Alexander II Flashcards
What was the social structure of Russia ? (Peasants)
1)The population in 1859 was around 70 million over 90 percent were peasants living and working in the country side
what was the social structure of Russia (nobility)
1) Nobles made up less the on percent of the population
2) Nobles had been given landed estates by the tsars in return for the land the nobles would provide services for the tsar most usually as officers in the armed forces or as public officials in the capital or the provinces
3) idea of rewards for services
4) administration and keeping order, the vast size of Russia and poor communication meant it was impossible to maintain control through a central government, Russia had far few less state officials and nobility helped lead that role acting like judiciary and administrative officials
Middle class
Small group in Russia due to large blue to the absence of industry on a large scale
Merchants who played an important part on russias trade with the rest of the world
Weren’t really a dynamic force in society
Where was labour service most common for peasants
In the black earth region in south and east of Moscow where land was fertile and agriculture was the main activity
The Mir
Presents were subject to controls exercised by the village commune. It provided securing and support and ensured equitable distribution of land
• allocated land- however was inefficient with time and wasted moving between strops. Arable decisions were controlled so it was hard for enterprising peasants
•elder peasants who restricted change
Workers
Russia had not experienced an industrial revolution like Britain abs Germany so there were few large scale industrial workers by the 1850s. Working conditions were applying
Russian Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church was intimately bound with the autocracy since the Tsar was the gods lieutenant on earth
The church excreted a huge amount of influence over the peasants
Tsarist government
The tsar was an autocrat and a supreme ruler to his subjects •no parliament •rule the country without constraints •Imperial council Cabinet of ministers but only to advice •pivot at the centre of the system
What was the bureaucracy
- the top ranks of the bureaucracy was ran by the nobles
* there was an arbitrary nature of decision making
What was the third section
there was a system of surveillance an extensive network of Agnes’s
Role of the army
Largest in the Europe and was important for status in Russia
How long was army conscription
25 years taken out of village but 15 with good service records
How was the army crucial for tsarist regime
Used to suppress internal revolts and disturbances
How was Russia shocked into reform?
Loss in the Crimean wear was a huge shock to the Russian regime
The defeat revealed 1) poor communication
artillery were outclassed
quality of leadership was bad
Summary of the reforms
After the Crimean war even conservative statesmen in Russia accepted that the tsar
System needed major reform since it was lagging fat hind it’s European neighbours
Serfdom was main problem
Westerners and slavophiles
Spvophiles rejected plarimentraism Individualism rationalist and Athiesism and believed in autocracy
Westerners believed that Russia should adopt certain political values from the west
When did Alexander Asend in power
Feb 1855
Abolition of serfdom
Made a speech about serfdom of signalled the start of the emancipation edict
Serfdom and moser statehood was incompatible
Moral the reasons for abolishing serfdom
Morally wrong and evil
Emancipation risk of revolt
Serious peasant revolts in the past and increasing disturbances since the 1840s
He wanted to avoid revolution
The Crimean war reason for emancipation
The Crimean war has drawn attention on the army which no you was comprised of peasants
Military reforms could only be done if serfs were emancipated.
Economic reasons for reform
Needs wet to whoosh serfdom
If the Russian economy was to advance. Nicholas milyutin proposed this
They believed that you needed a free labour market where peasants could move around to where they could be most productive
1861 emancipation proposed
Serfdom was abolished and serfs were now legally free they could marry who ever travel vote in local elections and trade freely
Own land and houses
Redemption payments for 49 years
Still under Mirs control which was strengthened
Nobility still policed
Three key aspects of the arrangement- Emnacipation
1) received slightly less land
2) land owners received above market value for land
3) Mir power was stengethen mainly for administrative reason and a mechanism for keeping order
Internal passports
Tiedto village
The consequence of emnacipation
Presents felt like they had been cheated they had to pay for land and redemption payments and caused deep resentments 1000 disturbances in 1861
Diminished quickly
How did nobles feel about emnacipation
Nobles felt like they lost power and influence because of it
A lot of criticism from gentry
How did intelligencia react to eman
They reacted badly as they felt like it protected the nobles and cheated the peasants. Led to opposition
Who were the kulaks
Enterprising peasants
Why did Alexander sack libreral ministers
Nicholas mulyutin did this to appease the conservative nobility who did not want serfdom to be abolished Didn’t want to offend the ruling class on whom his regime depended on
Local gov reform 1984
The government that introduced a measure of self government at provincial and district levels
Zemstva was elected by nobles
Electoral system was favoured by nobles
Responsible for health education and maintainance of roads and bridges and local economic affairs -third element
Consequences of zemnstva
-improvement of areas which they operated the nobles and gained political expelevces managing their own affairs and many wanted to see this taken through to a national level
Demands for social reform and improvements in living conditions
Zemstva weakness and limitations
Zemstva initially was a slow start up Powers of taxation Dominated by nobility Results were patchy Peasants did no participation
