Alex III Political Flashcards
What in Alex’s childhood could have influenced his later rule?
- Not born 1st in line, Brother Nicholas died in 1865
- Influenced by his reactionary tutor Pobedonostev who viewed Liberalisation as a threat to the state as well as being a vocal anti-semite
What was Alexanders Personality
- Suspicious of anything western
- Appeared to others as crude and unintelligent
- Bullied and abused Ministers
What evented started his reign
- The gruseme assasination of his father
When did the reign of Alex III start
1881
Why is it wrong to dismiss Alexander as a backwards looking reactionary
- He was well aware of the need to modernise Russia economically
- However unable to grow Russia Socially and politcally
How did Alexander begin his reign
- Public hanging of the revolutionary assasins
- Published 1881 “Manifesto on Unshakable Autocracy”
- Issued a Law on Exceptional measures (marshal law in localities and powers of imprisionment)
- Abandoned the Loris-Melikov reforms of his father
- Reforming ministers resigned
What was Alex’s policy of Russofication
- Attempt by Alexander and Pobedonostev to merge all the races in Russia into a shared Russian National identity by enforcing the Russian Language and Culture
- In 1885 Russian became offical language and Public office closed to people who could not speak it
- Alex didn’t disingush between historically loyal minorites e.g Finns and historically rebellious e.g Central Asian Muslims
- This increased opposition to ALex from many sections of Society
When was Russian made the offical language and public office closed to those who didn’t speak it
1885
How did Russofication affect Baltic Germans inc dates
- 1885 to 1889 Russian enforced in state offices, schools, police and judicial system
How did Russofication affect the Polish
1885 All schools had to teach russian with the exception of the Polish language and religion
How did Alex deal with revolt
- He mercilessly Crushed revolt
- Guriya, Georgia, 1892
- Armenia 1886
Why was Russofication neccesary
- To counteract German “Germanification” near borders
- Austria - Hungary was growing weaker and many in government viewed this as due to a failure to impose a unifiying national policy on its differnet nationalities
- Aided Economic development
- Used to strenghten autocracy by reducing prevalance of reformist mentalities
Describe anti-semitism in Alex’s early reign
- 1881 –> 1884 a series of Jewish pogroms in the pale of settlement
- May laws of 1882 limited the settlement of jews and further limited their prospects of social progression
- 1887 number of jews admitted to schools and university limited by quota 10% in Pale, 5% outside, 3% in the capitals
- 1897 - Jews banned from participating in local elections
What did Pobedonestsev say about the Jews
- “One third should emigrate, one third assimilate, one third die”
Who lead the Okrana between 1881 and 1884?
- Vyacheslav von Plehve
What was the importance of the 1882 statute on Police Survailance?
- 1882 any area of the empire deemed to be an “area of subversion” police could search, arrest, detain, question, imprision or exile anyone who committed a crime, but also who they thought likey to commit crimes, knew or where related to people who committed crimes
What event during Alex III’s reign promted the greatest calles for reform
- Great Famine 1891/92
- Tsarist Buerocracy failed to adequately react
- Zemstva system mangaged most of the relief work
- The famine was a turning point - Orlando Figes
- By the mid 1890’s there was renewed calls in for a national advisory body
What was the importance of Georgi Plekhanov
- Leader of “Emancipation of Labour” group in Switzerland
- Translated and smuggled Marxist writings into Russia
- Limited impact at the time, the smuggler was arrested
- However his development of the two-stage strategy was vital for advancing marxism in Russia
What event arguably radicalised Lenin
- Execution of his brother
- Aleksandr Ulyanov
- For creating bombs with the intent to kill Alexander III
- Reformed the Peoples Will
- March 1887
Factors which suggest a growth in internal opposition did threaten Tsarism 1881 to 1894
- Some terrorist plots in the 1880’s aimed at destablising Tsarism
- Growth of towns and cities in the 1890’s and smuggling of Marxist documents meant marxist ideas could be more easily spread
- Opposition was not eradicated but driven below ground, exiles continued to spread awareness from abroad, many would return
- Famine 1891/92 refocussed attention on plight of the peasants. Polulist ideas returned around turn of the century in Uni students
- Liberal ideas persisted in Intelligencia, late 1890’s marked return of liberal sentiment. Dinner parties were a forum for democratic debate umong the educated and businessmen
Factors suggesting Internal oppostion did not threaten Tsarism
- Harsh treatment of fathers killers in 1881 set tone for period of reaction
- Statute of State security gave police arbitrary powers of arrest, Secret police prevented formation of even bengin student groups
- Rural areas controlled through Land Captains from 1890
- 1890 Zemstva act recuduced power of Zemstva
- Any opposition that Existed was tiny and exerted little influence
- Population remained overwhelmingly loyal to the Tsar
