A11 & 111 Flashcards
Russia in 19C
- deeply divided
- Russian orthodox = dominant church
- no nationalism
- Huge (Europe and asia ( 1/6 worlds total landmass)meant diifcult to control empire in centre due to problems in communication,railroad undeveloped in 1850s, roads hardpacked earth turned to mud
Russias people
the people
1859 – 70million
half population Russian
90% peasants
70% population members of Russian Orthodox Church
Nobles –
less than 1% ( given land estate and people to work land by tsar in return for services – picked by status)( act as judiciary and administrative officials)
Mir –
assembly households ran by peasants = security and support ( allocated land,made sure serfs fulfilled allocations
tsar =
autocrat, appointed by God ( ruled country with no restraints)
had an imperial council made up of nobles and cabinet of ministers
Huge bureaucancy of civil servants and officials who ran empire
1861 – signed emancipation
‘initially hailed’ called tsar liberator
however people disappointed with effects
land = higher prices , peasants poorer than ever-high debts, economy collapsing, agriculture decreasing
crimean war
Russia wants ottoman empire , takes adv knowing theyre weak– leads to war with the western powers
Russia starts attack, sends army to Moldavia – breaks Balance of powers where agreed to keep to areas of land
crimean war lost because…
Russia not as powerful as they thought – Napoleonic era ( napoleons defeated by Russia in 1815) lead to Russia arrogance/complacence
Russia deterioration since 1815 – had been considered greatest military power before
Britain and France =industrialised
Russia = Pre-industrialised
Russia not kept up with new technology , weapons , transport (wooden bottomed ships, no railroads south of Moscow so troops supplies transported along bumpy long roads)
bad leadership
large in number but made up of conscripts/peasants (huge army but not equipped)
Russia revealed as backward (economy)
Feb 1855- Nicholas 1 catches chill, under stress/pressure causes his death
Alexander 11 =
Feb 1855- Nicholas 1 catches chill, under stress/pressure causes his death
Alexander 11 – conceded defeat = new tsar, aware of changes he needs to make
New changes : INDUSTRIALISATION , provide money support
90% peasants – need them to work , peasants= tied to the land = EMANCIPATION OF SERFS
REFORMS ARMY
BUILDS RAILWAYS
Named Tsar liberator/reformer
Crimean war impacts on Russia:
Russian losses of more than 100,000 men , large No civilians
major shortages weapons,armaments,no infrastructure to enable men/material to move
empire destabilised – Ukraine=intense opposition to war,major peasant revolts
taxes raised
Russia dominant position gone
Treaty of paris – russia has to accept terms, lose control of Straits
Alexander 11 death
opposition , angry at alexander – educated society / radicals
different aims = republicism,democracy,violence
turned against tsarist regime
The Peoples will – led by Sophia Perovskaya
1879 – campaign to assassinate A11- bombings/assassins
1880 – dining room exploded = terror campaign
A11 plans for new legislative council to share power 1881
1881 4 assasins with grenaades murder him
skull shattered- brutal detah
died in winter palace
Why did alexander emancipate the serfs ?
- condition of peasants = prominent weakness in russia , improve quality of life/health = happier, . better for society . big group = priority
- landowners don’t care about wealthfare = immoral, need to improve society
-criticism of serfdom
- happier serfs= would support Russian army . improves military
- labour FORCE WOULD BE MORE ELASTIC, CAN MOVE
- free/independence = more productive workers = encourage agriculture
- preserve social order, better to abolish serfdom from above than to abolish itself from below
Course and consequences of emancipation
22 million serfs in agriculture society
2000 serf revolts . 1861 – 1000 serf revolts
Leo Tolstoy – 18 years old, had 11 villages, help out, dressed as them – set up schools – mostly illegitimate children . In 3 years - 14 schools
rumours of free land from the tsar – false
nobles also annoyed – only kept 2/3 of land – less important – debts – raplced role by Mir ( deciding land, sorting out tax )
serfs got 1/3 of land – worst land , had annual payments ( redemption)(removed 1907)
free but can only move within 20 mile radius
positive impact on Russia ;
serfs freed from feudal obligations
allocated land for needs
landlords received compensation
grant of freedom,civil rights
negative impact :
peasants indebted to state, onliged to redemption payments to obshcina(mir) over 49 year period
peasnats had to pay for land thry thought belonged to them , had always worked on it , believed real terms were concealed by landlords – riots of protest
peasants lost 4.1% of pre1861 agricultural holdings
Ukraine peasants lost 30.8% of former land
not enough good quality land avaialvle for distribution
nobilitys financial compensation was swallowed by settlement of debts – little investment in industry and agricultural yield
Russia = 6 hectolitres cereals compared to France and Prussia =9 and briatin = 14
Alexander 11 background
more autocratic than father, had values of duty,obedience,enjoyed military life,well educated, conservative wanted to preserve old system
sometimes said he was not very bright, not a a strong character, indecisive
power in 1855 feb
1837 – tour of 29 russian proviunces = built bond betw tsar and people = peoples approval
1839- European tour, met german princess marie of hesse-darmstradt – married in 1841 = 8 children
Emancipation
- 30 march 1861 alexander made speech to marshalls of nobility – signalled start of process
Reasoning for emancipation
- morally/ethically wrong , members of royal family has agreed , enlightened nobles agrred wrong to own somebody – affected by writers like Turgenev . radical intelligentista was growing
- risk of revolt – hag been concerns for social stability, peasant revolts since 1840s. ‘ better to abolish from above than abolish itself from below , worrying army was made up of peasants. Tsar was worried enough to order weekly reports on peasantry moods dec 1857
- crimean war drew attention to army of serfs – enlisted for 25 years then freedom .thought needed smaller better trained army with a reserve – conscripting ppeasants for shorter periods = thousands freed serfs with military training . how long loyal If badly treated
- enlightened gov officials = necessary to abolish for russian economy to advance . free labour more productive than forced = growth of domestic demand
key aspects of emancipation
Key aspects
- less land , difficult to maintain,yielded little food/profit – many had to work as hired labourers on remaining nobles land
- landowners received above market value for land they gave to peasants = peasants ripped off
-landowners kept 2/3 and could choose the land to give
- mir = strong powers- kept order. Collected redemption payments . if peasant left , land = to the mir, internal passports, made sure thousands of freed peasants didn’t move all over. Peasants tied to village
Consequences of emancipation
- peasants felt cheated = deep resentment – 1000 disturbances in 1861
one including over 10,000 peasants .. cut-offs (20%) handed to owners - nobles annoyed, stirred up criticism. Became bankrupt – landowner numbers dropped 115000 to 107000
- architect of emancipation , Nichola milyutin was sacked -appeased nobility who dint want serfom abolished
- revolutions in 1905 and 1917
local gov reforms
local gov 1864 = elected councils to run aspects of local gov eg roads, health, schools
(good concept-know the area)
electoral system favoured nobles
appointed professionals- teachers and doctors
1870 – extended to take in town councils
improvements in education
judicial reforms
judicial 1864-65 = simplified court system, independent salaried judges
courts open to press and public
trial by jury for criminal cases. Evidence/witness challenged
JPs for smaller cases
Separate peasant courts - overall successful – less corruption, more fair
problems- shortage lawyers trained, interference of bureaucracy prevented law applied universally
military reforms
military 1861-81 =
intent to make more professional army , ended use as punishment universal conscription all classes over 21 – less owners
m service reduced from 25 to 15 years, 6 active,9 reserve
military training = colleges- open to other classes-better education required
re-organisation of administration – 15 military districts
re equipped - modern rifles and artillery
to improve morale - corporal punishment reduced
(army still so big = hard to equip)
education reforms in early 1880s
education(1880s) = zemstva overtook responsibility to run rural schools
More schools built – 8000 to 23000 (1856-80)
quality of teaching increased, modernised
universites = greater freedom on curriculm,discipline
