Problem of Reform in Imperial Russia
- Created by: peanutbutterlove
- Created on: 12-05-14 09:10
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Problems of Reform in Imperial Russia
- Many members of ruling class believed that major reforms were needed
- The major barrier was a disagreement about Russia's true character as a nation:
- 'Westerners' believed Russia would have to adopt the best features of the political and economic system of Western European countries
- 'Slavophiles' urged Russia to preserve itself as 'holy Russia' by glorying in its Slav culture and separate historical tradition
- The autocratic structure of Russia was also a bar to planned reform:
- Change could only come from the top
- No tsar would introduce measures that might weaken his authority
- Significant periods of reform were a response to some form of national crisis or humiliation
Local government reform
- Alexander II was quite a reforming Tsar:
- Emancipated the Serfs in 1861
- Set up Zemstvos (network of elected rural councils) in 1864
- Zemstvos were not truly democratic:
- Voting regulations heavily weighted against the poor
- Zemstvos in the hands of the landowners
- Did provide Russia with a form of representative government:
- Offered some hope to those who longed for an extension of political rights
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Legal reforms
- Number of legal reforms introduced:
- Simplify court procedures that had led to corruption and injustice through delays
- Alexander II relaxed controls over the press and universities
- This encouraged the development of an intelligentsia
- NB: Intelligentsia - Cross-section of the educated, literate and more enlightened members of Russian society:
- Wanted to see Russia adopt progressive changes
- Critical of the tsarist regime
Limited nature of the reforms
- Alexander II saw reform as a way of lessening opposition to the tsarist system
- 'Introduce reform from above to prevent revolution from below':
- Reforms greeted with enthusiasm by progressives in the intelligentsia
- Alexander…
- Number of legal reforms introduced:
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