Late Imperial Russia Late Imperial Russia The Land and its Peoples – backdrop for revolution?

The Land and its Peoples ► In 1894 Imperial Russia covered over 8 million square miles – two and a half times the size of the USA today! ► From east to west it stretched 5,000 miles ► From north to south it measured 2,000 miles ► The principal cities were Moscow and St. Petersburg (the capital) ► The population contained over 22 different ethnic groups

The Russian Empire 1913

The Romanov Dynasty ► Russian monarchy was hereditary ► Between 1613 and 1917 Russia was ruled by members of the House of Romanov ► The ‘Fundamental Laws of the Empire’ stated that the Emperor of Russia is autocratic and unlimited in power ► The Romanovs believed in divine right – in other words, that God chose the Tsar ► The Tsar of Russia during our course was Nicholas II (r1894 – 1917)

Nicholas II and the Royal Family

The Tsar ► The Tsar’s absolute rule was exercised through three official bodies: 1. The Imperial Council 2. The Cabinet Ministers 3. The Senate ► These bodies were appointed not elected and they did not govern ► No legal authority over the tsar

Political Situation ► By early 20 th century all major western-European countries had some form of democratic or representative government ► In Russia in 1881 it was still a crime to oppose the tsar or his government ► There was no parliament – and although political parties existed they had no legality ► There was no free press and government censorship was imposed on books and journals

Use of Repression ► Liberal ideas seeped into Russian society but this was disliked by the establishment ► Supporters of reform were forced underground ► Groups were infiltrated by the Okhrana ► The Okhrana was answerable only to the tsar ► Raids, arrests, imprisonment and general harassment were regular occurrences

The Role of the Church: a pillar of Russian Society ► The tsars were fully supported by the Russian Orthodox Church ► This branch of Christianity is detached from Rome and the Papacy ► Long standing expression of Russian culture ► By late C19 it had become a deeply conservative body – it also yielded extreme wealth ► Many priests could not relate to the growing proletariat in the cities ► In 1900 a Moscow suburb with 40,000 people had only one church and one priest

Russian Orthodoxy: Wealthy and Traditional

The Class Distribution of Russian Population 1897

Social Structure of Tsarist Russia

Russian Economy ► Low numbers of urban workers was a sign that Russia had not achieved major industrial growth ► The Urals produced considerable amounts of iron ► Moscow and St Petersburg had extensive textile factories ► Most villages had a smelting works ► But, there was a limited transport system ► Lack of banking – hard to raise capital

Agriculture ► Even though 4/5 of the population were peasants, a thriving agrarian economy had failed to develop ► Not all of the vast acres were good farming country ► Much of Russia was too far north to enjoy a climate or soil suitable for crop growing or cattle rearing ► Not enough fertile land to go round ► After the Emancipation Decree of 1861 ex-serfs could buy land but the price was often too high ► Some peasants took advantage of special funds set up by the state but this led to large mortgages

The Peasant Problem ► Predominantly illiterate and uneducated ► Described by the elite as the ‘dark masses’ who should be kept in check by severe repression ► It was commonplace for officials in Russia to speak of the ‘safe ignorance’ of the population

Russian Peasants

The Russian Army ► One way to keep the peasants in check was to conscript them into the armed forces ► Lower ranks of the army and navy were full of peasant conscripts ► Through C19 the imperial forces were kept at 1.5 million – at a cost of 45% of the government’s annual expenditure ► (Only 4% of spending was devoted to education!)

The Bureaucracy (Civil Service) ► Corrupt and nepotistic ► At local and national levels the law, the government, the police and the militia were in the hands of a few men whose first thought was their own convenience. ► Efforts were made in the nineteenth century to reform the administration and limit its abuses.

Summary Diagram The Land Russia’s geography Its great size The People The Social Structure Tiny dominant elite The ‘dark masses’ 80% peasant population The Economy Undeveloped industry Backwards agriculture The Tsarist Regime Autocratic Government Reactionary Church Corrupt bureaucracy Oppressive army Okhrana