of Population
Upper Classes / Royalty, nobility, higher clergy / 12.5%
Middle classes / Merchants, bureaucrats, professionals / 1.5%
Working classes / Factory workers, artisans, soldiers/sailors / 4%
Peasants / Landed and landless farmers (emancipated serfs) / 82%
Modern World History Name:______
Russian Revolution pd:______
Primary Source Activity
Directions: First analyze the primary source documents below. Pay attention to details in all three types of documents (census data, photographs, and book excerpt). Read the book excerpt carefully! Take notes and underline if needed! Then answer the questions concerning the documents. Finally, use the documents to write a letter to the Tsar from the perspective of a Russian Peasant.
Primary Source #1:
Data from the 1897 Russian Empire Census
Primary Source #2:
Image 1: Peasant family at their home.
Image 2:Russian Peasants “relaxing”
Image 3: Russian Peasant Farmers
Primary Source #3
Book Excerpt: Village Life in Late Tsarist Russia Chapter 9 Page 144 “Peasant Ideals: Money”
Larder- a small room where food is kept (before refrigeration)
Primary Source ActivityName:______
Questionspd:______
- What type of people comprised the upper classes of Russian society? What percentage of the population did this class make-up?
- What percentage of the population was considered part of the peasant class? What is a serf? (Look it up if you don’t know) Serfdom was only outlawed in Russia in 1861. How might the late eradication of this medieval practice influence the large number of peasants in Russia?
- Russia obviously lacked a middle class. You know from your previous studies that a middle class is the result of industrialism. Russia is not industrialized!How would Russia’s political and social development differ from industrialized nations?
- Examine Image 3. Does this farm land appear to be productive? Do you think peasants were able to earn a living off this land? Explain!
- The author says “peasants never have any money.” What do the peasants do with the little money they earn?
- How do the peasants feel about saving money? How does this attitude make Russia the perfect place for a communist revolution? Explain.
- Which class(es) of society do you think supported the Tsar before and after the revolution? Which class(es) would not have supported the Tsar? Why?
Letter to the TsarName:______
The year is 1904. Pretend you’re a Russian peasant. Luckily you’re literate! Congrats! You’re finally waking up to the fact that your life is awful and the Tsar is no longer an effective ruler. Since you are one of the few peasants who can write, pen a brief letter (1-2 paragraphs) to your autocrat.
Include:
-Details about your home, family, and farm
- What does your home look like?
- Do you have a husband/wife, children?
-You’re a farmer. Is your land productive? Can you feed your family? Can you make any money off your labor?
-What you think the Tsar can do to improve your situation.
-Take a stance on this new idea called communism that is sweeping over Russia.
- This means you either have to affirm your allegiance to the Tsar or basically tell him he’s a relic of the past.
Embrace your character!
-You can use your real name or give yourself a Russian name.
-You can take the perspective of a male or female, adult or child.
- Male peasants worked mostly in the fields.
- Female peasants performed domestic tasks, but often helped their husbands perform tasks for landlords.
- Children would either watch younger siblings, or once they were old enough, daughters would help their mothers with domestic chores (mostly watching the children) while sons would assist their fathers in the fields.