1.1.2

Living & Working Conditions

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Living Conditions in Russian Cities

Industrialisation and urbanisation often worsened living conditions for people working in cities.

Results of industrialisation

Results of industrialisation

  • Count Witte's policy of industrialisation meant that lots of workers moved to cities for work. People often lived in cramped houses, but this was probably a better existence than living as a serf.
  • Trade unions only became legal in 1905.
Recession of 1899-1902

Recession of 1899-1902

  • Between 1899 and 1902 the Russian economy contracted and industry struggled.
  • There were bad harvests, which meant there was not enough food.
  • Foreign investors stopped investing money in Russia (as happened in Germany in the 1920s after the Great Depression).
  • Unemployment rose and as living standards fell, workers became more open to the ideas of communism.
Overpopulation

Overpopulation

  • A quarter of a million people moved to St. Petersburg between 1890 and 1900.
  • With not enough housing being built, more and more people lived in a fixed number of houses and living conditions fell.

Conditions in the Countryside

The 1890s were a challenging time for peasants, following the 1891 famine.

Famines

Famines

  • The 1891 famine led to revolts against landlords.
  • Bad harvests are often associated with rebellions and revolutions.
  • There was a very high birth rate in rural Russia. Contraception was not commonly used back then.
Urbanisation

Urbanisation

  • Urbanisation means that the number of people living in cities compared to the countryside increases.
  • Many peasants were landless and moved to the cities during the 1890s to escape the famine and find work. However, cities could not absorb this number of people.
Jump to other topics
1

The End of Tsardom

1.1

Russia's Economy & Society

1.1.1Industrialisation1.1.2Living & Working Conditions
1.2

Nicholas II's Autocracy & the Court

1.2.1Growth of Revolutionary Opposition1.2.2The 1905 Revolution & the October Manifesto1.2.3Reforming Russia Before 1914 - Stolypin1.2.4The Duma & Political Stalemate
1.3

The First World War

1.3.1The Impact of Military Defeats1.3.2Social & Economic Effects of WW11.3.3Romanov Unpopularity1.3.4The Tsar's Abdication1.3.5Top Grade AO2/3 - The End of Tsardom
2

Lenin's New Society

2.1

The Provisional Government

2.1.1The Failure of the Government2.1.2Social & Economic Problems2.1.3Lenin & Trotsky2.1.4The Growth of the Bolsheviks2.1.5The October / November Revolution2.1.6Top Grade AO2/3 - The Provisional Government
2.2

The Impact of Lenin's Dictatorship

2.2.1The End of the First World War2.2.2The Cheka2.2.3Red Terror & Centralisation2.2.4The Civil War & The Red Army2.2.5Propaganda2.2.6Top Grade AO2/3 - Early Bolshevism & the Civil War
2.3

Social & Economic Developments

2.3.1War Communism2.3.2The Kronstadt Rising2.3.3The New Economic Policy (NEP)2.3.4The Achievements of Lenin & Trotsky2.3.5Top Grade AO2/3 - Social & Economic Developments
3

Stalin's USSR

3.1

Stalin the Dictator

3.1.1The Power Struggle to Succeed Lenin3.1.2The Communist Party & Government3.1.3The Terror & the Purges3.1.4The Secret Police3.1.5Cult of Personality3.1.6Propaganda & Censorship under Stalin3.1.7Top Grade AO2/3 - Stalin's Dictatorship
3.2

Stalin's Modernisation of the USSR

3.2.1Collectivisation3.2.2Five Year Plans3.2.3Social & Economic Consequences3.2.4Social & Economic Consequences 23.2.5The Extent of Modernisation
3.3

Impact of the Second World War

3.3.1Stalin's Wartime Leadership3.3.2Political, Economic & Social Consequences of War3.3.3Top Grade AO2/3 - Modernisation of the USSR

Practice questions on Living & Working Conditions

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  1. 1
    What happened during the recession of 1899?Fill in the list
  2. 2
    What was the growth in the population of St. Petersburg from 1890 to 1900?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    What happened to living conditions in Russia as it urbanised?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    When did trade unions become legal in Russia?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    What helped to cause the 1899-1902 recession in Russia?Multiple choice
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Industrialisation

Growth of Revolutionary Opposition