Social developments to 1914: change and conditions of working and living in towns and countryside; cultural changes
Between 1855 and 1914, rapid industrialisation transformed how Russians lived and worked. Cities grew fast, peasants flooded into factories, and new ideas began to challenge traditional Russian culture.
Real World
A St Petersburg factory worker in 1900 might earn just enough to survive on black bread and cabbage soup while working a twelve-hour shift six days a week — conditions that made Marxist revolutionary pamphlets, passed hand-to-hand in factory dormitories, genuinely appealing.
Exam Focus
Link urban social conditions directly to the growth of socialist opposition — this causal connection is frequently tested and scores well in 'explain' and 'how far' questions.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
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