The Making of a Tsar
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Watch the first part of the video looking at the emergence of Nicholas II as Tsar. Take notes on the following questions:
- What challenges did the Tsars and Nicholas in particular face in ruling Russia. - How did the personality of Nicholas make him unsuited to be Tsar? - What early experiences did Nicholas have that affected his ability to rule? - How had opposition developed against the Tsars during the reign of his father? |
Sergei Witte and industrial growth and discontentment
| the_reforms_of_sergei_witte.pdf |
Sergei Witte
"If there is one statesman who stands out as not only a Russian but also a European figure in the last years of Tsarism it is assuredly Sergei Witte. Not for nothing is the last decade of the nineteenth century known as the ‘Witte period’.
These were the years that saw Russia reach the point of take-off to economic maturity; when railway expansion proceeded at an unprecedented pace, when metallurgy, mineral extraction and urban development did much to change the face of Russia. Yet was this change too rapid?
This is the question mark that hangs over Witte’s career. He was a dedicated supporter of the autocracy. Yet it may well be that his policy did more than anything else to weaken the autocracy he so much revered."
- History Today Volume 18 Issue 2 February 1968
Complete:
1. Using the document above complete the table below to summarise the economic policies of Prime Minister Sergei Witte.
2. Reading the sections in the handout on peasants, urban workers and ethnic minorities summarise reasons to support and oppose the Tsar Nicholas II. Table below.
"If there is one statesman who stands out as not only a Russian but also a European figure in the last years of Tsarism it is assuredly Sergei Witte. Not for nothing is the last decade of the nineteenth century known as the ‘Witte period’.
These were the years that saw Russia reach the point of take-off to economic maturity; when railway expansion proceeded at an unprecedented pace, when metallurgy, mineral extraction and urban development did much to change the face of Russia. Yet was this change too rapid?
This is the question mark that hangs over Witte’s career. He was a dedicated supporter of the autocracy. Yet it may well be that his policy did more than anything else to weaken the autocracy he so much revered."
- History Today Volume 18 Issue 2 February 1968
Complete:
1. Using the document above complete the table below to summarise the economic policies of Prime Minister Sergei Witte.
2. Reading the sections in the handout on peasants, urban workers and ethnic minorities summarise reasons to support and oppose the Tsar Nicholas II. Table below.
| wittes_industrial_policies_summary.docx |
| social_groups_in_russia_support_and_opposition.docx |
| growth_in_opposition_1894.docx |
What was the state of Nicholas' empire?Look over the notes from your work on Alexander III and look at some of the sites below to try and explain on a diagram like the one opposite what Russia was like.
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The problems facing Russia up to 1905 - War with Japan and the Socialist movement
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For this final section you are to research into the problems that were stacking up in Russia up to 1905. You should use some of the links below to build up a picture of what happened. Consider;
- What new problems do these events cause for the Tsar. - How far do the issues experienced in these two problems link to the issues the Tsar was already facing? - How should the Tsar have handled these two issues differently. Record your notes on a Frayer diagram, the example is below, a brief quiz at the end will test the quality of your work. 
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Summary - Changes up until 1905
To extend yourself read this article from page 1 - 6, it goes into a lot more detail on Alexander III and the changes under NIcholas II.
- As you read through use the frayer notes taking frame to gather the information.
- As you read through use the frayer notes taking frame to gather the information.
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The 1905 Revolution
In the next lessons we will look at the 1905 revolution, a crisis in Nicholas II's reign. From your research here what do you think the causes of this revolution may have been?