2. Alexander II Flashcards
1
Q
Alex II
Tutored by…
A
Mikail Spernsky (reformer)
Vasily Zhukovsky (romantic poet)
= leading him to be far more liberal than father
2
Q
Characteristics which showed him as ‘weak’
A
- 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.
3
Q
Emancipation of the Serfs
The Russian peasant
A
- 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.
4
Q
Emancipation of the Serfs
State peasants
A
Degrees of freedom, 1937 - able to own land
5
Q
Emancipation of the Serfs
Serf’s life
A
- Lived dominated by Mir.
- Only action not avalible to owners = murder.
1. Obrok - paid rent and very mistreated.
2. Barishina paid in labour
6
Q
Emancipation of the Serfs
Emancipation edict 1861
A
- 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.
7
Q
Emancipation of the Serfs
Concequences for Tsar
A
- People critical of his actions, calls for a contitution.
- 647 peasant riots 1st 4 months of ‘61.
8
Q
Emancipation of the serfs
Other concequences
A
- 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.
9
Q
Military reforms 1869-81
Reforms
A
- Conscription compolsory and reduced 25 to 15 years (plus 10 reserve).
- Abolished military colonies.
- Bettermed care.
- Military colleges = better training, punishments less servere.
10
Q
Military reforms 1869-81
Effects
A
- Army = smaller and better trained.
- More money saved by gov.
- Quality of training improved.
11
Q
Military reforms 1869-81
Limitations
A
- Opposed by nobility.
- Many didn’t want complusory service.
- Still relied on peasants = training ineffective.
- slow process of introducing new weapons.
12
Q
Military reforms 1869-81
Motives
A
- Crimean war loss.
- Took up 1/3 gov expenditure + 45% spending.
- Poorly trained and unsucsessful.
13
Q
Local gov reforms 1964
Motives
A
- 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.
14
Q
Local gov reforms 1964
Reforms
A
- Zemstva established.
- to be elected by nobels
- town dwellers and peasant councils had general responsiblities for health, education, and infastructure.
15
Q
Local gov reforms 1964
Effects
A
- 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.
16
Q
Local gov reforms 1964
Limitations
A
- 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.
17
Q
Financial and econ reforms
Reforms
A
- 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.
18
Q
Education reforms
Motives
A
Alex II recorgnised modern state required more educated population after serfdom abolished.
19
Q
Education reforms
Education decree
A
1863
provided establishments for 2 free primary schools and Zemstva ran schools.
20
Q
Education reforms
Effects
A
- 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.
21
Q
Education reforms
limitations
A
- 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.
22
Q
Judicial reforms 1864
Motives
A
- 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.
23
Q
Judicial reforms 1864
reforms
A
- simplified with fewer courts.
- judges paid good salaries - more independant.
- courts open to public.
- jury trials introduced for more serious criminal cases.
- more modern.
24
Q
Judicial reforms 1864
effects
A
- fairer trials
- less corruption
- worked quicker
- costs nothing to appear in them.
- created a legal challenge, political authority - freedom of lawyers + juries independant.
25
# 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.
26
# Censorship 1870
motive
to give people more freedom + allow people to form own opinions + be informed.
27
# Censorship 1870
reforms
* newspapers and periodical no longer had to submit to prior censorship.
* could now discuss gov policy + jury trials.
28
# 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.
29
# Censorship 1870
limitations
* some became overly radical and were shit down
* bans implimented on certain topics
30
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