A Level History. Independent Summer Learning Introductory Assignment

Transcription

1 A Level History Independent Summer Learning Introductory Assignment

2 Introduction During the two year History A Level course you will study two units and complete 1 piece of coursework. The Units will focus on: Unit 1 Breadth study of the Tudors Unit 2 Depth Study of Russia Coursework Change over 100 years in Germany This preparatory assignment is a vital part of Unit 2 and will focus on the first major topic event Why did a Revolution happen in Russia in February/March 1917?

3 Task brief: Your task is to use the information on the following slides as well as the attached website links to create a detailed plan for the question below: Why did a Revolution happen in Russia in February/March 1917? Your plan must include: 1. Problems with Nicholas II as leader of Russia 2. How WWI affected the army, the people and the economy 3. Longer-term social and economic problems 4. Opposition to Nicholas e.g. different political parties in Russia Your plan could be in the form of a mind map, a table or simply sub-headings with Bullet points on. It should be at least 2 sides of A4 long.

4 What was the February/March Revolution? An uprising by the people, army and navy of Russia against their ruler Tsar Nicholas II. The uprising occurred 3 years into World War One and saw Nicholas II forced to abdicate, (give up power). Nicholas felt he had no choice but to do so as: he had no means of controlling unrest, (the army and navy were on the side of the people), his son was ill and young so could not take over, his brother refused to take power. Power passed to a temporary government known as the Provisional Government which was made up of parties that had sat in the old parliament, (Duma).

5 An overview of possible causes of the February/March 1917 Revolution to get you started! Use the website link below to find out some more causes of the Revolution history/russia/february/revision/1/

6 Longer-term problems that could lead to revolution Russia was ruled by the Romanov family and had been for 300 years. The rulers were known as the Tsars (Emperor). They believed they had been chosen by God to rule (Divine Right). Russia was a large country covering 1/6 of the world s land surface BUT it was economically behind there was very little industry and over 80% of the people lived and worked on the land (agrarian economy). Other than the Tsar and the aristocracy most people lived in relative poverty and were peasants. Towns had started to grow since the 1880s but living conditions were poor these conditions had already caused a revolution in There was a parliament (Duma) but this parliament had very little power as every time it challenged Nicholas ideas it was closed. Watch this revision video on causes of the Revolution to find out more information. Bloody Sunday revolt 1905

7 More problems with Nicholas as leader Nicholas II Tsar of Russia from 1894 to March Nicholas was a keen photographer and family man but contemporaries and historians have argued that he was out-of-touch with what was happening in Russia Alexandra was Nicholas wife. She became unpopular during WWI as she was German. She was also criticised for being influenced by the mad monk Rasputin. Rasputin was a peasant who gained influence over the Tsarina after he supposedly healed her only son Alexi who suffered from haemophilia. He was resented due to his low birth and attempts to influence policy.

8 The impact of WWI on Russia Russia was fighting Germany and Austro-Hungary on the Eastern Front from % of production went on war goods leading to more supply and food shortages for the people. Russia was also not ready for war they had not industrialised properly and had a poor transport system so food was not getting into towns or to the front line. atch the clip from the link to find out more about conditions on the Eastern Front Russia s military campaign did not go well: by 1915 they had lost important land e.g. Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine. They only had enough guns for 1 per every 2 men By million soldiers had been killed, wounded or captured. Morale amongst the troops was low. The government printed more money to pay for war but this led to inflation on prices of between 100 and 400% and a drop in the value of the currency (Rouble) by 56% - people were becoming worse off. Morale amongst civilians was low.

9 Political opposition to Nicholas II There was a parliament (Duma) but this parliament had very little power as every time it challenged Nicholas ideas it was closed. This angered political parties like the Octobrists who wanted Russia to become more of a democracy. Extreme political groups from the Left-wing had been present in Russia for a long time like the Social Revolutionaries. These groups started to increase in number from 1905 with the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks demanding the overthrow of Nicholas II and a new fairer government that all people could participate in (Communism). War caused political opposition to Nicholas to grow the Duma parties united together to form the Progressive Bloc in 1915 and when Nicholas tried to close the Duma in February 1917 it refused to close. Use the website link to find out some more causes of the Revolution Despite there being growing political opposition to Nicholas it lacked organisation and popular support at the time so perhaps it wasn t the most important reason for revolution?!

10 Reminder of what you need to have done for your first History lesson 1. Created a detailed plan for the question below, remember this could be in the form of a mind map, table or simple using subheadings and bullet points. Make sure you bring your plan with you and remember you will be using the plan in your second history lesson to write your response. Why did a Revolution happen in Russia in February/March 1917? Here are some more useful website links to use for those of you, who like us are real history enthusiasts!!!!