies that are associated with the Russian Revolution and sprang up all over Russia b. The Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies came into being right ​ before the abdication of Czar Nicholas II and become one of the most popular Soviets, comprising of 4,000 members. c. Soviets acted as a “second­government” to the provisional government before the Bolshevik revolution d. All the Soviets were under the control of the Socialist Revolutionary Party 17. October Manifesto: a. Released on October 20th, 1905 b. Drafted under Czar Nicholas II in response to the revolutions in Russia in 1905 c. Took some of the concentrated power away from the Czar by promising to set up a legislative body, the Duma, comprised of members who would be popularly elected d. Established civil liberties such as free speech, free press, freedom of association and assembly, and universal male suffrage e. Effectively tamped down on the revolutionary spirit in Russia but the provisions of the manifesto weren’t enacted until 1906 18. Duma a. The Duma was a russian legislative instituted by Tsar Nicholas II. Duma comes from the word (dumat) meaning to consider or think. Duma was basically the equivalent of a Congress. b. It was abolished in 1917 during the Russian Revolution. c. Since 1993 the “State Duma” has been the name for the lower legislative house of the Russian Federation. 19. Nicholas II a. Born 1868, Nicholas was the last Tsar of Russia up until his forced abdication in 1917. He was given the nickname “Nicholas the bloody” because of his responsibility for the Russo­Japanese war. b. Nicholas was responsible for Bloody Sunday, the massacre of protesters who were demanding Nicholas’ resignation. He was also responsible for the violent suppression of the 1905 revolution. c. To the people of Russia at the time Nicholas II symbolized what they despised about the corrupt monarchy. He and his entire family were brutally executed by Bolshevik officers 20. Peter Stolypin a. Born 1862 he was the Chairman of the council of ministers, served as Prime minister and was Minister of Internal Affairs. From (1906 to 1911) b. Stolypin’s legacy was that of countering revolutionary movements and implementing agrarian reforms. Stolypin was a hard line monarchist who hoped to strengthen the power of the throne. He was one of the last true statesmen of the old Russian republic. c. Stolypin was assassinated in 1911 in the Kiev opera house after 10 previous assassination attempts. 21. Feb/March 1917 Revolution a. The February Revolution was the first of two revolutions in Russia. The revolution centered around Petrograd (St. Petersburg) and lasted less than a week. Confrontations between the demonstrators and royal police eventually led to the Russian Army forces switching sides and fighting against the monarchy. b. This led to the immediate abdication and execution of Nicholas II and the establishment of a Russian Provisional government. c. Causes of the revolution include the failure of the Russian government during World War 1, the economic challenges at the time, and the famine that loomed over the Russian people. 22. Alexandra Romanov a. She was the spouse of Nicholas II and was the last Tsarista of Russia and a figurehead of the old Russian government. b. She was famous for being a carrier for Hemophilia and giving it to her son Alexei Romanov (RIP) 23. Rasputin a. He was born 1869 and was a member of the royal court and was a trusted friend of the monarchy. He was famed for having cured the Tsarevich Alexei Romanov from thousands of miles away. He gained a presence in the royal court and served as an aid to the Tsar. b. Rasputin’s character brought with it speculation and controversy. Some believed that he really did have a truly unique religious connection and was able to heal Alexei with his prayers.
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