Alexander II Flashcards
When did Alexander II begin his reign?
1801
What reforms did Alexander II make? (6)
-Emancipation of the serfs
-Local government reform
-Judicial reform
-Military reforms
-Education reforms
When was the emancipation of the Serfs?
1861
When was the local government reform?
1864
When were the Judicial reforms?
1864
When were the military reforms?
1861-81
When were the Education reforms?
1863-64
What was the reason for the abolition of serfdom? (4)
-The moral case (Members of the royal family dating back to Catherine the Great thought serfdom was morally and ethically wrong)
-Risk of revolt (There had been serious peasant revolts in the past increasing since the 1840s)
-The Crimean War (Thousands of freed serfs with military training would be released back to their villages)
-Economic reasons (Many enlightened gov officials in Russia were convinced it was necessary to abolish serfdom if the Russian economy was to advance)
What was the process of the emancipation of the serfs? (4)
-Serfs were abolished and were now legally free
-Peasants would have land with their freedom
-Peasants still under the control of the mir
-Landowners were compensated for their loss of land
How many serfs were emancipated ?
23 million
What were the key aspects of the emancipation?
-Most peasants received less land than they had before
-Landowners received above the market value of the land they handed over
- The powers of the Mir were strengthened (Made responsible for collecting redemption payments and other taxes peasants had to pay)
What were the consequences of the emancipation?
-Nobles felt they hadn’t been compensated for the loss of their rights over the serfs
-Much of the money paid to the nobles went to pay off existing debts and mortgages
-The radical intelligentsia felt that the emancipation had protected the nobles
-Go ahead peasants called Kulaks started buying land off the poorer peasants
What were the key aspects of the Local government reform 1864?
- Introduced a measure of self-government at provisional and district levels
-Zemstva were elected by nobles town dwellers and peasants
Why was local government reform needed in 1864?
-To give back power to the nobility
-Modernise Russia
-Lack of structure in government
What were the consequences of the local government reform in 1464? (positives and negatives)
Positives
-Zemstva brought improvements to the area where they operated (Building better roads, health facilities and primary schools)
-Nobles gained political experience
Negatives
-Zemstva was only introduced to a limited number of provinces (19 provinces at the start and 37 out of 70 by 1914)
-Restrictions placed on their powers
-Peasants didn’t really participate (Put off by the nobility and resented paying the Zemstvo tax)
-The results were patchy
What were the key aspects of the judicial reforms of 1864?
-Judges were paid good salaries
-Civil and criminal courts open to the public
-The judicial system was simplified with fewer courts
-Jury trials introduced for serious cases
-Judges appointed by the tsar(control)
-Volost (Courts for peasants)
Why was Judicial reform needed in 1864?
-Takes too long
-Favoured the rich
-Most judges had no legal training and many were illiterate
-The police had the power to enforce fines and took bribes
What were the consequences of the Judicial reforms 1864? (Positives and negatives)
Positives
-Russians could get fairer trials
-JP’s courts worked quickly (cost nothing)
-Less corruption
-Defendant given protection
Negatives
-The reforms largely impacted the large cities
-Some courts remained outside the system (Church and military courts)
-Judges appointed by the tsar
-Bureaucracy could still intervene
What were the key aspects of the military reforms from 1861-81?
-Universal conscription
-Standard length of military conscription reduced to 15 years (6 active 9 reserve)
-Military schools for anyone
-Quantity and quality of weapons increased
Why was military reform needed in 1861-81?
-The army was expensive to run but wasn’t efficient
-To remain a world power, Russia had to be able to defend themselves
What were the consequences of the Military reforms from 1861-81? (Positive and negative)
Positive
-Officer training improved
-Saving of government spending
-Conditions improved for ordinary soldiers
- Modern rifles introduced
-Alexander II put friends and family in positions of power
-500,000 reserves (easily mobilised)
Negatives
-Roll out of weapons was slow
-Defeated by Japan
-Struggled to beat Turkey 1877-78
-Nobility unwilling to mix with peasants
What were the key aspects of the Education reforms
-New primary schools built open to all classes
- Between 1856 and 1878 the number of primary schools increased from 8,000 to nearly 25,000 with 1 million students in attendance
-Secondary schools are open to all classes and numbers doubled in the 1860s
-The curriculum was extended to include a wider range of subjects
-Higher education. was thoroughly overhauled and constraints were relaxed
-From 1865 to 1899 student numbers grew from around 4,000 to 16,000
Why was educational reform needed from 1863-64?
-Alexander recognised that a modern state required a more educated population
What were the consequences of the Educational reforms from 1863-64? (Positive and negative)
Positives
-The quality of teaching rose
-A more literate peasant population (had aspirations)
-Mutual aid groups formed for the underprivileged
Negatives
-Increased revolts due to people becoming more radicalised
-Divide for women (Can’t get a whole degree)
What were the key aspects of the censorship reforms of the 1860s?
-Newspapers and periodicals no longer had to submit to prior censorship
-Newspapers could discuss government policy and editors were given more freedom.
Why did opposition grow to the tsarist regime under Alexander II?
-Many radical intellectuals considered that emancipation had betrayed the peasants and it was kick-started by the revolutionary movement in Russia
-Much of the support for the new movement came from students
-They were fed by the flow of books and articles made possible by the relaxation of censorship
Who was the opposition under Alexander II and what did they want to achieve?
The populists - Inspired by the teachings of Peter Lavrov and believed in agrarian socialism based around the peasant commune
Black Partition - led by George Plekhanov wanted to promote revolution by peaceful agitation
The people will - Determined to use terrorist violence to achieve their revolutionary aims (Became focused on killing Alexander II and made a series of assassination attempts over the next 2 years until finally being successful on March 1881
Nobles that lost power
What were Alexander II’s views and actions towards ethnic minorities?
-Nationalities had to adopt the Russian culture, customs and religion
-The Polish Rebellion 1863 (Many people resented Russian control which led to civil disobedience and riots) - Pols put down by the regime
-100s of Polish noblemen were exiled to Serbia and their estates were given to Russians
-Alexander II cares more about control than racial superiority
-Did Not89 engage in systematic persecution of racial minorities and gave concessions as a means of keeping control (Decree in 1864 and 75 where Latvian and Estonians were allowed to revert to Lutheranism where previously Orthodoxy was demanded)
Life of Jewish people under Alexander II
-Most lived in poverty
-Wealthy and more educated were able to settle in other parts of the empire
-This was stopped after the Polish Revolution in 1863 and Jewish rights were restricted
Who was Alexander II’s support base?
-The nobility
-Merchants
-The third section
-The military
-The orthodox church
What was the terror under Alexander II?
-3rd section - Could reject publishers or editors of new periodicals on moral grounds (had informants)
-Exiles opposition to places such as Poland and Siberia to remove them from society
The army used to put down revolts
-Mass arrests
-Konspiratsia
