Tsar Nicholas Rule Overview

The Tsar’s Empire

• Vast empire with diverse nationalities; loyalty varied among populations.
• The Tsar held supreme authority, a complex and challenging role.
• Jews faced severe persecution through government-sponsored pogroms.

Peasants and the Countryside

• Approximately 80% of Russia's population comprised peasants, primarily living in communes.
• Kulaks represented a prosperous group of peasant farmers, but most lived in dire conditions.
• Famine and starvation were prevalent due to low life expectancy and poor agricultural practices.
• Population increased by 50% by the early 1900s, exacerbating land shortages.
• Traditional farming methods persisted; land was divided into strips managed by peasant councils (mir).
• Tsar perceived as a divine authority; loyalty expected from peasants despite many aligning with opposing forces like the Social Revolutionaries.
• Land ownership issues fueled anger; peasants resented the aristocracy and the Church's control.

Aristocracy

• Represented about 1.5% of the population yet owned 25% of all land.
• Enjoyed lavish lifestyles and played a crucial role in government support for the Tsar.
• Feared peasant uprisings leading to land confiscation.

Workers and Urbanization

• Late 1900s marked a push toward industrialization, with policies introduced by Sergei Witte stimulating growth in oil, coal, and iron production.
• Urban migration led many peasants to seek work in factories, resulting in overcrowded, impoverished living conditions in cities.
• Poor living standards were common, alongside widespread issues of disease and alcoholism.

Middle Class

• Industrialization resulted in the emergence of a capitalist middle class, including landowners, bankers, traders, and businessmen.
• Although a small percentage of the populace, this class grew primarily in urban areas and significantly managed the economy.
• Tensions arose between capitalists and workers, foreshadowing future conflicts in Russian history.

The Tsar and His Government

• Autocratic rule provided the Tsar with absolute power, propped up by the Church.
• Governance marked by poor decision-making and rivalry among officials, leading to inefficiency.
• Many governmental positions occupied by family members, contributing to incompetence and corruption.

Control and Resistance

• Peasant control exercised through the mir, with local governance often undermined by land captains appointed by the Tsar.
• Zemstva (local assemblies) aided Russian governance, while local governors enforced Tsar's directives.
• The regime utilized police-state tactics including arbitrary arrests, censorship, and heavy fines to suppress dissent.

Opposition to the Tsar

• Opposition stemmed from three main groups:
  • Middle class seeking democratic reforms (Liberals/Cadets).
  • Socialist Revolutionaries advocating for a radical peasant-led revolution.
  • Social Democratic Party divided into Bolsheviks (led by Lenin, pushing for immediate revolution) and Mensheviks (arguing Russia was unprepared for revolution).
• By 1903, escalating strikes and protests highlighted growing unrest and dissatisfaction with the Tsar's administration.

The 1905 Revolution

• Government relaxed censorship pre-1905 crisis, leading to a surge of anti-government materials.
• Tsar's military failure in the war against Japan heightened discontent.
• Bloody Sunday, January 22, 1905: 200,000 protesters approached the Winter Palace to petition the Tsar, who was absent.
• Soldiers fired on protesters, damaging the Tsar's reputation and leading to public outrage.
• General strikes and the creation of worker’s councils (Soviets) emerged in response to violent repression.
• Peasants revolted against landlords, spurring further unrest and challenges to Tsarist authority.