The Fall of Tsarism in Russia

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The Fall of Tsarism in Russia

Some sources suggest that autocracy is outdated and the reason for the

collapse of Tsarist Russia. However, other sources suggest that

without the complications of war, Russia may have prospered. Tolstoy

and Kokovstov both have conflicting views. Tolstoy the pessimist,

believed that autocracy was an outdated form of government not suited

to 20th Century Russia. However Kokovstov the optimist thought that

Russia would have prospered if it wasn't for the Great War.

Source C uses an extract taken from Tolstoy's letter to Tsar Nicholas

II, three years before the revolution of 1905.

There was a significant growth in the army of secret police, which

indicates that the Tsar is not strong enough and needs a personal army

to enforce his authority. This is proved in events such as Bloody

Sunday whereby police open fire on innocent workers in a peaceful

protest for requesting descent pay and conditions. Russia had now

become a police state. As people are attacked for open thought and

speech, this furthermore proves Tolstoy's argument, "autocracy is

outdated".

"The policy of censorship continued to produce meaningless bans"

indicates that the government was out of touch with the Russian

citizens. This situation could be compared with Nazi Germany because

Russia appears to be a police state. Religious persecution was at its

worst, which shows that the Tsar was very dependant on Orthodox

Christians because they believed he was ordained by God. The situation

was getting worse because the government's policy of increasing taxes

had failed and now peasan...

... middle of paper ...

...hlighted the outdated form of government in Russia.

However Kokovstov is not completely correct as it may have been that

without war, Tsarism in Russia may have still collapsed. Tolstoy's

idea appears to contribute more as it is clear that autocracy was out

of date. The Tsar tried to handle too much responsibility all on his

own. The Russian people were extremely dissatisfied with Tsarism. Tsar

Nicholas II was gradually losing everything from the people of Russia

to his own personal army. The effects of war caused the necessary

levels of resentment to topple the Tsar therefore had Tsarism not been

out of date, maybe the war would have not been such a problem.

I will side with L. Tolstoy as all of my conclusions lead me to

believe that Tsarism was definitely out of date and for this reason a

revolution was inevitable.

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