Alex II Opposition 1855-1881

Question 1

Why did Alex II reforms lead to opposition

Answer 1

Growth and independence of universities
More students and professors
Professional lawyers
Zemstva provided a forum for debate

Question 2

Who formed the moderate opposition

Answer 2

Westernisers
Slavophiles

Question 3

What did Westernisers want

Answer 3

Copy western ways
Wanted a National Assembly

Question 4

What did Slavophiles want

Answer 4

Reform but in a Russian way
Believed Russia was superior

Question 5

When were Slavophiles strong and when did they decline

Answer 5

Strong in 1881, but started to decline, especially after the 1891-92 famine.

Question 6

Who was a key Slavophile writer

Answer 6

Leo Tolstoy

Question 7

When was the great famine

Answer 7

1891-92

Question 8

Who helped in the great famine 1891-92

Answer 8

The Zemstva - provided the relief work
Tsarist government were inactive

Question 9

When was Young Russia formed

Answer 9

1862

Question 10

How many shops did Young Russia destroy in St Petersburg

Answer 10

2000 shops
Also set a series of fires

Question 11

When was ‘The Organisation’ formed and by who

Answer 11

1863
By Moscow university students

Question 12

What happened in 1866

Answer 12

Student Dmitry Karakozov (noble birth) shot at, but missed, Alexander II

Question 13

What happened in 1867

Answer 13

Polish immigrant fired at Alexander II’ carriage

Question 14

How did Alex II restrict Polish liberties after the Polish Revolt

Answer 14

1864 - the property of the Polish Roman Catholic Church was seized 1869 - New Warsaw University was closed

Question 15

When was the Polish Revolt

Answer 15

1863-64

Question 16

What was the aim of Pyotr Lavrov

Answer 16

Aimed to mobilise the peasantry into a revolutionary force by inspiring them with messages of socialism and anarchism

Question 17

What political idea was Pyotr Lavrov associated with

Answer 17

Populism

Question 18

What year did Lavrov first try and go to the peasantry? With how many people?

Answer 18

1874

2,000 young people

Question 19

Why were 2,000 young people going to the countryside

Answer 19

Raise peasants awareness of how they were still being exploited and oppressed despite emancipation

Question 20

How did the first attempt of going to the people go

Answer 20

Bad
Many peasants didn’t understand the ideas of the populists
Around 1,600 populists were arrested, often handed over by the peasants who remained loyal to the Tsar

Question 21

How many populists in the first attempt to go to the people got arrested

Answer 21

1,600

Question 22

When was the second attempt at going to the people? How did it go?

Answer 22

1876

Bad

Question 23

What was the third populist group called

Answer 23

Land and Liberty

Question 24

When was Land and Liberty set up

Answer 24

1877

Question 25

What was different about Land and Liberty

Answer 25

Better organised
More radical
Live alongside peasants for longer
Advance Bukunin’s anarchist ideas
Attempted assassinations

Question 26

In 1878 who had Land and Liberty assassinated? What was worrying about this?

Answer 26

The head of the Third Section

Public support for the assassins

Question 27

What year did Land and Liberty split

Answer 27

1879

Question 28

Which two groups did Land and Liberty split into

Answer 28

‘Black Partition’

‘People’s Will’

Question 29

What tactics did the Black Partition use

Answer 29

Longer-term tactics being developed through living and working with the peasants

Question 30

What tactics did the People’s Will use

Answer 30

Terrorist tactics which aimed to destroy the Tsarist autocracy through violence and assassinations

Question 31

Who led the Black Partition

Answer 31

Plekhanov

Question 32

Who led the People’s Will

Answer 32

Mikhailov

Question 33

How many assassination attempts on Alex II were conducted by the People’s Will

Answer 33

3