Russia- Who was Who?

The liberals
The liberals were split into 3 sections this included the progressive bloc, the octoberists and the kadets, who were not united. Right wing kadets thought that the revolution had gone too far and wanted to set up a democratically elected government. The liberal parties dominated the PG.

The socialists
The social revolutionaries and the Mensheviks both gained their support from the peasants and urban workers. Both classes wanted social reform, but they were divided over how this should happen and when.
There were socialists both in the PG and the Petrograd soviets; Kerensky was the only person to members of both factions.

The Bolsheviks 
The first leading Bolsheviks returned to Russia in mid-March; like the Mensheviks they believed that an industrial revolution would have to take place before a social revolution could take place. However the Bolsheviks became a distinct separate group after the return of lining on the 3rd of April.

Russia- How did WW1 lead to discontent in Russia?(not essay)

Firstly military defeats would of lead to discontent, the war had a major effect on the Russian forces as around 3.9 million men were wounded and 1.6 million men died. The care that the injured men and the families of the dead soldiers were not receiving and care or benefit from the tsars state. An example of a military defeat is the Battle of Tannenburg, This took place on the 29^th of August and a high amount of soldiers were captured, and only 10,000 out of 150,000 escaped. This was an embarrassment to the Russian army.

Secondly, the role of the Tsar and the Tsarina lead to discontent, mainly due to the fact that the Russian public thought that the Tsarina was a German spy as she was German born. This lead to people not trusting the Tsarina due to her background. Also, the Tsar and the Tsarina were not trusted as they were connected with Rasputin, Rasputin was heavily disliked by the public as he seem to have so much control over the royal family. Linked to military defeats is the fact that many members of the public hated the Tsar as they believed he was the reason that the Russian army failed so badly in the First World War, as he took control of the army over his general.

Thirdly, there was major discontent due to social economic problems. This included the food shortages that was around Russia at the time in cities, this was caused to most of the food being sent off to the front line for the troops. Moreover, conscription lead to riots in cities and towns around Russia. Rising food prices, for example flour rose in price by 99% between 1913-16, this meant that some families were unable to eat.

Finally, the failure to make political change lead to discontent, the progressive block meant that the public were just getting aggravated as during the war the people had no say in how the country was run, and the Tsar was not going to change the political system that was in place. Moreover political parties were joining together to try and make change. Again though the Tsar was not going to change his political system as he believe it was his divine right to rule Russia.

Russia- ‘The actions of the Bolsheviks between April-September 1917 was the main reason the Provisional Government failed to keep power in Russia.’ Assess the validity of this view.

There were many factors that influenced the downfall of the provisional government in October 1917. The Bolsheviks are one reason for the downfall however social, economic and political problems are also to blame.

Firstly, the provisional government did not act quickly on the problems that were facing Russia between the first revolution in February and the second revolution in October. For example the food problems had not been sorted out by the provisional government, as food was still in short supply in cities and because of that prices for food were high as most of the food in towns and cities were being shipped to the front line troops, as there were an estimated 5,000,000 soldiers. The provisional government tried to solve this problem by buying the crops and grain from the farms in the countryside. However this didn’t work as there was nothing to buy with the money the farms were getting so these transactions did not take place. This meant that the provisional government were under high amounts of pressure in towns and cities, as food shortages had risen from having 650g of bread as a ration in March 1917 compared to 110g in October 1917. This is a very good cause for change in power over Russia, as any social problems will cause a revolution to occur as nobody would like to live in poverty. Overall, this means that any social problems will cause a revolution.

Secondly, the actions of the Bolsheviks had a big part to play in the failing of the provisional government. One of the actions they took was the protection of Petrograd during the Kronilov affair, In August 1917, a Russian General, Lavr Kronilov, made an attempt to seize power for himself. His army advanced on Petrograd, with the Provisional Government under the leadership of Alexander Kerensky, seemingly powerless to stop him. To stop the army taking control of the country Kerensky informed the Bolsheviks about the army. This defense made the Bolsheviks seem strong and the provisional government the opposite. Moreover the Bolsheviks seem well organised to the Russian public, this is due to Lenin’s April Theses, and this included a simple 10 point plan that stated what the Bolsheviks and he wanted. This would have been nice to see as a Russian as the provisional government were not organised and didn’t have a clear view as there was a mix of political parties inside the provisional government, these involved socialists and liberals.

Moreover the Bolsheviks were gaining support form well known political figures, this includes Trotsky, as he had just been released form prison after beaning involved in the first revolution. Leon Trotsky born Lev Davidovich Bronstein, 7 November, 1879 – 21 was a Marxist revolutionary, theorist, and Soviet politician. This political figure was a huge advance for the faction as he became a lead runner for the faction alongside Lenin and Starling.

In addition, the War was partly to blame for the loss of power for the provisional government. World War 1 had caused problems for the Tsar before the provisional government, as there was a huge debate as they didn’t know whether to fight an offensive war or a defensive. This problem faced the provisional government as the public didn’t want to face more casualties as there were already 1.6 million dead, this meant that the public wanted a defensive war. However the provisional government were set on fighting an offensive war. This didn’t go down well with the public. The Bolsheviks were offering a defensive war, this was one reason why the support for the Bolsheviks was so strong and the provisional government was losing support.

The Petrograd soviets were also a reason for the provisional government, as they were gaining a lot of support and causing problems. For example the Petrograd soviets had support from many public services, this was the cause for the collapse of communication in the storming of the winter palace. Moreover the Petrograd soviets had a major presence in the army, this is shown by order number 1. These services that the Petrograd soviets had was a major issue for the provisional government.

To conclude, I believe that the Bolsheviks were the main cause for the collapse of the provisional government, as they cause high amounts of disruption and problems towards for the government. 

Russia- Fact Files

Lenin 

Full name: Vladimir Ilich Lenin
Original name: Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov
Born: April 10 1870, Simbirsk, Russia
Died: January 21, 1924, Gorki, near Moscow
Early Life: He adopted the last name Lenin in 1901 while doing underground party work. His family was well-educated, and Lenin, the third of six children, was close to his parents and siblings. School was a central part of Lenin’s childhood. His parents, both educated and highly cultured, invoked a passion for learning in their children, especially Vladimir. A tragic situation came in 1887, when Lenin’s older brother, Aleksandr, was arrested and executed for being a part of a group planning to assassinate Emperor Alexander III.
Political party: Bolshevik party, later the Soviet Union

Stalin

Full name: Joseph Stalin
Original name: Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin
Born: Gori, Georgia on 21st December 1879
Died: 5 March 1953, Kuntsevo Dacha, Kuntsevo, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Early life: At 7 he got smallpox, leaving his face scarred. A few years later he was injured in a carriage accident which left arm slightly deformed. The other village children treated him cruelly, instilling in him a sense of inferiority. Because of this, Joseph began a quest for greatness and respect, this lead him lead to having a crawl streak in him.
Political Party: Communist Party






Trotsky

Full name: Leon Trotsky
Original name: Lev Davidovich Bronstein
Born: 7 November 1879 in Yanovka, Ukraine, then part of Russia
Died: On 20 August 1940, an assassin called Ramon Mercader, acting on Stalin's orders, stabbed Trotsky with an ice pick, fatally wounding him. He died the next day.
Early life: Trotsky became involved in underground activities as a teenager. He was soon arrested, jailed and exiled to Siberia where he joined the Social Democratic Party. Eventually, he escaped Siberia and spent the majority of the next 15 years abroad, including a spell in London.
Political party: Social Democrats, later the Menshevik party


Kerensky

Original name: Alexander Kerensky
Born: 4 May 1881, Ulyanovsk, Russia
Died: 11 June 1970, New York City, New York, United States
Early life: In 1905 Kerensky joined the Socialist Revolutionary Party (SR) and became editor of the radical newspaper, Burevestik. He was soon arrested and sent into exile. He returned to St. Petersburg in 1906 and found work as a lawyer. Over the next few years he developed a reputation for defending radicals in court who had been accused of political offenses.
Political party: Socialist Revolutionary Party

Bibliography:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vladimir-Lenin
http://www.history.com/topics/vladimir-lenin
http://www.historytoday.com/russel-tarr/lenin-power
http://spartacus-educational.com/RUSstalin.htm
https://www.biography.com/people/joseph-stalin-9491723
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/trotsky_leon.shtml
https://www.biography.com/people/leon-trotsky-9510793
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/russia-1900-to-1939/alexander-kerensky/
http://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkerensky.htm

Russia- Key Terms

Reformist- a supporter of a gradual reform; Alexander 2nd was known as the tsars reformer for measures such as the 1861 emancipation of Serfs, but he never intended to weaken tsarists autocracy.

Reactionary- backward looking and opposed to change, particularly political and social reform.

Pan Slavism- A believe that Slav race should be united- and look to Russia as the supreme Slav country for leadership.

War credits- the raising of taxes and loans to finance the war. 

Inflation- the increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money brought about by having more money in circulation then there is to buy.

Autocracy- rule by one person who had no limits to his power

Divine right- this refers to a monarch appointed by God and answerable to God alone for actions.

Orthodox church- the Eastern Orthodox Church, with Moscow as its spiritual capital; it had its own beliefs and rituals, following a split in the Christian church in the 11th century.

Zemstvo- elected councils responsible for the local administration of provincial districts.

Socialists- supporting a political and economic theory of social organisation which believes that the means of production, distribution and exchange, should be controlled by the whole community.

Constitutional monarchy- a form of democratic government in which a monarch acts as the head of state within the boundaries of a constitution giving real power to a representative assembly.

Bureaucracy- the states administrative officials.

Okhrana- the secret police that was used by the tsar to control political parties and revolutionaries.
La Marseillaise- the French national anthem, derived from the singing of the soldiers from Marseilles as they went to war on behalf of revolutionary France.

Cossack's- people of Ukraine and southern Russia, noted for their military skill, who formed the military units and they were fiercely loyal to the Tsar.

Constitution- the set of laws by which a country is governed.

Kronstadt naval base- the headquarters of the Russian Baltic fleet.

Britain- Lord Liverpool General Notes

Lord Liverpool 
Robert Jenkinson (1770-1828) - entered the parliament in 1790 and held the three great offices of foreign state, foreign secretary, home secretary and secretary for war. He became prime minister in 1812. He admired Pitt and his balanced system of government. He was often regarded as a mediocre, but he exercised a firm control over major decisions. He resigned in 1827.
Liverpool form a Tory government after the assassination of Spencer Percival in May 1812. Liverpool was first choice to replace Percival, but after several forming Whig government he was chosen. Liverpool was supposed to be an unimaginative person, however known for having a safe pair of hands.

Liverpool faced several difficulties when he was in government as there was the Queens affair in 1820, but failed to upset Liverpool. Moreover the unpopular monarch was becoming an issues as the taxes were high and the extravagant behavior was irresponsible.

Parliament general notes
• Between 1821 and 1823 Liverpool’s cabinet was having a new loo, as a new mood began to emerge.
• The government had barely survived the post war slump and deep social unrest, and against the odds government came out strong and enlighten.
• In 1815 the Corn Laws were created to protect the corn market in the UK, this meant that corn was not to be imported if the price of corn is below 80 shillings per quarter. However many say that government only passed this law to protect their own business, as most of them own farms or large areas of land.
• The gaming law was established in 1816, this meant that anybody found poaching could be severely punished. This law was caused because of rising crime rates due to the increase in price of corn, which was important in a working class person’s diet.
• In 1816 the habeas corpus law was created again in reaction to the increase in crime and political agitation. The law meant that anybody could be arrested and had no trial, this was abolished in 1817 because it was costing too much money to maintain, but mainly due to the fact that nobody wanted to be arrested as they knew that they would just be sent to prison.
• In 1819, a series of though repressive acts were brought in, these were later known as the six act. These were created to respond to the high amounts of unrest in towns and cities.
• The authorities aimed to repress and silence the views of the working class with the six acts, they were there to safeguard the upper classes.
• In 1819, the factories act was created to improve to a point the working conditions of workers. Part of this act was the limit to children’s working hours as it was capped at 12hours.
• In 1824, the combinations act was replaced after pressure from skilled artisan class lead by Francis Place.
• Between 1822 and 1824, there was a short trade boom, where the unemployment was falling and wages were rising. However, the boom caused a rise in living costs, this lead to a huge depression in 1824 after the boom.

Overview of the Tory Party 1815-1830
• The Tory party had dominated politics between 1815 and 1830. The PM lord Liverpool made some crucial changes to parliament and his cabinet.

Britain- PPE Redo

Lord Liverpool was in office in the early 19th century. He is known as a prime minister who bought changes to the political scene of Britain.

In source A, there are several unconvincing points. For example “idea leader of a party based on the resistance to change”, this doesn’t agree with my general knowledge as between 1821-23 Liverpool guided parliament though a huge reshuffle. This included new MP’s bringing new ideas and thoughts into parliament alongside more experienced MP’s. For example Robert Peel was made home secretary in 1822, this helped Britain secure good trade links as it improved the situation that Britain found it’s self in after the Napoleonic Wars. Moreover, in the extract it says that Liverpool was the “worst for guiding the country through a time of social and economic change”. I don’t believe that this is accurate, as there were several acts and laws that were put through parliament to improve the standers of living for the working class. For example the amendments to the poor law, which was originally created in 1601, this happened several times under Liverpool’s government. One amendment was the speenham system, this was created to put the working class back into work. Some would say that these acts were reactionary, however I believe that they were brought into stabilise but also build for the future of Britain.

However, in source A, there is a sense of truth when the source says “if opposed… [you would be] witched or wronged”. In lord Liverpool’s government there were high amounts of political repression. Such as the peterloo massacre, The Peterloo Massacre occurred at St Peter's Field, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 who had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation. This was also a protest against the loss of jobs and the high amounts of poverty because of the unemployment, but Liverpool sent in troops to stop the escalating. The army ended up killing 20 people and several images. This type of repression was not uncommon as the country’s political system was under pressure, as the government was trying to prevent a revolution like they had in France. This caused lord Liverpool’s government to act in a repressive manner. The source on the whole doesn’t give a very convincing recount on the events of Liverpool’s government.

In source B, there are several accurate points. For example the extract realises that Liverpool “need[ed] to safe guard the standers of living for the poor “. This is accurate as government had been trying to stabilise the social economic problems for some years. This was shown with the Gilberts act, where people were given an increased chance to work, this worked alongside the speenham system, which only had the soul aim to employ people on a short term bases. Moreover in the extract it states that lord Liverpool’s administration “was more popular in the country than at any previous time”. This is proven as more people were against the constitutional monarchy then ever as people thought that the government were finally improving the standers of living for the working class. This caused Britain to be more content then it had been since the civil war.

However, in extract B, the statement “Liverpool… [Was] the architect of the liberal, free trade Victorian state” this is not very accurate as most of the liberal ideas came from William Pitt. He always wanted free trade for Great Britain as he believed that it would help the poor and upper classes, overall boosting the economy. However he was only pushing this because of the original idea form Adam Smith around 20 years before Pitt was in any power. Therefore the liberal and free trade ideas didn’t come from the Liverpool government but had actually been in government for a while. Overall extract B seems accurate and gives a good analysis of Lord Liverpool’s government and his time as prime minister.