InNo+JerryL+13.10.2010

my awesomeness...

Other awesomeness... This is a picture of the mad monk Rasputin. Just by observing his picture you can sense his CRAZINESS (probably cause of the beard...) according to the website Rasputin's death was the highlight of his mysteriousness. He was invited to a party and he drank and ate poison enough to kill six people. After showing no signs of poisoning he was shot in the chest. However he was still alive after the shot and bleeding, while he made an attempt to escape he was dragged back and beaten up, finally died in a freezing river.

Russia is very big and cold....0,o...
 * 1. The Russian Empire in 1900 **
 * The land and the climate **
 * Although big, most land useless:
 * Southern border mountains block warm air
 * Land in Arctic circle: ** Tundra: **
 * __Almost no plants__
 * ** Taiga: ** stretch from tundra 1000 km south
 * Forests of pine trees in cold land
 * In 1900 5% land for farming
 * Rest wasted
 * Climate also affect Industry and Commerce
 * Most of coastline in Arctic circle: FROZEN
 * Rivers in Siberia: Ob, Yenisey, and Lena: also FROZEN
 * Back in 1900 not enough tech to solve climate problem:
 * Weak ice-breaking ships
 * Half-built railway
 * An empire of many peoples **
 * 1900 Russia ruled by ** Tsar (Emperor) ** __Nicholas II__
 * Russians less than half
 * Majority were Poles and Ukrainians.
 * Conquered by former Tsar
 * Hade own language and culture
 * __** 60% of the Russian people are “Foreigners” **__
 * Population spread unevenly:
 * Most on farming land (5%)

**Nicholas and Alexandra**
 * 2. The Government of Russia **
 * The Autocracy **
 * Nicholas II: ** autocrat ** (monarch who doesn't share power)
 * Do what he likes
 * No power to parliament to limit power
 * Country too big, had to create governing system to help him govern Russia
 * employed civil servants
 * 14 ranks
 * collect taxes and carry out Tsar's orders
 * underpaid, end up with bribery
 * Tsar wanted no opposition
 * ** Okhrana: ** "Protective Section" (secret police force)
 * censor books and newspapers
 * spied political groups and arrest people criticizing government
 * tried by special court and send to Siberia
 * Cossacks
 * Okhrana not aways helpful (ex: famine), riots start
 * ** Cossacks ** (fierce mounted soldiers) help out.
 * settle down riots by killing
 * Churches help authority
 * ** Russian Orthodox Church: ** priests enforced loyalty to Tsar on people
 * head of church --> government minister
 * government had control of church
 * Nicholas was not good at governing and disliked his "job"
 * ** Alexandra: **
 * German
 * strong willed
 * encouraged Nicholas to keep autocracy
 * Happy marriage UNTIL
 * fifth children (first son) Born
 * suffer from __hemophilia__ (prevent blood from clotting)
 * terribly weak, no cure
 * Alexandra kept this secret and prayed

**The peasants** **The town workers** **The rich**
 * 3. Russian Society **
 * __** 1900, 80% Russians --> peasants **__
 * Country people living on farming
 * ** Serfs ** (slaves) of landlords until 1861
 * no rights/freedom/land
 * 1861, Alexander II (Nicholas II's grandfather) freed peasants
 * peasants can grow own food
 * HOWEVER, land owned by ** mir **(village commune)
 * had to pay 49 years of installment (__redemption payment__)
 * No serfdom didn't change things
 * Land divided in communes annually according to the different needs of families
 * Population (^) Land (v): 1861-1900 land halved for people
 * worse conditions every year
 * Peasant's lives hard due to reasons above
 * 50% new-borns die before 5
 * average life expectancy for other 50%--> 50 years
 * Poor health conditions (Disease and malnutrition)
 * Peasants want better life by working in near towns/cities
 * Work until harvest time and go home
 * largest city --> St.Petersburg (Capital)
 * 1M people (^ continue growing) come find work chance
 * Bad living conditions
 * Abnormal work time
 * low wage
 * Long line of people waiting for job, impossible to defend rights or improve
 * Tsar Nicholas:
 * 8 palaces
 * 15,000 servants
 * 20 railway carriages of luggage
 * Nobles:
 * 1% of population
 * 25% of land
 * by 1900:
 * Capitalists rich
 * Profit from banking, industry, and trade
 * Minister of Finance provide them chance for big money
 * __HOWEVER they did not think to improve life of workers__
 * ** HATRED GROWING **

Most Russians believed autocracy was God's will and did not challenge it Some objected and wanted to overthrow it to make changes **Terrorism** **The Socialist Revolutionary Party**
 * 4. Opponents of the Tsar **
 * ** "People's Will": **
 * Terrorist group
 * Assassinated Alexander II (Nicholas's grandfather)
 * Determined to end autocracy
 * HOWEVER, Alexander's successors prevented this with force

**The Social Democratic Party** **Liberals**
 * Adressed as SR 's:
 * wanted all land given to mir
 * created "Fighting Organization" (1900-1905)
 * Terrorist group
 * Killed 3 ministers and dozens of other government officials
 * Support of millions (peasants)
 * Based on ideas of ** Karl Marx **
 * Communism and Socialism
 * Founded in 1898
 * Split in 1903 due to different revolutionary ideas (Bolsheviks and Mensheviks)
 * Bolsheviks:
 * Revolution led by small group
 * Feels M's ideas will take too long
 * Mensheviks:
 * Revolution should have as many working classes as possible
 * Democratic system to make decisions
 * Feels B will not have whole support
 * Law-abiding, property-owning people
 * Wanted Tsar to share power
 * Democratic government
 * Have parliament to restrict Tsar's power
 * UNFORTUNATELY
 * Alexander died the day after he made plans for it
 * Successor objected and deleted plans

**War against Japan** **Bloody Sunday** **The 1905 revolution**
 * 5. The 1905 Revolution **
 * 1904: Russia and Japan fight over control of Korea and Manchuria
 * Nicholas happy, needed quick success to gain popularity
 * YET, Russia lost
 * Battle of Tsushima:
 * Russian Baltic fleet defeated
 * Only 3 ships left
 * Nicholas position worsen
 * Also hurt Economy
 * stock
 * food
 * work, etc
 * January 22th 1905:
 * 200,000 workers marched with family
 * led by Gather Gapon
 * want better life and peace
 * Soldiers tried to push down march by Force
 * 500 dead, thousands wounded
 * Aftermath
 * Riots throughout Russia
 * Hundreds of government officials dead
 * Nicholas's uncle bombed
 * ** START REVOLUTION **
 * **Problem 1:** Crew of ** Potemkin ** (battleship) rebelled
 * Although surrendered soon, point out: __troops untrustworthy__
 * **Problem 2** Rebellion of peasants in countryside
 * **Problem 3** Non-Russian people (exp: Georgians and Poles) declared independence
 * **Problem 4** September 1905: __general strike__
 * everything everywhere closed down
 * many towns set up ** Soviet **
 * Local council/government
 * Nicholas had to give way
 * October 1905: ** October Manifesto **
 * Introduce ** Duma ** (elected parliament)
 * Gave basic rights:
 * Right to form political party
 * Right of free speech
 * Proved untrustworthy:
 * December police arrested revolutionaries and Soviet crushed
 * ** Black Hundreds: **
 * thugs massacring revolutionaries in over 100 cities
 * March 1906 revolution ended
 * Parliament useless --> ** Fundamental Laws ** --> Russia still autocracy

**The Dumas** **The Stolypin reforms** **Rasputin**
 * 6. The Aftermath of the 1905 Revolution **
 * First Duma:
 * Lasted for 75 days
 * No power
 * Second Duma
 * Elected in 1907
 * worse than first
 * contained Liberals+SR's+SD
 * broke up in 3 months
 * Third Duma
 * Did better, lasted 5 years
 * Changed voting law to prevent revolutionaries
 * Listened to Nicholas, no power
 * 1906, New tough Prime Minister --> ** Peter Stolypin **
 * __Force down terrorism__
 * 1008 terrorist arrested, executed
 * 21,000 people exiled to Siberia
 * Realized need more than brutal force
 * Abolish redemption payments
 * Abolish communes
 * Improve in Industry, working and life conditions
 * HOWEVER one of Stolypin's police agents --> terrorist!! shot Stolypin
 * Gregory Efimovitch
 * Claimed to be a **// Starets // (holy man of God) **
 * ** Siberian peasant **
 * nickname: ** Rasputin ** (the disreputable one)
 * "Healed" Alexis, won trust of Nicholas couple
 * Corrupted:
 * Alcohol
 * Sex
 * Rape
 * Bribery

Russia is a cold and big country with a lot of foreign people, and only 5% of its land is useful. It was ruled by Nicholas as an autocracy empire that is corrupted and strongly diverse in class and wealth. Over the years, there has been many groups opposing the government, mainly Socialist Revolutionary Party and the Social Democratic Party. Yet in 1905 the revolution throughout Russia had failed. After the revolution Russia remained a autocracy while things are getting out of control after the death of Stolypin and the corruption of Rasputin.
 * Summary **

Describe the causes and aftermath of the revolution of 1905. What is a mir? Compare and contrast Socialist Revolutionary Party, Bolsheviks, and Mensheviks Define the purpose of the Okhrana. Describe the geography of Russia and explain its impact on the country.
 * Questions **