Characteristics of Tsarist Russia Flashcards

1) The sheer size of Russia
2) The numerous nationalities that divided and weakened it.
3) The lack of efficient farming land in relation the the number of peasants. This problem was exasperated by The Emancipation of the serfs in 1861.

1) Russia was industrially undeveloped.
2) Backwards agriculture
3) Too much money was invested into the army (45% of all government spending) when it was needed elsewhere.

1) Unbalanced social system2) Its sheer and unmanageable size3) Absence of an effective banking system4) Inefficient farm land - no thriving Agrarian economy5) Undeveloped transport

1) Unbalanced social structure: with an 80 % peasant population the country was ruled by a tiny elite that made up only 0.5% of it!
2) The peasant problem: they were regarded with a mixture of fear and contempt. It was felt if they were educated they could become a threat so they were left in 'safe ignorance'. They suffered severe repression.
3) The emancipation Decree of 1861. The ex-serfs were entitled to buy land but could rarely afford it due to lack of fertile land and government taxation. Their only option was to borrow money out of a government fund but that meant a lifetime and more of heavy mortgage repayments that none of them could afford.

1) Autocratic government - encouraged extremism and terrorism.
2) The Tsar himself - suspicious of change, narrow minded and made little attempt at reform
3) No democracy
4) Reactionary church
5) Corrupt bureaucracy. The country was in the hands of nepotic, incompetent bureaucrats who were only concerned with themselves.
6) Oppressive army

1) The bottom ranks were used as a punishment to keep peasants in line --> conscription
2) Special training camps were set up as penal establishments rather than training facilities
3) The highest ranks belonged to the aristocracy. Positions were bought and sold and rarely obtained through merit. This divided the army and weakened it as a strong fighting force.