Alexander II - Politics

Question 1

The emancipation edict 1861

Answer 1

-51 million serfs freed
-cottage and land for every freed serf
-49 years of redemption payments
-must remain in mirs until payments finished
-15% of peasants temporarily obligated to their landlords until 1981

Question 2

Mirs + Volosts

Answer 2

-Mir is a peasant commune responsible for land redistribution, controlling farming and taxes
-volosts supervised the mirs
-ran their own courts from 1963
-consisted of 200-300 people from multiple mirs

Question 3

Reasons for emancipation

Answer 3

-Would strengthen autocracy, reduce revolt risk
-Brother, Aunt and Milyutin brothers all more liberal
-Party of St Petersburg progress, progressive nobles

Question 4

Local Government Reforms 1864-70

Answer 4

-creation of the Zemstva, district and provinicial levels
-1870 extended to towns, dumas created

Question 5

How the Zemstva worked

Answer 5

-chosen through electoral colleges for townspeople, nobles, church and peasants
-given power to improve public services + industry
-Nobility dominated - 74% in provincial , 42% district
-no power over taxes and decisions could be overturned
-made of men who understood local area

Question 6

Judiciary Reforms

Answer 6

-1864
-equality before law - local, provincial and national courts
-innocent until proven guilty, lawyer could be appointed
-criminal cases had barristers and a jury
-justices of peace appointed every 3 years by zemstva
-courts opened to public and could be recorded

Question 7

Alexanders later years

Answer 7

-eldest son dead, wife had tuberculosis
-distanced from more liberal figures in his life
-tolstoy replaced golovnin as education minister
-timashev replaced valuev for internal affairs
-shuvalov - third section, pahlen - minister for justice

Question 8

police counter reforms

Answer 8

-shuvalov strengthened police, encouraged third section
-searches and arrests increased
-governor generals established 1879

Question 9

judiciary counter reforms

Answer 9

-pahlen held show trials to deter revolutionaries
-failed, in 1878 political crimes went to secret courts
-trial of 193 revolutionaries, 153 aquitted
-Vera Zalusich shot governor Trepov and was found not guilty 1878

Question 10

Loris - Melikov constitution

Answer 10

-Mikhail Loris-Melikov appointed internal affairs
-released political prisoners, relaxed censorship, lifted zemstva restrictions, removed salt tax
-proposed liberal ideas in a report - signed by the tsar
-tsar died same day, 13th March 1881

Question 11

A2s response to polish rebellion

Answer 11

-reacted strongly to the polish rebellion in 1863
-200,000 poles created an underground national gov
-engaged in guerrilla warfare against russia, crushed 1864

Question 12

A2s acceptance of ethnic minorities

Answer 12

-allowed latvians and estonians to revert to lutheranism through decrees in 1864 and 1875
-allowed finns to have their own parliament (diet)

Question 13

Attitude to minorities at the end of A2s reign

Answer 13

-growing intolerance from ministers and administrators
-prohibition of the ukrainian language in performances/publications 1876