Similarity and Difference (1881-1989)

Similarity and Difference in Leadership (1881-1989)

Alexander III (1881-1894) and Nicholas II (1894-1917) upheld Tsarist autocracy and resisted democratic reforms, whereas leaders like Gorbachev, from the late 1980s, tried to implement policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring).
Despite variations, leaders throughout this period sought to modernise Russia in some form. In the early 20th century, industrialisation was pursued under Sergei Witte and Stolypin’s agrarian reforms were aimed to modernise agriculture. Similarly, post-revolution leaders like Lenin and Stalin also made efforts to modernise Russia through policies like the Five-Year Plans.
A recurring theme is the tension between centralised control and autonomy. This is seen in Alexander III’s policy of Russification and Stalin’s centralisation under the Five Year Plans, contrasted with Khrushchev and Gorbachev’s attempts at decentralisation and liberalisation.

The status of the Russian Orthodox Church varied under different leaders. It was predominant under the Tsars, ruthlessly suppressed under Lenin and Stalin, and experienced a restrained religious revival under Khrushchev and Brezhnev.
The lives of the peasantry fluctuated drastically over this period. Under Stolypin’s reforms in Tsarist Russia, peasants were given land ownership, while under Stalin’s collectivisation, they were forced onto state-controlled farms.
The position and empowerment of women in Russian society also evolved over this period. Despite being repressed in Tsarist society, women saw an improvement in their social status in the Soviet era, with policies encouraging their participation in the workforce.

Under the Tsars, Russia primarily pursued expansionist policies, seen in the Russo-Japanese war. In contrast, initially post-revolutionary Russia adopted a policy of “world revolution” but under Stalin’s Socialism in One Country, it became more inward-looking.
Throughout this period, the tension with Western powers was a constant. It manifested in the form of conflict with Japan under Nicholas II, to the ideological and geopolitical clash with the United States during the Cold War.
While the Cold War era was marked by hostility and competition with capitalist countries, this decreased during the era of détente under Brezhnev, and finally led to the end of the Cold War under Gorbachev.