Free Sample Essays > European History
Was the size of Russia the main reason for making it difficult to rule?
into crushing debts. The population increased dramatically between 1860 and 1897, so there was more competition for land. However, the Tsar did not seem to care about the peasants, and he also did not care for the workers. The workers were young peasants who were forced off the land and worked in the factories. They were worked very hard for miserable wages and poor conditions. The Tsar treated the workers and peasants very badly. The Nobles were generally very popular with the Tsar, as he supported their position. Russia followed the Orthodox Church and through the pulpit is where the Tsar communicated to the people and spread propaganda. Even though everyone in Russia was very religious, there was even a gap between poor priests and bishops. The Middle Classes were rich people who owned the industrial works; they owned large houses and ate good food. However, many Middle-Class people were angry that the Tsar would not share some of his power with the people. There was a big divide in Russia between the rich and the poor, and it turned out that the Tsar only cared about the people with money, as money meant power. The divide between rich and poor made Russia difficult to rule, but it was not a reason that’s linked to size. It is down to the Tsar being a poor ruler, as he simply disliked most of the population, he had no interest in ruling the country and never rose to the challenge of being leader.
In 1904 Russia went to war with Japan. As a result of this, prices rose in the cities, as the war caused shortages of food and other goods. A lack of industrial materials caused factories to close, and more workers found themselves unemployed and hungry. Even worse, the Japanese inflicted defeat on Russia and this was humiliating because Japan was so small in comparison to Russia. This is a reason that can be linked to the coursework question as the Tsar actually encouraged the war, so therefore the food shortages and high taxes were blamed on him. As the Tsar started the war with Japan, the consequences would end up being his fault.
An event called Bloody Sunday really sparked off the Revolution. The Bloody Sunday was a march, which involved the peasants. The military were present which suggests hostility and for some reason, the military attacked the marchers. There are no sources to say that the peasants had actual weapons themselves, so it sounds like the peasants were calm and peaceful. The peasants were revolting because they were so dissatisfied with their living conditions and how the land was divided up. There was an industrial boom, but this was due to wage cuts so poverty was increased. The government’s policies to develop industry had had disastrous [next page]