Alexander II Flashcards
On what date did Alexander ascend to Tsar?
2 March 1855
What and when was the Treaty of Paris?
It ended the Crimean war (in defeat for Russia) on 30 March 1856
When was emancipation enacted?
3 March 1861
What were the positives of emancipation?
Kulak class emerged Showed a move to liberalisation Compensation gained by nobility was invested in industry
What were the limitations to emancipation?
Landowners lost influence, peasants were oppressed and nobility barely benefited
Mir enforced backward institutions
Redemption payments
Ex serfs tied to the peasant commune
What were the motivations for emancipation?
Peasant discontent
Boost a failing economy
Prevent rural poverty
Display a move of modernisation and liberalisation to compete with western nations
When was the zemstva established?
1864
What were the local government reforms?
Zemstva formed representative government (forum for debate)
Council elected through indirect voting that was a less corrupt system
Still favoured the noble vote and tsarist governors could overturn decisions
Who was the Minister of Education who reformed it in 1864?
Alexander Golovnin
What were the educational reforms?
Free primary education made available to all
Universities made self governing
Literacy and numeracy rates increased and welfare improved
Universities still required fee that eliminated poorer classes
How much did numbers in primary schools rise from 1856 to 1880?
Tripled from 8000 in 1856 to 23000 in 1880
When were the military reforms?
From 1862 to 1874
What were the military reforms?
Conscription made compulsory
Service length lessened to 15 years
Punishments reduced
Better weaponry
Was reorganised to be more efficient, profession and was less expensive
The wealthy could buy their way out of service
Issues of leadership remained
What were the Polish revolts?
Underground urban youth in Poland rebelled against Russian rule in favour of independence
The rebel armies weren’t effective and were successfully repressed by the Tsarist armies
Was met with Russification
When did the Polish revolt occur?
Jan 1863 - Apr 1864
Who was the Head of the Third Section under Alexander II and what happened to him?
General Mezenstev - assassinated by Land and Liberty in 1878
When were the judicial reforms?
1864
What were the judicial reforms?
Equality before the law established
Local Justices of Peace elected by Zemstva
Court proceedings opened to public
Was fairer and less corrupt but publicity of proceedings made jurors more lenient to the guilty
What percentage of zemstva assemblies were nobles?
74%
When were the censorship reforms?
1858-1870
What were the censorship reforms?
Relaxation of press censorship
Foreign publications permitted
Publications could comment on government policy
It was short lived as critical writing caused re-tightening in 1870s
By how much did the number of books published rise from 1855 to 1894?
1020 in 1855
1836 in 1864
10,691 in 1894
What were the Church reforms?
Attempt to eliminated corruption in Russian Orthodox Church in 1868
Who was Loris Melikov?
Minister of Interior during Alexander II who formulated liberal constitution (Loris Melikov Consitution) which suggested constitutional monarchy
Why were the liberal reforms countered?
Death of Alexander’s son and heir
Series of assassination (5) attempts from 1866 to 1880
Polish revolts 1863
What was the intelligestnia?
The more educated members of society including writers and philosophers who possessed humanitarian and nationalist concerns
How did Dmitry Tolstoy counter the liberal education reforms?
Censored education
Banned opinions provoking subjects in universities
Student organisations were banned
Women refused the right to education
What were the police and law counter reforms?
Increased work of the Third Section
In 1878 crimes were tried in secret and more people were exiled
Why was Russia economically backward in 1855?
Much of the landscape was inhospitable (Tundra)
Russia was vast so much of the land was untouched
A self based economy - backward in ideology and economic effectiveness
What was serfdom?
Russian peasants were the property of their owners who worked on land in village communes (Mirs)
Why was trading used instead of purchasing?
Money was irrelevant in the economy - there was no internal market demand
Why did industrial growth have to be promoted by the state?
Because their was no middle class to push the growth themselves
Who was the Minister of Finance from 1862-78?
Milhaud Von Reuters
When was Von Reuters Minister of Finance to and from?
From 1862 to 1878
What reforms did Von Reutern implement?
Reformed the Treasury New tax collections put in place Foreign investment encouraged Banks centralised - state led bank introduced in 1860 Import duties reduced in 1863
When was the first State led bank introduced?
1860
What were the pros of Von Reuterns reforms?
6% annual growth rate as enterprise increased
Railway network expansion
New industries emerged - oil and iron
What were the cons of Von Reuterns reforms?
Textiles remained the largest industry
Remained comparatively weak to western economies
A third of government expenditure went on repayment of debts
How much of government spending went on repayment of debts?
1/3
What was the annual growth rate after Von Reuterns reforms?
6%
Why was there still a land issue after emancipation?
High taxes
Grain requisitioning
Redemption payment
Traditional farming practises
Who was the little agricultural improvements credited to?
The Kulak class
What did Dmitry Milyutin say reform would do?
Reform would “strengthen the state and restore dignity” after Crimean war defeat
