Alexander II
- Created by: LamisaAmber
- Created on: 10-05-17 11:39
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- Alexander II
- Emancipation of the Serfs 1861
- Successes
- Ushered in other reforms
- First monumental step towards modernisation
- Foreign and domestic trade grew
- Major economic statistics grow e.g. exports, income
- Kick starts economy - rail building, arms, metal works
- Failures
- Peasants resented redemption payments, nobles controlled best land still
- Small plots = couldn't enforce modern, efficient methods
- Tied to Mir - no mobile working force
- Still not modern state
- Tied to Mir - no mobile working force
- Technical backwardness remained, still subsistence
- Loss of status and power, loss of land
- Many attracted to intellectual groups opposing autocracy
- gave rise to revolutionaries
- Many attracted to intellectual groups opposing autocracy
- Why?
- Economically- preventing economic progress, no mobile work force. Low productivity levels
- Moral and Intellectual - pressure for reform from peasants and nobles
- Political - military defeats = power questioned
- Successes
- Other Reforms
- Local Government
- Elected local councils - Zemstvas created 1870
- Created a forum to criticise central government
- Powers to improve public services
- Dominated by nobles - lack of representation
- Illustrates a degree of representative gov at a local level
- Elected local councils - Zemstvas created 1870
- Military
- Compulsory conscription for all over 20
- Corporal punishment abolished, modern weaponry and provisions
- Judicial
- New legal system 1864 - introduced judge and jury
- Better pay for judges = less bribery and corruption
- ublic courts, freedom of press, fairer
- Education
- Universities could self-govern, appoint staff
- Responsibility for schooling passed from Church to Zemstva
- Secondary and primary education opened up to all classes and genders
- Primary schools grew from 8000 to 23,000 1856 -1880
- Secondary and primary education opened up to all classes and genders
- Responsibility for schooling passed from Church to Zemstva
- Universities could self-govern, appoint staff
- Economic
- Taxing farming abolished, new tax collection methods
- Gov subsidies to build railways
- Foreign investment encouraged
- Noticeable improvement but comparatively weak economy
- 1/3 gov expenditure on paying debts
- Foreign investment encouraged
- Gov subsidies to build railways
- Taxing farming abolished, new tax collection methods
- Local Government
- Counter-Reforms
- Judicial
- Strengthened police and 3rd Section to root out radicals
- Open show trials as a deterrent but gave revolutionaries publicity - gov looked incompetent
- Strengthened police and 3rd Section to root out radicals
- Censorship
- Reinstalled censorship = opposition, looks repressive
- Replaces liberal ministers with reactionaries = uprisings
- Reinstalled censorship = opposition, looks repressive
- Education
- Tight control reinstated - gov controlled curriculum
- Radicalised students - discontent
- Tight control reinstated - gov controlled curriculum
- Local government
- Power of Zemstva reduced, e.g. their control over education
- Ethnic Minorities
- Harsh policy against Polish, Finns, Jews after 1866
- Increased opposition to the regime from intellectuals
- Harsh policy against Polish, Finns, Jews after 1866
- Judicial
- Opposition
- Intelligentsia
- Largely radical students
- Inspired by Nihilist movement - need for action and more away from old system
- Determnied to change outmoded Russian ways
- Calls for more individual freedoms
- Largely radical students
- Populists
- 'Go to the people' - land redistribution and development of Mirs
- Greeted by peasant hostility - loyal to Tsar
- 1600 arrested by 1874
- 'Go to the people' - land redistribution and development of Mirs
- Land and Liberty
- Populists who evaded capture - more radical, better organised
- Accepted anarchist views, unsuccessful in rousing peasants
- Carried out assassinations e.g. head of 3rd Section
- People's Will
- Used violent methods - assassinated Tsar 1881
- Black Partition
- Georgi Phlekhanov - peaceful, created first Russian marxist organization 1883
- People's Will
- Carried out assassinations e.g. head of 3rd Section
- Accepted anarchist views, unsuccessful in rousing peasants
- Populists who evaded capture - more radical, better organised
- Amongst nobles
- Disillusioned with terms of emenacipation
- Reactionariesharder to quash than radicals
- Saw posssibility for further reform vs those who saw reforms as controversial
- Disillusioned with terms of emenacipation
- Intelligentsia
- Loris-Melikov Constitution
- Too late, got assassinated the day it was to be signed
- Famine 1879-80, industrial recession, Russo-Turk war 1877-78 = crisis
- Two attempts made on his life - attempts to widen democratic consultation
- Too late, got assassinated the day it was to be signed
- Terms: ministerial changes, concessions, release of political prisoners, relaxation of censorship, abolition of 3rd section, increase powers of zemstvas, national gov body
- Two attempts made on his life - attempts to widen democratic consultation
- Crimean War
- Consequences
- Defeat = humiliating, illustrated deficiencies in resources
- Backwards - no railways, poor outdated weapons, army = inefficient
- Questioned Russia's status as a great power - damaging to Tsar
- Consequences
- Emancipation of the Serfs 1861
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