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A Level AQA Russia: 1894-1917 Questions and
Correct Answers/ Latest Update / Already Graded
(RECAP) What did Vyshnegradsky contribute to in 1891 and what were its
effects? How did Nicholas II react?
Ans: 1891 - Russia experienced the Great Famine
Exposed bureaucracy, civil society had to be mobilised
Led to conversations about the efficacy of autocracy
Zemstvos pressed for more autonomy
More liberal zemstvo men(Prince Lvov) demanded a national assembly
Nicholas denounced these as "senseless dreams"
How did Nicholas rule in his early years?
Ans: Continued the policies of Alexander III, emergency powers of 1881 were
kept roughly intact, Russification pursued VIGOROUSLY
Witte = Finance Minister, drove industrialisation and modernisation forward
How did industrialisation threaten the stability of the regime?
© 2025/ 2026 | ® All rights reserved
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Ans: Millions of peasants pouringinto cities created volatility and social tension
Many workers concentrated in large complexes and huge factories, made it easy
to organise strikes
More education workforce(which Witte favoured) with high literacy(57.8 percent
in 1897) able to read political literature and develop independent views
Growth of middle classes pressured political change for a more accountable and
representative government
How did workers change as the 1890s progressed?
Ans: Became more militant
Began resenting working and living conditions
Textile workers in St Petersburg(vast majority were women) held massive strikes,
30k spinners and weavers in 1896 and 1897
Marked the arrival of genuine proletariat
Forced the government to concede the only significant piece of factory legislation
- restricting the working day to eleven and a half hours
How was strike action encouraged?
© 2025/ 2026 | ® All rights reserved
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Ans: The Marxist Social Democrats were active in encouraging strikes, peaked
in 1899 and involved nearly 100,000 workers
Government could only deal with them via repression, arrests, imprisonment,
exile and execution
Special factory police force established in 1899, units stationed permanently near
large industrial works
How did students act in the 1890s under Nicholas II?
Ans: A protest that started against government restrictions on universities
turned into huge demonstrations in 1891, as students were beat with whips by
police, arrested their leaders, and drafted some into the army
Middle classes were horrified by the brutality, many students were radicalised
Thousands joined the Social Revolutionaries
What state was Russia in as it began to enter the 1900s?
© 2025/ 2026 | ® All rights reserved
, 4 | Page
Ans: Unstable and volatile
1898-9 Famine in Central Volga
International recession after 1900, which caused a deep depression - affected all
of the economy, workers hit by falling wages and unemployment, widespread
industrial action
Workers returned to villages to stir up peasant revolt(there was already huge
anger about taxes and high rents)
Poltava province saw the first wave of peasant violence in 1902 - caused by
landlords withdrawing land used to feed families or renting at exploitative rates
Peasant revolts throughout the countryside in 1902-3, an air of internal disorder
spread
Government responded with repression, prisons filled with political prisoners
Leo Tolstoy wrote his famous open letter, the regime faced growing opposition
and some turned to ideas of revolution
Who was Sergei Zubatov and how did he respond to problems in the cities?
© 2025/ 2026 | ® All rights reserved
A Level AQA Russia: 1894-1917 Questions and
Correct Answers/ Latest Update / Already Graded
(RECAP) What did Vyshnegradsky contribute to in 1891 and what were its
effects? How did Nicholas II react?
Ans: 1891 - Russia experienced the Great Famine
Exposed bureaucracy, civil society had to be mobilised
Led to conversations about the efficacy of autocracy
Zemstvos pressed for more autonomy
More liberal zemstvo men(Prince Lvov) demanded a national assembly
Nicholas denounced these as "senseless dreams"
How did Nicholas rule in his early years?
Ans: Continued the policies of Alexander III, emergency powers of 1881 were
kept roughly intact, Russification pursued VIGOROUSLY
Witte = Finance Minister, drove industrialisation and modernisation forward
How did industrialisation threaten the stability of the regime?
© 2025/ 2026 | ® All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
Ans: Millions of peasants pouringinto cities created volatility and social tension
Many workers concentrated in large complexes and huge factories, made it easy
to organise strikes
More education workforce(which Witte favoured) with high literacy(57.8 percent
in 1897) able to read political literature and develop independent views
Growth of middle classes pressured political change for a more accountable and
representative government
How did workers change as the 1890s progressed?
Ans: Became more militant
Began resenting working and living conditions
Textile workers in St Petersburg(vast majority were women) held massive strikes,
30k spinners and weavers in 1896 and 1897
Marked the arrival of genuine proletariat
Forced the government to concede the only significant piece of factory legislation
- restricting the working day to eleven and a half hours
How was strike action encouraged?
© 2025/ 2026 | ® All rights reserved
, 3 | Page
Ans: The Marxist Social Democrats were active in encouraging strikes, peaked
in 1899 and involved nearly 100,000 workers
Government could only deal with them via repression, arrests, imprisonment,
exile and execution
Special factory police force established in 1899, units stationed permanently near
large industrial works
How did students act in the 1890s under Nicholas II?
Ans: A protest that started against government restrictions on universities
turned into huge demonstrations in 1891, as students were beat with whips by
police, arrested their leaders, and drafted some into the army
Middle classes were horrified by the brutality, many students were radicalised
Thousands joined the Social Revolutionaries
What state was Russia in as it began to enter the 1900s?
© 2025/ 2026 | ® All rights reserved
, 4 | Page
Ans: Unstable and volatile
1898-9 Famine in Central Volga
International recession after 1900, which caused a deep depression - affected all
of the economy, workers hit by falling wages and unemployment, widespread
industrial action
Workers returned to villages to stir up peasant revolt(there was already huge
anger about taxes and high rents)
Poltava province saw the first wave of peasant violence in 1902 - caused by
landlords withdrawing land used to feed families or renting at exploitative rates
Peasant revolts throughout the countryside in 1902-3, an air of internal disorder
spread
Government responded with repression, prisons filled with political prisoners
Leo Tolstoy wrote his famous open letter, the regime faced growing opposition
and some turned to ideas of revolution
Who was Sergei Zubatov and how did he respond to problems in the cities?
© 2025/ 2026 | ® All rights reserved
