Alexander II and reaction

Question 1

What happened to Alexander’s family in 1865? (2)

Answer 1

• Son died

- Wife withdrew from public appearances due to tuberculosis

Question 2

What distanced him from the reforming elements within his own family?

Answer 2

His mistress Catherine Dolgorukova

Question 3

What else made Alexander more aloof?

Answer 3

Assassination attempts

Question 4

How many assassination attempts were made on Alexander?

Answer 4

5

Question 5

Who did Alexander become less inclined to resist?

Answer 5

Reactionary Conservatives

Question 6

What did the reactionary conservatives believe? (2)

Answer 6

• Tsar’s reforms had gone too far

- The reforms had weakened the Church and the nobility

Question 7

What did the reactionaries fear? (2)

Answer 7

• The spread of ‘Western’ ideas through the liberal universities and freer press
• Ethnic minorities with their different religions were diluting Russian strength

Question 8

When did Alexander replace liberal ministers with conservative ones?

Answer 8

1866

Question 9

What was the change in the Minister of Education? (2)

Answer 9

Dmitry Tolstoy replaced Golovnin

Question 10

What was the change in the Minister of Internal Affairs? (2)

Answer 10

Aleksandr Timashev replaced Pyotr Valuev

Question 11

Who became head of the Third section?

Answer 11

Pyotr Shuvalov

Question 12

Who became Minister of Justice?

Answer 12

Konstantin Pahlen

Question 13

How did authority over schools change? (2)

Answer 13

• Zemstva’s powers were reduced

- The Church regained its authority over rural schools

Question 14

What were the higher gimnazii schools ordered to do? (2)

Answer 14

• Follow a traditional classical curriculum

- Abandon teaching natural sciences

Question 15

What happened to students at modern technical schools?

Answer 15

They were limited to higher technical institutions

Question 16

What happened in universities? (5)

Answer 16

• 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

Question 17

From 1871, what students could progress to university?

Answer 17

Only students from gimnaziya

Question 18

Why were more state teacher-training colleges set up?

Answer 18

To increase tsarist control, not for education

Question 19

What did Tolstoy reluctantly accept?

Answer 19

Moscow university’s decision to organise lectures for women

Question 20

What did many students choose to do?

Answer 20

attend universities abroad

Question 21

What did Pyotr Shuvalov do? (3)

Answer 21

• Strengthen the police
• Encourage the Third Section
• Step up the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities

Question 22

What did Pahlen do? (2)

Answer 22

• Ensured the judicial system made an example of those accused of political agitation
• Held “show trials”

Question 23

What happened in 1879? (3)

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

What were the intentions of the show trials?

Answer 24

Deterring people from revolutionary activity