Alexander II and reaction Flashcards
What happened to Alexander’s family in 1865? (2)
- Son died
- Wife withdrew from public appearances due to tuberculosis
What distanced him from the reforming elements within his own family?
His mistress Catherine Dolgorukova
What else made Alexander more aloof?
Assassination attempts
How many assassination attempts were made on Alexander?
5
Who did Alexander become less inclined to resist?
Reactionary Conservatives
What did the reactionary conservatives believe? (2)
- Tsar’s reforms had gone too far
- The reforms had weakened the Church and the nobility
What did the reactionaries fear? (2)
- The spread of ‘Western’ ideas through the liberal universities and freer press
- Ethnic minorities with their different religions were diluting Russian strength
When did Alexander replace liberal ministers with conservative ones?
1866
What was the change in the Minister of Education? (2)
Dmitry Tolstoy replaced Golovnin
What was the change in the Minister of Internal Affairs? (2)
Aleksandr Timashev replaced Pyotr Valuev
Who became head of the Third section?
Pyotr Shuvalov
Who became Minister of Justice?
Konstantin Pahlen
How did authority over schools change? (2)
- Zemstva’s powers were reduced
- The Church regained its authority over rural schools
What were the higher gimnazii schools ordered to do? (2)
- Follow a traditional classical curriculum
- Abandon teaching natural sciences
What happened to students at modern technical schools?
They were limited to higher technical institutions
What happened in universities? (5)
- More liberal courses were replaced by a traditional curriculum
- Subjects that encouraged critical thinking were forced out (e.g. Literature, Science, Modern Languages and History)
- Maths, Latin, Greek and Divinity were encouraged
- Censorship was tightened
- Strict control over student activities and organisations
From 1871, what students could progress to university?
Only students from gimnaziya
Why were more state teacher-training colleges set up?
To increase tsarist control, not for education
What did Tolstoy reluctantly accept?
Moscow university’s decision to organise lectures for women
What did many students choose to do?
attend universities abroad
What did Pyotr Shuvalov do? (3)
- Strengthen the police
- Encourage the Third Section
- Step up the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities
What did Pahlen do? (2)
- Ensured the judicial system made an example of those accused of political agitation
- Held “show trials”
What happened in 1879? (3)
- Searches and arrests increased
- New governor-generals were established with emergency powers to prosecute in military courts and exile political offenders
- Radicals who had fled were liable to be tracked down and recalled to face justice
What were the intentions of the show trials?
Deterring people from revolutionary activity
