Tsarist Society
The Tsar, the Peasantry, and Everything in Between
Under the tsarist regime, Russian society was heavily stratified. Four fifths of the population were peasants, but all power lay in the hands of a tiny ruling elite, at the pinnacle of which stood the Tsar.
The tsar's powers were absolute, considered to be conferred by God. Although a number of advisory councils existed to support him, they had no authority over the tsar, and were in any case appointed by him. Russia had been a tsarist autocracy from the mid-fifteenth century, and under this regime continued under the Romanovs. Although officially, Russia became an empire under Peter the Great, the title of tsar continued in popular use up to the fall of the Russian monarchy in 1917.
Key features of the tsarist system, aside from the autocratic government, were a deeply conservative clergy, an oppressive military, and a complex and corrupt bureaucracy, all of which were highly resistant to change and sought to preserve a form of government that had existed since the late middle ages. Among these groups existed a deeply ingrained prejudice - born of fear and contempt - towards the illiterate, uneducated masses.
The tsar's powers were absolute, considered to be conferred by God. Although a number of advisory councils existed to support him, they had no authority over the tsar, and were in any case appointed by him. Russia had been a tsarist autocracy from the mid-fifteenth century, and under this regime continued under the Romanovs. Although officially, Russia became an empire under Peter the Great, the title of tsar continued in popular use up to the fall of the Russian monarchy in 1917.
Key features of the tsarist system, aside from the autocratic government, were a deeply conservative clergy, an oppressive military, and a complex and corrupt bureaucracy, all of which were highly resistant to change and sought to preserve a form of government that had existed since the late middle ages. Among these groups existed a deeply ingrained prejudice - born of fear and contempt - towards the illiterate, uneducated masses.
Source A
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Source B
Social structure of the Russian Empire as defined by official category (as per the 1897 census)
Source C
Social structure of Russia as defined by class (as per the 1897 census)
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Source D: A Foreigner's Impression of Tsarist Russia
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References for this Page
Llewellyn, J., Rae, J., Thompson, S. (2014). Russian Society. Retrieved from http://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/russian-society
Lynch, M. (1992). Access to History: Reaction and Revolution: Russia 1894-1924 Fourth Edition. London: Hodder & Stoughton Educational.
Etty, J. (2009). Primary Sources in Russian History, 1801-1917. Corby, UK: First and Best in Education.
National Institute of Demographic Studies. (2004). The first national census of the Russian Empire in 1897. Retrieved from http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_lan_97.php
Llewellyn, J., Rae, J., Thompson, S. (2014). Russian Society. Retrieved from http://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/russian-society
Lynch, M. (1992). Access to History: Reaction and Revolution: Russia 1894-1924 Fourth Edition. London: Hodder & Stoughton Educational.
Etty, J. (2009). Primary Sources in Russian History, 1801-1917. Corby, UK: First and Best in Education.
National Institute of Demographic Studies. (2004). The first national census of the Russian Empire in 1897. Retrieved from http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_lan_97.php