Alexander II Flashcards
Why did he reform?
The Crimean war
Growing peasant unrest
Serfdom prevented the introduction of modern methods of agriculture
Population growth
Fear of falling behind the West
There were demands from some politicians and entrepreneurs for more labour
In what ways was Russia behind the West when Alexander II came to power?
In 1800 Russia had been the world’s greatest producer of pig iron, by 1855 Britain produced ten times more
How many peasant revolts had there been since 1800?
1467
What was population growth like before Emancipation?
from 74 million in 1861 to 113 million in 1887
Why was serfdom an issue for Alexander II
Russia had an under developed banking system, making investment difficult and lacked a pool of labour for new industries.
Restricted enterprise
Open field farming in strips made the introduction of new farming methods unlikely
Serfs made up most of the army- they often had poor health e.g. Crimean War 25 million men were subject to service and only 800,000 served as most were exempted due to poor health.
Average life expectancy of a serf was 35 years
How did the Crimean War reveal Russia was backwards?
Serfs made up most of the army- they often had poor health e.g. Crimean War 25 million men were subject to service and only 800,000 served as most were exempted due to poor health.
Russia had been poorly supplied e.g. the State arsenals contained less than half the weapons they were supposed to have
What were the key positive terms of the Great Emancipation Statute?
Serfs were freed- they could marry who they wanted
Each peasant was guaranteed a minimum size allotment of land.
State serfs were allotted land twice the size of privately owned serfs
Serfs were free to take legal action
What were the key negative terms of the Great Emancipation Statute?
Labour services continued for 2 years
75% of allotments were less than 4 dessyatinas when in good soil, 5 dessyatinas were regarded the minimum to feed a peasant family
Landowners were compensated by the state on a very high valuation of the land
Freed serfs had to pay back the state redemption taxes for 49 years including interest at 6%. Only when these were paid did they have legal title to their land
Were still under superficial control of mir
What was the power of the Mir?
Local mir was responsible for paying redemption taxes, and could redistribute land.
Decisions about what was to be produced and how crops were cultivated were made by village elders.
Was Emancipation successful? LOA
It was inevitable that the serfs would have to be freed, but it was done on superficial terms and there was still a degree of control over them. Therefore it was mostly unsuccessful for the peasants.
Why was Emancipation unsuccessful for the peasants?
Afterwards on average peasants farmed 20% less land.
647 peasant riots in the following four months and troops had to be used in 447 cases.
Peasants had less land than before, when the growth of population is taken into account, land shortage became an increasing problem
Why was Emancipation unsuccessful for nobles and intelligentsia?
The nobles were unhappy- by 1905 owned 40% less land. They found their lands unprofitable and slowly sold it off to the peasants to pay off debts
To the intelligentsia the limited nature of the reforms proved that the Tsars government was incapable of meeting the needs of ordinary Russians. Therefore there was more revolutionary and terrorist activity.
What were the reforms to the army?
Length of service for conscripts was reduced to 6 years
Training of soldiers was made more humane and efficient
What were the reforms to local government?
Some historians argue that once the Emancipation had occurred, change to local government had to occur
1864 zemstva- townspeople and gentry elected colleagues, but village elders chose the peasant representatives
Zemstva were in charge of public health, prisons, roads, famine relief etc
1870 Dumas were set up in towns
How were the zemstvo successful?
All classes could be represented on the zemstvo
Doctors, lawyers, teachers and nurses could take part in politics for the first time
Zemstvo was a powerful voice- people could express critical opinions on the government
