GCSE History | Russia and the Last Few Years of Tsarist Rule

History Quiz - Russia: 1905-1914 - Tsarist Russia (Questions)

Explore Tsarist Russia from 1905 to 1914 and see how autocracy, reform, and growing unrest shaped society under Nicholas II before the First World War began.

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Fascinating Fact:

Rapid industrialisation created growing cities such as St Petersburg and Moscow. Many factory workers faced low wages, long hours, and poor housing.

In GCSE History, this topic looks at Tsarist Russia between 1905 and 1914. You explore how Nicholas II ruled, why opposition grew, and how industrial and social change increased tension.

Key Terms

Autocracy: A system of government where one ruler holds almost all power and does not have to share it with an elected parliament.
Duma: The Russian parliament set up after the 1905 Revolution to advise the Tsar and pass laws, although its powers were often limited.
Industrialisation: The rapid growth of factories, railways, and heavy industry that changed where people lived and how they worked.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What was Tsarist Russia like between 1905 and 1914?

Tsarist Russia remained an autocracy, but it faced growing pressure from workers, peasants, and middle class groups. There were limited reforms, continued censorship, and repeated outbreaks of unrest.

Why is the 1905 Revolution important in GCSE History?

The 1905 Revolution is important because it forced the Tsar to grant the October Manifesto and create the Duma. It also revealed the depth of opposition to Tsarist rule across Russia.

How did industrial growth affect people in Tsarist Russia?

Industrial growth drew many peasants into cities to work in factories. This created crowded housing, tough working conditions, and new groups of workers who could organise strikes and protests.

Try These Related Quizzes

Where was the treaty signed that brought the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 to an end?

[ ]	Brest-Litovsk
[ ]	Portsmouth
[ ]	Vladivostok
[ ]	St. Petersburg

Of which political group was Trotsky a member when he took part in the 1905 Revolution?

[ ]	Bolsheviks
[ ]	Social Revolutionaries
[ ]	Mensheviks
[ ]	Kadets

Which warship of the Russian Black Sea fleet was seized by its mutinous crew during the 1905 Revolution in an incident later made famous by the Soviet-era film-maker Sergei Eisenstein?

[ ]	Aurora
[ ]	Potemkin
[ ]	Sverdlovsk
[ ]	Anastasia

What was the name of the Tsar's son (the Tsarevitch) who suffered from incurable haemophilia?

[ ]	Alexander
[ ]	Nicholas
[ ]	Paul
[ ]	Alexis

Which one of these was not a daughter of Nicholas and Alexandra?

[ ]	Tatiana
[ ]	Olga
[ ]	Marie
[ ]	Saskia

Which nominal province of the Ottoman Empire was formally annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908, causing concern to the Russian government about Austrian expansion eastward, and thus unleashing a full-scale international crisis?

[ ]	Bosnia
[ ]	The Sanjak of Novipazar
[ ]	The Banat of Temesvar
[ ]	The Voivodina

Which of Nicholas II's ministers followed a two-pronged approach of simultaneous repression and reform, until his assassination at the Kiev Opera House in 1912?

[ ]	Plehve
[ ]	Pobedonostsev
[ ]	Protopopov
[ ]	Stolypin

In 1892 Nicholas II's predecessor, Alexander III, entered into a formal military and diplomatic alliance with France, directed principally against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Under this agreement France supported Russia against these two central powers in 1914. What name was given to this Franco-Russian treaty?

[ ]	The Dual Alliance
[ ]	The Entente Cordiale
[ ]	The Dual Entente
[ ]	The Re-Insurance Treaty

In 1913 the Romanov dynasty celebrated a major anniversary as Tsars. How many years were they celebrating on the throne?

[ ]	400
[ ]	300
[ ]	200
[ ]	500

10.

In July 1914 Russian troops were put on a war footing by the Tsar's government in an attempt to forestall an Austrian attack on Serbia, supported by Germany. What is this process called?

[ ]	Mobilisation
[ ]	Enlistment
[ ]	Conscription
[ ]	Recruitment

History Quiz - Russia: 1905-1914 - Tsarist Russia (Answers)

Where was the treaty signed that brought the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 to an end?

[ ]	Brest-Litovsk
[x]	Portsmouth
[ ]	Vladivostok
[ ]	St. Petersburg

The Tsar's government had no choice but to accept Japan's terms

Of which political group was Trotsky a member when he took part in the 1905 Revolution?

[ ]	Bolsheviks
[ ]	Social Revolutionaries
[x]	Mensheviks
[ ]	Kadets

A coalition of opposition parties briefly came together to oppose the Tsar's regime during 1905-6

Which warship of the Russian Black Sea fleet was seized by its mutinous crew during the 1905 Revolution in an incident later made famous by the Soviet-era film-maker Sergei Eisenstein?

[ ]	Aurora
[x]	Potemkin
[ ]	Sverdlovsk
[ ]	Anastasia

The incident was of little consequence at the time. It was the only imperial warship to be affected, and it could not leave the confines of the Black Sea. However, Lenin used the event for propaganda purposes after the Bolshevik success in 1917

What was the name of the Tsar's son (the Tsarevitch) who suffered from incurable haemophilia?

[ ]	Alexander
[ ]	Nicholas
[ ]	Paul
[x]	Alexis

He was the youngest in a family of five. His illness cast doubt on his ability to serve effectively as Tsar come the time when when his father would eventually die

Which one of these was not a daughter of Nicholas and Alexandra?

[ ]	Tatiana
[ ]	Olga
[ ]	Marie
[x]	Saskia

Alexandra gave birth to four daughters before she eventually had a son

[x]	Bosnia
[ ]	The Sanjak of Novipazar
[ ]	The Banat of Temesvar
[ ]	The Voivodina

The Turkish Empire, dubbed the "Sick Man of Europe", was in gradual decline as some parts of its European territory were seized by neighbouring states while others made independent bids for sovereignty

Which of Nicholas II's ministers followed a two-pronged approach of simultaneous repression and reform, until his assassination at the Kiev Opera House in 1912?

[ ]	Plehve
[ ]	Pobedonostsev
[ ]	Protopopov
[x]	Stolypin

As long as Russia was not at war and her economy thrived, the Romanov dynasty was quite likely to survive

[ ]	The Dual Alliance
[ ]	The Entente Cordiale
[x]	The Dual Entente
[ ]	The Re-Insurance Treaty

Russia feared both German and Austrian expansion. France seemed an obvious ally, determined to recover the lost provinces of Alsace-Lorraine, and ensuring that Germany would have to fight a two front war in the event of conflict involving either party