STUDY TOPICS: AUTOCRACY / OLD SYSTEM IN RUSSIA
Your focus should be on events from 1905 onwards, and wherever possible, aim to outline how these events and their consequences weakened autocracy.
Account for the growing discontent by 1905 of the following groups:
Peasants- a life of poverty, drunkenness and squalor
85% of population
Long history of violent rebellion, most famous the Pugachev rebellion of 1973-75
In 1900 most common peasant grievance was discontent with the emancipation edict made in 1861 which freed them from serfdom but only granted them half the land they felt was theirs by right.
There wasn't enough land as population increased rapidly (50% between 1860-1897) so more competition for land
Many in crushing debt to buy land off Govt. this land was often barely enough to survive n let alone pay off loans
Most only produced enough food for themselves. some earned extra money by making clothes, furniture or articles to sell in town but many worked on nobles estate to earn extra
Diet: rye bread and porridge, cabbage soup, fish was common and meat was rare
Tea, vodka and beer popular drinks
Avg life expectancy <40
Regular epidemics of diphtheria and typhus
When crops were good plenty of food to go around but when crops were bad there was starvation and disease
Backward farming techniques and rudimentary tools (wooden ploughs, few tools and animals) hence hard physical labour
Lived in self-governing village communities called mirs
DISCONTENT ROSE: Tsar wanted to industrialize Russia and the majority of the money to do so came from the Russian people.
The October Manifesto granting civil liberties and...
A Japanese propaganda of the war: woodcut print sh...
Russo-Japanese War montageThe peasants had to pay heavy taxes on grain and taxes on everyday items increased. Policy worked well until poor harvests in 1900 and 1902- peasants squeezed to point where could barely survive and now they were starving. Outbreaks...