Notes on "Why was Russia so difficult to govern?"
Why was Russia so difficult to govern? )Large country that spreads through Europe and Asia 2)Poor communications and transport- weather was poor and industry was low- only the trans-Siberian railway. Who were the Russians? )A lot of different nationalities and culture illegally immigrated –Ukraine’s, poles, Jews etc 2)Empire contained around 130 million people 3)Many did not speak Russian What was Russification? )Non-Russians were made to learn Russian, speak Russian, dress in a Russian style and follow Russian customs. 2)Officials sent to areas were most non-Russians lived. 3)Poland wasn’t allowed to teach polish. Russians got higher jobs What was life like in Russia in 1900? )4/5 of the population were peasants 2)Peasants suffered starvation due to lack of food life expectancy was less than 40 3)Disease spread easily 4)Backward strip method of farming – little gained 5)Not enough land for everyone- competition as population grew 6)The nobels who owned ¼ of all the land 7)The middle class were people who owned industrial works. Life was good . 8)The workers lived in cheap lodging houses and ate soup, black bread, cabbage and drank vodka. Often lived in barraks and disease was easily spread due to lack of hygiene. How was Russia governed in 1900? )Nicolas was the Tsar of Russia from 1894. He was an autocratic leader and thought of
Doomed to failure from the start. How far do you agree with this assessment of the Provisional Governments chances in 1917?
‘Doomed to failure from the start.’ How far do you agree with this assessment of the Provisional Government’s chances in 1917? The provisional government was set up in March 1917, due to the failure of the Romanovs. After such a long and unsuccessful leadership with Nicolas II. It was exceptionally hard shoes to fill. However, there were more problems to be seen. The establishment of the Petrograd Soviet meant that the Provisional Government was doomed to failure because they were being undermined. The Petrograd Soviet was made up of soldiers, sailors and workers. Together they wanted to be treated fairly, the end of the war and the elections; which were 9 months away, to be brought forward. Furthermore, they developed an order, named number 1. Which indicated that the soldiers, sailors and workers would only work with the consent of the Petrograd Soviet and not take commands from the Provisional Government. This act limited the Governments actions and enabled lower class Russian citizens to have a say in matters. The arrival of Lenin meant that the Provisional Government was doomed to failure because they lost support. Lenin returned from Switzerland, with a new slogan; ‘Peace, Bread, Land.’ Everything Russian lower classes lacked. He also wanted the war to stop and wanted the power to go to the Soviets. Doing this Lenin, received all of his credit back, and was
Were the mistakes made by the provisional government the main reasons why the Bolsheviks came to power?
Were the mistakes made by the provisional government the main reasons why the Bolsheviks came to power? The mistakes of the provisional government were important but were not the sole reason the Bolsheviks rose to power. One of the most important mistakes was staying in the war because the majority of the population did not want to stay in the war. Over 50 % 6.6 million men were killed or wounded out of 12 million. The provisional government could not pull out of the war because the France and Great Britain would not help them in the future. Furthermore over 150,000 soldiers deserted to claim land. This is a major reason why the provisional government lost power. However, another important reason the Bolsheviks came to power was the Kornilov revolt. Kerensky found out that Kornilov was marching his army to Petrograd because Kornilov thought martial law should be introduced. Kerensky armed the Red Guard to defend Petrograd in the end the Bolsheviks negotiated with Kornilov not to attack. Kerensky failed to take the weapons back off the Red Guard. This is extremely important because from this point onward the Bolsheviks were armed. This is an extremely important factor leading to the rise of the Bolsheviks. However one could argue that the main factor for the Bolsheviks rise to power was the fact they chose not to be involved in the 3rd provisional government. This bold
Stalin was able to strengthen his dictatorship in the 1930s was mainly through a cult of personality. Do you agree? Explain your answer.
Shafaq Yaqoob “Stalin was able to strengthen his dictatorship in the 1930s was mainly through a cult of personality.” Do you agree? Explain your answer. Although Stalin was able to eliminate opposition within and outside the party through the purges, he needed to be able to make the people loyal to him. He was successfully able to do this through his effective use of propaganda, which created a cult of personality, and made the people believe that he was a dictator of the people. In addition to this, the success of industrialisation and collectivisation along with the manipulation of production figures by the state and the workers made the people believe that they were benefiting under his rule. The cult of personality had a huge impact on the thoughts of the Russian public on Stalin and the way propaganda was used in order to achieve this is vital. Stalin was extremely aware of the importance of his image and the impression that he made on the people as it would allow him to maintain his dictatorship. He needed to be able to strictly monitor and regulate all aspects of the media and promote his qualities which would help him win the respect of the Soviet citizens. In order to help him achieve this, he used propaganda which indoctrinated the Russian people. There were many propaganda posters that glorified him as a god like being, and under him any kind of religious
Do these sources give similar or different impressions of Stalin?
) Study Sources A, B and C. Do these sources give similar or different impressions of Stalin? Explain your answer. (6) These sources give different impressions of Stalin, however there are some similarities. Source A is a cartoon published in Paris in the 1930´s. It shows Stalin and the results of his policies according to the artist. The cartoon features Stalin showing three pyramids of skulls as if he was a tour guide. The caption under reads, "Visitez L´URSS ses pyramides!" This translates to, "Visit the pyramids of the USSR!" This source is very famous and was drawn by an exiled Russian, therefore the artist could be bitter and biased against Stalin and his policies. Source B is an official Soviet painting of Stalin with workers at a hydroelectric power station in the 1930´s. It is trying to show the results of industrialization. It shows Stalin talking to the workers, they seem very proud to be meeting Stalin. Because it is an official Soviet painting it is very likely to be biased and a source of propaganda as it would be Stalin or the government who commissioned it. Source C is a photograph of Stalin congratulating wives of army officers. The women are reaching for Stalin in a fanatical manner; they seem desperate to touch him. The source is a photograph, which gives the impression that it is a reliable source. However this isn´t true, Stalin could have had
Do these Sources give similar or different impressions of Stalin?
GCSE History Coursework Assignment 2. : Do these Sources give similar or different impressions of Stalin? Source B is a source that supports Stalin. Stalin is being portrayed as a very friendly, and tolerable man. He looks like an avuncular, fatherly figure to the workers or the whole of Russia. Stalin is standing next to one of his great industrial achievement and hydroelectric dam, with some of the workers from this dam. This shows Stalin as a very kind and as a person who doesn't mind mixing with the lower class people, unlike the previous leader (before Lenin) the Tsar who would never do this kind of thing. This also fits with the communist system because everyone should be equal and it is mainly the working classes who support communism so this is a good promotional painting. At the time this painting Russia was in the middle of the five year plans, where the government set targets for the different industries such as coal, pig iron, steel, oil and electricity so this painting will show Russians that the five year plans worked and how good they are, with all the happy workers and the sparkling white dam on a beautiful sunny day. This painting tries to show that Stalin is a very clever and strong leader as he is standing on his dam and pulling Russia out of the old ways and into the 20th Century with industrialisation. Source C is also a source that supports Stalin. He
The Fall of the Tsar
History Coursework - The Fall of the Tsar 1: Sources A and B both talk about Rasputin and Alexandra but in different ways. Source A talks of Rasputin in a positive way and calls him a "holy man." Source B talks of him in a negative way. Both sources agree that Rasputin definitely has some influence over the Russian Royal Family. However, in source B Rasputin is said to be working with Alexandra as German agents trying to "destroy Russia from within." Source A only says that Alexandra came under "the hypnotic influence of Rasputin" but it doesn't suggest any maliciousness from Rasputin. However, from my own knowledge I know that Rasputin was regarded as evil by many. Source A seems to suggest that Rasputin has hypnotic powers. Firstly it says that Alexandra came under his hypnotic influence and whenever he was in the presence of Alexis (Alexandra's haemophiliac son) his bleeding would mysteriously stop and the only explanation seemed to be Rasputin's "hypnotic powers." These "powers" could have enabled him to overthrow the Tsar but it never happened and at the end of 1916 he was murdered. In all, the sources do agree on the fact that Rasputin had some influence in the household but source B suggests more influence than source A. 2: Neither source C or D disproves sources A and B. Both of these pictures show Rasputin, but in entirely different lights. Source C is showing
" Stalin was an evil dictator whose rule did nothing to improve Russia".
" Stalin was an evil dictator whose rule did nothing to improve Russia" Joseph Stalin was a dictator of Russia, his plan was to revolutionise the country. During his reign he achieved his goal but at the cost of millions of lives. He imprisoned millions of his citizen, army and members of the communist party. Before stalin came to power, Russia had many problems. Low level of industry No Education Low food supply Water & sewage control Roads and railway So when stalin came to power he felt the country needed revolution or they would be left behind. Stalin was needed to revolutionise Russia but he ill-treated his power to become leader and exploited many people on his way there. Using the sources provided I have to reach a conclusion to find out whether " Stalin was an evil dictator whose rule did nothing to improve Russia" and if this statement is correct Source 'A' is a image of Joseph Stalin. The cartoonist has a negative opinion of Stalin; David Lowe thinks that Stalin is an dreadful leader as citizens of Russia have not got the independence of speech. The image shows Stalin attempting to perform suicide, as he was talking in his sleep. The statue is the head of Karl Mark, the man who started the idea of Leninism. The creator of the cartoon is David Lowe, a UK based cartoonist, who didn't agree with Stalin's dictatorship. The image is a drawing, which is giving
Stalin and the Five-Year Plans.
History Coursework - Stalin and the Five-Year Plans ) I think that, "Brought glory to Stalin" was a very important reason, which eventually made Stalin, embark on his industrialisation programme. However, this was not the only reason why, it also brought glory to the country as well. When Stalin and Trotsky were in a power struggle for total control of the USSR, Stalin disagreed with the idea of the making of an industrial economy. However, Stalin eventually changed his mind over the situation. The first event that helped him on the way of that was when there was a 'war scare' in which the government claimed that the USSR was under attack by the Chinese in the East and the British in the West. The second incident concluded Stalin's attitude over the idea because Stalin thought that 'counter-revolutionary capitalists' in the West were paying saboteurs to wreck the USSR's coalmines. He contemplated that they were trying to weaken the Soviet industry so it could not defend itself if it was attacked by another country. Countries like Poland, Finland, Iran and Romania were countries that had governments that hated communism, therefore making the USSR a country that was constantly under threat. Stalin consequently thought that industry was essential in order for the country to defend itself. Stalin believed in 'socialism in one country' for internationalism and wanted to
Stalin: Man or Monster?
Stalin: Man or Monster a. The sources give a number of different impressions of Stalin and his character, however there are some similarities. All the sources show different views which people in Russia would have had of Stalin' it is obvious after looking at the three sources that A is against Stalin and his regime, whereas B and C give more positive views about Stalin's character. Source A is a cartoon produced in Paris in the 1930´s. The cartoon features Stalin showing three pyramids of skulls as if he was a tour guide. The caption translates to, "Visit the pyramids of the USSR" The cartoon shows the result of his policies and shows the fact that he is willing to put human lives down to achieve his goals. Source A shows Stalin as a cruel and ambitious man willing to sacrifice Russian lives to stay in power and ensure the modernisation of Russia. The skulls represent the deaths caused as a result of starvation as there was a shortage of food in Russia; also many deaths occurred as a result of the Purges, which were measures Stalin took to get rid of opposition. An exiled Russian drew this source; therefore the artist could be bitter and biased against Stalin and his policies. Source B is an official Soviet painting of Stalin with workers at a hydroelectric power station in the 1930´s. Source B however is different to source A because it is aiming to support Stalin and
