How far were the divisions among its opponents responsible for the survival of Tsarist rule?
by
katieamylambert (student)
How far were the divisions among its opponents responsible for the survival of the Tsarist rule? (1881-1905)
Divisions of opposing groups of the Tsar were important to the survival of Tsarist Russia. However, other factors such as the church, the Okhrana and the army were also effective in keeping the Tsar in a state of power but were not the main contributor.
Firstly, the opposition groups of the Tsar were known as the Social Revolutionaries, the Liberals and the Social Democrats (Bolsheviks & Mensheviks). Each group had its own ideas on what was needed for Russia and each group wanted change, however, there were many problems within the groups and none of them were willing to work with each other. The Social Revolutionaries who were formed in 1901 believed that hope for a revolution would be in the hands of the peasants and accepted capitalism as the best way to rule their methods were terrorism and agitation on the government. However, the Liberals, who also wanted to establish some sort of democracy did not agree on using violent tactics, they preferred to use non-violent political channels such as the Zemstva and Duma. The Liberals were the most moderate of the opposition groups and wanted to keep the Tsar, but remove autocracy and have his current power shared between a democratic government. They also wanted free elections in which all men could vote, this is in tune with Westernisers’ beliefs. The Social Democrats were mainly Russian intellectuals who thought revolution wouldn’t come about due to Marx’s theory of History. They believed Marxism was the way to go but the party itself was spilt over the role of the party itself. The Bolsheviks thought the party should be made up of a small group of highly disciplined professional revolutionaries. Meanwhile the Mensheviks wanted a broad base and accepted all who joined. Both splits however used political channels and also street protests and demonstrations to get their views across. These divisions meant that each opposition group’s strength alone was not enough to achieve their own specific goals and even though the groups did have some tactics such as propaganda in common, it was not enough. If each group had considered changing their tactics or been slightly more lenient, they may have succeeded.
Secondly, The Tsar was the head of the Church. Accordingly, the Church reinforced his authority. Among the huge peasant population, the Church was very influential. Official Church doctrine stated that the Tsar was appointed by God, and that any challenge to the Tsar - the 'Little Father' - was an insult to God. The Church made sure that peasants kept on hearing this message. Therefore many did not stand up in revolution and accepted his rule for fear of being damned. The church preached blind obedience to god and therefore blind obedience to the Tsar. This was a contributing factor to the reason Tsar Nicholas II remained as Tsar but not the most important as it affected mainly peasants only.
