Socio-Political+Structure

Socio-Political Structure Back

**Classes:** • Before the 1800s Russia had a social structure farmiliar with many dictartorships. • In the late 19th century new social classes began to emerge along with the modernization of Russia’s economy. • The 1890s was the ‘great spurt’ of industrialization in Russia. • The 1897 census of Russia: • Ruling class (tsar, court, government) 0.5% • Upper class (nobility, clergy, military) 12.0% • Commercial class (merchants, entrepreneurs, financiers) 1.5% • Working class (factory workers, small traders) 4.0% • Peasants 82.0% • Over 80% of the population were peasants, and they were mainly illiterate. • The ruling class despised the peasants and denied them of free expression. • Aristocracy stood at pinnacle of Russian society. • In 1900 there were 79 aristocratic families owning land of about 46,000 hectares each. • These families tended to concentrate of raising livestock and forestry. • Usually possessed large areas of timberland in the Urals (the mountains). • Families would also own urban property and securities. • Aristocrats were enormously wealthy. • Peasants also despised these people, for example, during the 1905 – 1906 revolution peasants often destroyed the products of their enterprise, such as vineyards, livestock and machinery. • This provoked a reaction from the gentry from 1907 onwards, they politically were opposed to reforms. • The lower commercial classes were made up of office staff, shopworkers and artisans. • They were active in the period of 1905 - 1906 in campaigning for higher wages and better conditions. • The craft industry produced a large variety of goods. However, artisans were desperately poor. • In Russia there was always a large divide between the peasants and workers and the aristocrats even in times of civil rest. • Life for workers and peasants was filled with violence, such as fist-fights, gang warfare and lawless behaviour. • Class rivalry was countered to an extent to the existence of monarchist sentiment. • The tsar was still respected, particularly among peasants, as a semi-divine being. • Peasants were more likely to become politically agitated in those regions where there was the highest population density. • The population of the Russian empire rose from 74 million in 1860/64 to 164 million in 1909/13. • The birth-rate remained steady but the death-rate decreased from 37 per 1000 in the 1860 to 27 in 1000 by 1914. • This was due to better nutrition than to better medical care. • Russians tended to marry young and have, on average, nine children half of which died young. • Strong community pressure to maintain this traditional lifestyle.