Socialism in Europe and the Russia

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In 1914, Nicholas II ruled the Russian empire.

1. Russia was an autocracy.
2. Tsar was not subject to parliament.
3. Liberals in Russia campaigned to end this state of affairs.
4. The Social Democrats and Socialist-Revolutionaries worked with peasants and Workers during the revolution of 1905 to demand a constitution.
5. In Muslim-dominated areas by jadidists who wanted modernised Islam to lead their societies.
6. In the year 1904. Prices of essential goods raised so quickly that real wages declined by 20 percent.
7. The membership of workers associations rose dramatically.
8. Over the next few days, over 110,000 workers in St Petersburg went on strike demanding a reduction in the working day to eight hours, an increase in wages and improvement in working conditions.
9. The procession of workers led by Father Gapon reached the Winter Palace.
10. It was attacked by the police and the Cossacks.
11. Over100 workers were killed and about 300 wounded. The incident, Known as Bloody Sunday.
12. Started a series of events that became known as the 1905 Revolution.
13. Strikes took place all over the country and universities closed down when students bodies staged walkouts, complaining about the lack of civil liberties.
14. Lawyers, doctors, engineers and other middle-class workers established the Union of Unions and demanded a constituent assembly.

1. The vast majority of Russia’s people were agriculturists (85 percent).
2. Russia was a major exporter of grain.
3. The industry was found in pockets.
4. Prominent industrial areas were St Petersburg and Moscow.
5. Many factories were set up in the 1890s.
6. Most industries were the private property of industrialists.
7. Government supervised large factories to ensure minimum wages.
8. Limited hours of work. But factory inspectors could not prevent rules being broken.
9. The working day was sometimes 15 hours, compared with 10 or 12 hours in factories.
10. Workers have divided by skill also.
11. Women made up 31 percent of the factory labour force by 1914, they were paid less than men.
12. Divisions among workers showed themselves in dress and manners too. Some workers formed.

1. All political parties were illegal in Russia before 1914.
2. The Russian Social Democratic Workers Party was founded in 1898 by socialists Who respected Marx’s ideas.
3. It set up a newspaper, mobilized workers and organized strikes.
4. Socialists have formed the Socialist Revolutionary Party in 1900.
5. This party struggled for peasants’ rights and demanded that land belonging to nobles be transferred to peasants.
6. Social Democrats disagreed with Socialist Revolutionaries about peasants.

1. 1914: First World War broke out between two European alliances-Germany, Austria and Turkey (the Central Powers) and France, Britain and Russia (later Italy and Romania).
2. 1914-1916: Russian armies lost badly in Austria and Germany.
3. Industries and industrial equipment disintegrated more rapidly in Russia than elsewhere in Europe.
4. Labour shortages and small workshops producing essentials were shut down as able-bodied men were called for the war.
5. By 1916, riots at bread shops were common owing to the bread and flour scarcity.

The Russian empire included current day Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Central Asian states, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the territory outside Moscow.

The majority religion was Russian Orthodox Christianity. Included Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and Buddhists.