Lectures for students on Russian history (Методика освоения содержания предметного образования (История)). Учебное пособие

followed by the introduction of Zemstva and organs of urban selfgovernment, a reform of the court system and the introduction of compulsory military service. This was the most ambitious effort undertaken in the history of Russia. The reform generated a tremendous sense of excitement in society, especially among the young who suddenly saw opportunities opening up for public service such as had never existed before. They could now enter the professions such as law, medicine or journalism; they could work in Zemstva and city governments; they could seek careers in the military service whose officer ranks were opened to commoners; and above all, they could establish contact with the emancipated peasants and help them to raise themselves to the status of citizen.

The first break in the united front occurred in 1861 with the publication of the terms of the Emancipation settlement. The left, led by Chernyshevskiy and his “Contemporary”, disappointed that the peasant received only half the land he had been cultivating and had to pay even for that, declared the whole Emancipation a cruel hoax.

of moderate opinion, now swung sharply to the right and began to attack the left from a patriotic position. There was a further split within radical ranks themselves. “The contemporary” launched personal attacks on the intelligentsia of older generation, accusing it a lack of serious commitments and inertia. Herzen replied in the pages of his Londonbased “Bell”, charging the younger generation with chronic biliousness. Chicherin then attacked Herzen for his revolutionary predilections, while

Chernyshevsky called Herzen “the skeleton of a mammoth”. By 1865,

Russian opinion was thoroughly strengthened. Still, the basic debate as it unfolded was a dialogue between radicals and conservatives who could agree on nothing except their common unwilling of the sensible, pragmatic men of the middle. The 1860 and 1870s were the Golden Age of Russian thought, when all the major themes which have occupied the intelligentsia ever since were stated and examined.

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The new radicalism developed on the basis of a scientific or positivistic philosophy which began to penetrate Russia from the west in the closing years of Nicolas’ reign but fully conquered the radical left only under his successor. The spectacular achievements of chemistry and biology in the 1840s, especially the discovery of the laws of conservation of energy

of generations in a manner which the protogonists at once recognized it accurate. The young “nihilists” viewed the world in which they found themselves as a phase of human development.

Dmitry Pisarev, one of the idols of radical youth of the early 1860s, urged his followers to hit about them right and left, criticizing institutions and conventions, on the premise that whatever fell in the process was not worth saving. Such “nihilism” was motivated not by a total absence of values, but by the belief that the present already belonged to the past, and destruction, therefore, was creative. The radicals of the 1860s wished to create a new man. He was to be totally practical, free of religious and philosophical preconceptions, a “rational egoist” and absolutely dedicated servant of society and fighter for a rightful life.

The radicals were fully conscious how important was their small band confronting the full might of the autocratic state. However, they were not out to challenge the system politically. They were anarchists; their weapons were ideas where they felt they enjoyed clear superiority over establishment. The force of ideas would bring down states, churches, economies, and social institutions.

The Social Democrats, who became popular only in the 1890s, first abandoned this belief and shifted the emphasis to impersonal economic forces. Then Bolshevism found necessary to abandon reliance on impersonal economic forces, whose tendency rather pointed away from revolution, and revert to the traditional stress on the intelligentsia.

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On March 13, 1881 Tsar’s carriage was bombed by terrorists. Illegal group “Land and Liberty” criticized Russian government, they became real terrorists (“People’s Will”) and they killed the emperor.

Tasks 1. Answer the following questions:

1.What kind of personality was Alexander II?

2.Why the period of Alexander II reign was named the Great Reforms?

3.What reforms were undertaken under Alexander II?

4.Why Alexander II was known in Russian history as The Liberator?

5.Why Alexander II was killed by terrorists?

2.Watch video “History of Russian Empire” (Matteo Zilli, part 17 of 20) and summarize new information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvNrnVmfRKU.

3.Оpics for writing essay.

1.The scientific achievements of the 19th century and their impact on the Russian society.

2.Changes brought by Great reforms.

3.Nihilists: who they are?

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He was the last Emperor of Russia and the last of Romanov’s dynasty.

He ruled from November 1894 till March 1917. Nicolas was the fist, eldest son of Alexander III. Future Emperor received good education; he studied history, foreign languages and many other subjects. When he was 19 he joined the army and spent 3 years there. And after that Nicolas toured Europe and Asia for 10 months. In Japan Nicolas was wounded by religious man and he had a seam on his head.

So, Nicolas inherited Russian throne in 1894. Firstly, he managed to marry Princess Alex (Alexandra) of Hesse-Darmstadt within a month of his father’s death. His father didn’t approve this choice. The coronation was in May 1896.

The years 1900-1914 are full of events marking this time as extra ordinary years. In 1903 Great Trans-Siberian Railway was completed, it was connected Russia with the Pacific coast. This construction was a part of government’s efforts to strengthen the state. In the same year opposition had the second Congress in Brussels and then in London and created and organization (Marxist Russian Social-Democratic Working Party with V. Lenin at the head) which lead Russia to social revolution.

The main object of foreign policy under Nicolas II was maintenance status quo in Europe rather than conquer new territory. In 1904 Japan attacked Russian port and started the war against Russia. The reason was Russian influence in China and Korea. This war was disastrous conflict. Russian army was surrounded in Port Arthur. By spring of 1905 Russian fleet was decimated in the Battle of Tsushima. Nicolas was forced to start

in relations between state and society and “banquet campaign” took place in Russia. But revolution came. The beginning of revolution was Bloody

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Sunday in Saint-Petersburg in 1905 (9 January). A mass procession of workers with a petition for the Tsar was suppressed. Many thousands of people were shot by soldiers. Many different parts of society took part in revolution (workers, soldiers, peasants and students).

Under pressure of the revolution Tsar issued a Manifesto about the introduction of the Duma (a new advisory institution) and guaranteed civil liberties. It was the first time in Russian history. Nicolas’ relations with Duma were not very good. The first Duma with a majority of Constitutional Democratic Party came into a conflict with Him. And Nicolas disincorporated this Duma after it. The Second Duma resulted in similar problems. After this new Prime-minister P. Stolypin changed the electoral law to allow Duma to have more conservative representative in the future and to be dominated by the liberal-conservative Octobrist Party of A. Guchkov.

P. Stolypin as a skillful politician had ambitious plans of reforms which included making loans available to peasants to buy land for forming a farm. His plans were cut by conservatives at the Court. Stolypin was able to break up the traditional peasants’ commune and give land to every peasant for a farm. So, because of these reforms the years of 1907-1914 was a period of the relative stability. But in 1911 Stolypin was shot in the Theater in Kiev by a revolutionary man. The year before the writer Leo Tolstoy's death was accompanied by public acts and the wave of strikes broke in 1910 too.

In 1914 The First World War began and Russia took active part in it. Nicolas II appointed himself as a commander-in-chief. He spent much time in Tsarskoe Selo. At that time Empress fell under the influence of G. Rasputin. The only son of Nicolas II, Tsarevich Alexis suffered from hemophilia (a hereditary disease). As a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Empress Alexandra carried the gene of this disease, known as a royal disease. When Alexis was taken seriously ill in 1908, Rasputin was called to the royal palace. Gregoriy Rasputin was a monk with

Russian public blamed Nicolas II for his poor military decisions. During World War I Russian people experienced famine and economic collapse. Russian army had great losses: during this war 3.3 mln people were killed. Army was demoralized and suffered severe military setbacks: many soldiers deserted from the front lines.

By February 1917 new Revolution began in Petrograd (SaintPetersburg was renamed to Petrograd when World War I started because first name had German origin). At that time tsar was away in Mogilev. When he tried to get to Petrograd, the Duma prevented him from boarding the train and sent special group for meeting with him. On March 5, 1917 Nicolas II abdicated the throne and after it his family with him was exiled to the Ural Mountains. They were placed under house arrest. In October 1917 power in Russia was seized by the Bolsheviks. On July 1918 Nicolas II and all his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks near Ekaterinburg. Many years later in the beginning of 2000 they were buried in Alexandro-Nevskiy Lavra, where all Russian Emperors were buried, with royal honors. Orthodox Church canonized family of the last Romanov and made them saints in 1981.

Nicolas II was a devoted family-oriented man, focused on every day life of his beloved wife and children. But he was indecisive person and very poor statesman.

Tasks 1. Answer the following questions:

1.How can you describe Nicolas II as a person and Emperor?

2.What Nicolas II was famous for? Why he was known as the Bloody?

3.What events took place under Nicolas II?

4.Why he became the last Russian Emperor and last Romanov on the throne?

5.What was the reason of his and his family tragedy?

6.What was the reason of two revolutions in Russia?

2. Watch video “History of Russian Empire” (Matteo Zilli, part

18-19 of 20) and summarize new information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjaFYJFWFGg.

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3. Topics for writing essay.

1.The tragedy of Nicolas II and his family.

2.The figure of P. Stolypin in Russian history.

3.Why Russian Empire had its end?

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Lecture 11. VLADIMIR LENIN AND SOVIET RUSSIA

a Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist. Lenin’s father Ilya N. Ulyanov was from a family of serfs. From this

lower class he had risen to the middle class by his activity. Ilya Ulyanov was studying at Kazan Imperial University and then teaching at Penza Institute for the Nobility. He married Maria Blank, well-educated young woman. Lenin’s mother was from a family with German-Swedish and Russian-Jewish origin. After that Ilya Ulyanov started to work in Nizhniy Novgorod and became a director of Primary Schools in the Simbirsk district after six years. Later he got a position of director of public schools for the province and founded 450 schools according to the governmental programme. He earned the Order of Saint Vladimir and status of hereditary nobleman.

There were six children in Ulyanovs’ family: Anna, Alexander, Olga, Dmitriy, Maria and Vladimir, two of them died in childhood. Lenin’s parents were monarchists and liberal conservatives after Great Reforms. Vladimir attended classes at Simbirsk Classical Gymnasium. His father died when Vladimir was 16. After this tragedy Lenin’s behavior changed very much. His elder brother Alexander was a student of Saint Petersburg University and took active part in political agitation against monarchy and he involved Vladimir in it. Alexander Ulyanov was one of the conspirators who tried to kill Emperor Alexander III and for this he was arrested and executed by hanging.

Lenin continued his studying despite of this tragedy and left school with gold medal. Then he entered Kazan University, law faculty. He took active part as a member of zemlyachestvo and demonstrations against government. He was arrested, expelled from the University and exiled to his family estate Kokushkino. After his return he joined to revolutionary

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circle and came under influence of Karl Marx. His mother bought an estate in Alakaevka in Samara region to make Vladimir manage it, but he had no interest in farming. Therefore in 1889 the Ulyanovs moved to Samara. Lenin joined to discussion group of Alexey Sklyarenko. They translated the Communist Manifesto of K. Marx into Russian together.

Lenin took exams externally at Saint-Petersburg University and obtained a first-class degree with honors. He worked in Samara as a legal assistant at regional court and then as a local lawyer. In 1893 Lenin moved to Saint-Petersburg. There he worked as a lawyer assistant too. He founded Social Democratic party. Also, he hoped to have good

to K. Marx’s son-in-law and carry out research on Paris Commune. Lenin was financed by his mother. He had SPA procedures in Switzerland, after it he went to Berlin and studied in the library.

When Lenin returned to Russia he was arrested for a year for his illegal revolutionary activity. In February 1897 he was sent to exile for 3 years to Siberia. His mother and sisters went with him there. They lived in a village Shushenskoe under police supervision. Nadezhda Krupskaya came to exile to his place after she asked government to change a place for her exile.

In 1900 Lenin started preparing for publishing a newspaper “Iskra” (“Spark”). The party changed the name – Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. He became “Lenin” in 1901 probably it was connected with the river Lena in Siberia or because of the name in his new passport. After this Vladimir used this pseudonym till the death.

Lenin went to Germany again. Krupskaya became his personal secretary. The second congress of RSDLP splitted party into two parts:

“minoritarians” (Martov’s supporters) and “majoritarians” (Lenin’s followers). The third congress of the party took place in London, April

1905 after “Bloody Sunday”. Social Democratic Party took active part in the first Russian revolution.

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In 1910 Lenin went to Europe, attended the Eighth Congress of the Second International and spent time in France. He had a close friend there – Inessa Armand. In 1914 he faced the First World War when he was abroad, in Switzerland. He got a chance to come back Russia with his supporters. It is believed that German government helped them. Many historians thought that Lenin was sent to Russia by Germany to start revolution there and stop fighting against Germany.

Lenin arrived to Petrograd in April to Finland train station and gave speech to Bolsheviks. He asked to denounce Provisional Government as traitors. After demonstration in Petrograd Lenin was ordered to arrest. Provisional government proclaimed Lenin as German agent. After that he went to Razliv (a place near Finnish-Russian border). Lenin returned to Russia again in September only after Kornilov’s revolt.

At night of October 24 Bolsheviks captured Winter Palace, where provisional government had meeting. So, they got power. Lenin became a leader of new government.

Lenin introduced the New Economic Policy which would end food confiscation from peasants. This policy was necessary to ensure the survival of the Communist Party and became a measure of economic improvement. Lenin suffered a series of strokes 1922-1923.

Vladimir Lenin died in January 1924 at the age of 53. His body was laying for a week. His body was embalmed and displayed in special mausoleum first in London then in Petrograd. Petrograd was renamed to Leningrad after him.

Part II

Soviet Russia refers to the few years after the abdication of the Crown of the Russian Empire by Tsar Nicolas II before the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922. The history of Soviet Russia and the USSR reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. The terms “Soviet

Russia” and “Soviet Union” are synonyms in everyday vocabulary.

After February Revolution in 1917 the Mensheviks gained control of Russia and established a Provisional Government. But it lasted only until the Bolsheviks took power after October Revolution, also called

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