2. Alexander II Flashcards
Alex II
Tutored by…
Mikail Spernsky (reformer)
Vasily Zhukovsky (romantic poet)
= leading him to be far more liberal than father
Characteristics which showed him as ‘weak’
- Admitted to one of tutors in 1829 that he wished he hadn’t been born into it.
- “not strong character’
- More emphathetic and liberal.
- Travelled Russia and witnesssed backwardsness - 1837 visited 300 provances.
Emancipation of the Serfs
The Russian peasant
- 85% pop, 50% serfs.
- Rapid pop growth not matched with rapid productivity.
- “head of our domestic problems which we must tackle stands…the question of serfdom.” - Samarin, prominent Slavophile.
Emancipation of the Serfs
State peasants
Degrees of freedom, 1937 - able to own land
Emancipation of the Serfs
Serf’s life
- Lived dominated by Mir.
- Only action not avalible to owners = murder.
1. Obrok - paid rent and very mistreated.
2. Barishina paid in labour
Emancipation of the Serfs
Emancipation edict 1861
- Right of bondage forever abolished.
- Only applied to privately owned - state serfs freed 1866.
- Freed serfs to pay repemption payments, felt cheated.
- Landowners recieved compensation - nobility felt cheated as they lost land.
- 15% remained temporarily obligated until 1881.
Emancipation of the Serfs
Concequences for Tsar
- People critical of his actions, calls for a contitution.
- 647 peasant riots 1st 4 months of ‘61.
Emancipation of the serfs
Other concequences
- Nobility demanded political power in return for loss of serfs.
- 1861 - 1/4 farmers not self-efficient, 1900 - 1/2.
- 51 mil freed.
- Great origin for rev/opp groups.
- Landowners 115K to 107k.
- Land owned 200mil - 144mil acres.
Military reforms 1869-81
Reforms
- Conscription compolsory and reduced 25 to 15 years (plus 10 reserve).
- Abolished military colonies.
- Bettermed care.
- Military colleges = better training, punishments less servere.
Military reforms 1869-81
Effects
- Army = smaller and better trained.
- More money saved by gov.
- Quality of training improved.
Military reforms 1869-81
Limitations
- Opposed by nobility.
- Many didn’t want complusory service.
- Still relied on peasants = training ineffective.
- slow process of introducing new weapons.
Military reforms 1869-81
Motives
- Crimean war loss.
- Took up 1/3 gov expenditure + 45% spending.
- Poorly trained and unsucsessful.
Local gov reforms 1964
Motives
- Governers had no defined role.
- Lack of co-ordination (only 100,000 docs issued anually)
- Few personal staff to admin whole country.
- 50 occasions of peasant unrest each year.
Local gov reforms 1964
Reforms
- Zemstva established.
- to be elected by nobels
- town dwellers and peasant councils had general responsiblities for health, education, and infastructure.
Local gov reforms 1964
Effects
- Zemstva brought improvements to roads, healthcare, schools + developed transport.
- Nobels and councils gained political experience and many wanted to see if could be taken to national level.
- Members of professional third level began to make demands for social reform and living conditions.
Local gov reforms 1964
Limitations
- Zemstva introduced limited provances + slow to get going.
- Dominated by nobility who didn’t take responsibility seriously.
- Results were patchy.
- Local marshalls and gov vetod some decisions .
- Peasants didn’t really appreciate.
Financial and econ reforms
Reforms
- State bank founded 1866.
- Savings bank 1869.
- Systematic overhaul of national finances achieved 1862.
- Industrial growth significant.
- serfs freed = more incentive to work, promoted industry.
- 1860-1890 = annual coal production growth 1200%.
- Gov rev grew drastically .
- Tax collecting no longer carried out by private farmers but became regular national buracracy issue. No income tax but tax on products.
Education reforms
Motives
Alex II recorgnised modern state required more educated population after serfdom abolished.
Education reforms
Education decree
1863
provided establishments for 2 free primary schools and Zemstva ran schools.
Education reforms
Effects
- Increase in primary and secondary, alllowed peasants tp have new, higher aspirations.
- more acsess to higher education.
- secondary schools for woman.
- primary for all.
- mutual aid groups formed and communal kitchens and libaries.
Education reforms
limitations
- not all children achieved full education.
- only 30% literate after the reform.
- only 2% of pop attended uni
- intelligensia critisiced - made them view education as dangerous.
Judicial reforms 1864
Motives
- system took years
- most judges had no training and illiterate.
- courts relied on bribary, word of noble over peasant + man over woman.
- onlt relied on written evidence which wasn’t challeneged.
- police had great power.
Judicial reforms 1864
reforms
- simplified with fewer courts.
- judges paid good salaries - more independant.
- courts open to public.
- jury trials introduced for more serious criminal cases.
- more modern.
Judicial reforms 1864
effects
- fairer trials
- less corruption
- worked quicker
- costs nothing to appear in them.
- created a legal challenge, political authority - freedom of lawyers + juries independant.
Judicial reforms 1864
Limitations
- separate coruts for peasants - largely outside mainstream system.
- church coruts remained outside system + military courts.
- buracracy still intervened.
- mainly impacte large cities.
Censorship 1870
motive
to give people more freedom + allow people to form own opinions + be informed.
Censorship 1870
reforms
- newspapers and periodical no longer had to submit to prior censorship.
- could now discuss gov policy + jury trials.
Censorship 1870
effects
- created more relaxed atmosphere - led to huge growth in published books.
- more public opinion.
- some editors reported allowed social issues - enabled informed public.
Censorship 1870
limitations
- some became overly radical and were shit down
- bans implimented on certain topics
