Alexander II Flashcards
What can Alexander II be called
Tsar liberator
How far was Russia’s boundaries to the pacific ocean
6,000 KM
What percentage of the population did nobles make up
Less than 1%
What percentage of the population were peasants
Over 90%
What was the population in 1859
Around 70 Million
What did serfs have to pay
Dues
What was the Mir
Village commune ran by peasants themselves
How did the Mir control peasants
(egalitarian)Allocating land- who deserves what- depending on size of household
On private estates it made sure that Peasants fulfilled their obligations in labour or payment
Was the Mir allocating land efficient
No
Strips weren’t improved
strips changed hands often
How could the Mir be seen as positively
A source of cooperation and mutual support
How could the Mir be seen as negatively
Source of petty jealousies and rivalries
What was the main farming method
Three field rotation system
What percentage of the population were members of the Russian orthodox church
70%
What did most peasant huts have for religion
An Icon
-religious painting to show devotion
What did Russians believe about their own religion
That they kept the true faith
- Holy Russia
What was the secret police called
Third section
When was the Crimean war
1853-1856
What 3 weaknesses did the Crimean war show
Russia’s poor communication
Russia’s artillery were outclassed by the British and French
Efficiency of army and military leadership questioned
What impact did the Crimean war have on Russias image
Casted doubt on Russia as a major power
What impact did the Crimean war have on Russia’s image
Casted doubt on Russia as a major power
What did the top echelons of society believe the main cause for the Crimean war defeat was
Russia’s backwardness
When was the siege of Sevastopol
September 1855
What was the significance of the siege of Sevastopol
Heavy defeat following other defeats
How was communication and transport a failure in the Crimean war
No railway to deploy resources and troops
- Equipment arriving more slowly than Britain and France
- No industrial revolution
When was the Treaty of Paris
March 1856
What did the Treaty of Paris signify
Signified humiliation of defeat
- Russia had failed to defend their territory
- Russia couldn’t use warships in black sea even in times of peace
What did Alexander II do in 1837 to win support
Went on a tour of 29 Russian provinces
-Went to places where no other member of the imperial family had been
What was the effect of Alexanders tour in 1837
Great success
First Tsar to consider the importance of the peoples approval
-built a bond between the people and Tsar
What was Alexander II beliefs
Sensitive and had a humane perspective on the world
-Firm believer in autocracy
-Firm believer in Russia’s special identity
Who helped carry out Alexanders reforms
Grand Duke Constantine
What did Grand Duke Constantine do to help carry out Alexanders reforms
Played an important role in assembling talented younger officials to work on reforms
What was the moral case for emancipating the serfs
Serfdom was morally and ethically wrong
What did Nicholas I say about serfdom
“Serfdom was evil palpable and obvious to all”
Did the majority of nobles want emancipation due to moral reasons
No
What did Alexander II say about abolishing Serfdom
“It is better to abolish Serfdom from above”
Why was risk of revolt a reason for emancipation
Serious peasant revolts on the past
- Majority of army was peasants
What was the significance of the army being mainly composed of peasants
Government would find it difficult to contain a major uprising
Why is Risk of revolt not a significant reason for emancipation
Some nobles feared that major reform would provoke serious revolt
- Thought peasants would see it as a sign of weakness
-Thought peasants may be disappointed by them
Why did military officials believe that emancipation was necessary
Believed Russia needed a smaller army
- Peasants would serve a shorter time
-thousands of freed serfs would return to their villages with military training- (Risky)
- military reform could only be achieved if serfdom was abolished
What was the economic argument for emancipation
free labour was better than forced labour
When was emancipation
1861
When were state serfs emancipated
1866
What could peasants do following emancipation
Marry who they wanted
travel
trade freely
vote in local elections
(legally free)
How were the peasants still controlled
Mir had control of peasants
How was the Mir affected by emancipation
Mir made stronger
What were redemption payments
Payments peasants had to make over 49 years to pay off the land as the government had bought the land
How many serfs were emancipated
23 Million
When were the 22 emancipation statutes
19th February 1861
How long was the transitional period after the February proclamation
2 year transition period
Why was the Mir made stronger
For administrative reasons
- Mechanism for keeping order in countryside
What were the Mirs new responsibilities
Responsible for collecting redemption payments
If a peasant left the Mir the land would go to the Mir- peasant couldn’t sell
Issued internal passports
instead of being tied to the Lord the peasants were tied to the village
What land were the peasants given
Given the worst land- yielded little food or profit
Did the peasants pay a fair price for the land
No
The landowners recieved above market value for the land
What was the peasants reaction to emancipation
Felt they had been cheated
-Deep resentment felt
How many disturbances were there in 1861
Over 10,000
-quickly dealt with
From 1862-1905 how much did nobles landholding reduce by
Reduced by 37 Million Desyatina (Russian measurment of land)
Which peasants benefitted from emancipation and what did they do
Kulaks, bought land off poorer neighbours
Why did Alexander II dismiss Nicholas Milyutin( architect of emancipation
appease the conservative nobility
What did the dismissal of Nicholas Milyutin show
Tsar didn’t want to damage any of the ruling class
-Nobody was satisfied with the arrangement’s
What long term affects did Emancipation have
Influenced the 1905 and 1917 revolutions
Who became war minister in 1861
Dimitri Milyutin
What were the issues with the structure of the legal system before reform
huge variety of courts- cases transferred taking a very long time
rules had to be followed including the word of a noble being taken over a peasant
What were the issues with the judges before reform
Most judges had no legal training and were illiterate
How was the judicial systems structure changed in reform
system simplified with fewer courts
-Civil and criminal courts were open to the public
What changes were made to judges following the legal reforms
Judges given security of tenure
high salary to prevent bribery and corruption
What were the results of the judicial reforms
Russians could get a fairer trial than before
During the 1860s/70s what type of people came into positions
independent and articulate profession
came to fulfil the roles of prosecutors and defenders
How did independent courts challenge the political authority of autocracy
independent source of authority existed
-Idea of rule of law came into the public
What did the new freedom for lawyers result in
The courtroom became a place to challenge the government- genuine free speech in courtroom
What were the weaknesses of the judicial reforms
separate courts for peasants meant that they were largely outside of the mainstream legal system
When was the Vera Zasulich case
1878
Who did Vera Zasulich shoot and wound
the governor of St Petersburg
Who did the witnesses in the Vera Zasulich call in
brought in political prisoners who were pale and worn after months of imprisonment
What was the result of the witnesses in the Vera Zasulich trial
Moved the jury and public
Vera Zasulich case dismissed
Who led the military reforms
Dimitri Milyutin
What was changed to officer training in military reform
Army training radically improved
Military colleges established
From 1862-1870 how much did military conscripts increase by
210,000-500,000
What was the positive economically with the army
following the reforms
significant saving in government expenditure
Army was smaller
When were the military reforms
1861-1881
when were the education reforms
1863-64
What changes were made to universities during the reforms
Constraints relaxed
-universities could govern themselves
-Women could attend university
What type of university professors were appointed
Forward thinking liberal ones
What is an example of a forward thinking liberal professor appointed
Famous doctor and educational theorist Nicholai Pirogov
What percentage of professors leave their posts from 1854-1862
50%
When were the local government (zemstva) reforms
1864
What percentage of the Zemstva was made of nobles
40%
Where were the Zemstvas made in
Provinces where Russians were the ruling elite
Who did the Zemstva employ
Teachers
Doctors
Lawyers
(proffesionals
what were the professionals that the Zemstvo appoint called
The “Third element”
what is a weakness of the Zemstva reforms regarding the nobility
Dominated by the nobility
- Nobles took advantage and own interests
What was the peasants opinion on the Zemstva
Didn’t really participate and resented paying the zemstvo tax
Which figure was positive and liberal for the zemstvo
Prince Lvov
Who attempted to kill Alexander II in 1866
Karakazov
How did Alexander II change his educational reforms
Favoured Latin/Greek over modern ones
Crackdown in university and discipline
Who replaced Golovin as minister of education
Tolstoy
What change was made over student activities in Alexanders reactions
Strict control of student activities
Who was appointed as head of the third section in Alexander II reaction
Pyotr Shuvalov
-Increased strength of police
What happened to courts in Alexanders reaction
Courts could be sent to military and heard in secret
What was the result of the education reaction
Enforcing tsarist control
What was the Gymnazii ordered to follow in the reactions
Follow a traditional curriculum
