Alexander II reform Flashcards
two divisions of serfs
obrok and barschina
obrok serfs
pay rent
barschina serfs
pay w/ labour
who had abolished serfdom but not granted land
baltic states of Estonia livonia and Kurland 1816 -1819
evidence of Nicholas I against serfdom
‘evil palpable to all’ - ten secret committees but little change
problems w/ serfdom
-no consumerism
-corruption
-unrest
kulak
rich peasant
Izba
peasant hut
usab’bd
land around cottage
what is slavophilism
supremacy of Russian + slav culture over western
Political causes Alexander reform
-abolish from above before serfdom revolts from below 50 million countryside peasants mourning 600,000 Russians in Crimea war
crimean war as cause for reform
-50 million countryside peasants mourning 600,000 Russians in Crimea war
what was period 1855 to 1860 one of
reform
period mid 1860 - 1881
reaction
two strands of debate for Alexander II
-slavophils = look to Russian inner strength
-westerners = sought to copy reforms of Western Europe
evidence of contemporary westerner
B chicherin
Alexander did not want to reduce power of autocracy but make it
more efficient
evidence of peasant uprising as a cause for emancipation
1825 Decembrist revolt - unsuccessful but demonstrates autocracy could not continue if no acceptance of reform
when was emancipation edict
march 1861
evidence of peasants remain tied to state
redemption payments to their obshchina ( village mir / commune) for 49 years
evidence peasant riots after emancipation
647 riots - (some angry at loss land / believe landlord concealed the real terms of the edict)
how much land did peasants lose
4.1% of pre 1861 agricultural holding
BUT what can be said about protest immediately after
Graham derby ‘ immediate protests but then relative peace for 40 years’
Graham Derby evidence of economic benefit
overall production increase 122% - as peasants adopt new techniques and crops
debate on impact of obschchina control on peasant movement and internal passports
-Gerschenkron ‘ retardation of economy as no freely mobile workforce’
-Falkus ‘ internal passports issued quickly w/ 2-3 million no land peasants = large pool available labour’
Overall opinion on economic advancement in Russia
-despite mild agricultural success osbschina payments + restriction on peasant movement = fails to produce consumer society
what should be considered the real significance of emancipation
provide impetus for further reform
case study of peasants misunderstanding
Bezdna village - believe ‘true freedom’ granted + landowners were concealing real aims ( as they were illiterate) 100 peasants killed in revolt
by 1905 how much less did the nobles earn
40% less than 1861
what did the edict cause for the landowning class
damaged economic fortune + signalled downturn in Socio economic status
CA to nobles disadvantaged from edict ( to be disproved)
543 million roubles payed in redemption payments
disprove stat on success in redemption payment landowner
as 62% private owned serfs mortgaged to state 248 million roubles absorbed by creditors
who were the Milyutin Brothers
Nicholas Alexander (drafted emancipation edict) + Dmitriii ( minister war 1861-81)
what did Milyutin want to do in military ?
form a smaller more efficient + less expensive army
3 examples of military reform
-service no longer a court punishment
-conscription 25 yrs –> 15 yrs
-modern weaponry introduced - augment efficiency
when were military reforms put into place
1875
However issue in military
-officer class made of aristocrats + illiterate peasants could not benefit from education therefore remains peasant conscript army - 1878 Turkey victory took longer than expected against a decaying nation
further example of military defeat
1904-05 Japan defeat
example of Russia failing to recover military international position
-1878 Congress Berlin - Britain Germany + Austria demand russia had to scrap treaty San Stefano w/ creation of Big Bulgaria
what was Treaty San Stefano 1878
end Turkish war + Russia gains large Bulgaria under Russian control ( lost at Congress Berlin)
Local Government - what left a void
abolition of patriarchal authority of local gentry
1864 what did Milyutin put into effect?
-local councils - zemstva
-elected through electoral colleges of each societal group
evidence of mild reform in zemstva
made up of liberal intellectuals = room for debate + criticism on central gov
However reality of zemstva
no control over taxes + appointment officials - 1914 only 43/70 provinces had established provincial assembly
what should zemstva be deemed?
‘innocuous organs of central gov’ - presidents appointed + cannot levy taxes - nobles regain some control
as a result of control over zemstva
produced some educational reforms operating within limited scope
who led to zemstva becoming ‘innocuous organs of central gov’
-minister interior Valuev persuades Alexander II of dangers of peasant power
evidence of judicial reform
-volost courts w/ peasant judges elected every 3 yrs by peasants
-freedom of press - cases recited in ‘The Russian Courier’
-judges given better pay = less bribery
-25 defects discovered and improved
however evidence of corruption
Vera Zasulich 1878 shot gov of St Petersburg + found not guilty as Jurys detest governor - case discredits jury system
problem in education + solution
previously controlled by church now by zemstva - ministry education primary skills 8,000 to 23,000 1880
evidence of expansion education -
primary skls doubled to 800,000 in first decade reign
further evidence of education success universities
students from 3,600 to 10,000 by 1870s
however downside of education success
increase radical + militant thinkers = gov need to reassert control
what was press allowed to do in 1865
print editorials w/ comments on gov policy
growth in number books under censorship laws
1,000 1855 to 10,600 by 1894
however by end of Alexander’s reign censorship
becomes tighter again as growth critical thinking 1873 Tsar bans topics of discussion
who was minister finances 1862-78
Von Reutern
when was state bank introduced
1860
when were municipal banks introduced
1862
when were saving banks introduced
1869
what was tax farming
-groups gained right to collect taxes ABOLISHED -reduce corruption
growth of Russian railways
gov subsidies allow entrepreneurs to develop railway 3,000 - 14,700 miles in 1883 - more efficient therefore prices fall
failure of economic reforms in expenditure
1/3 consumed by debt
who was minister education
Golovnin 1862-67
what was 1/3 debt a result of
instability of the ruble inherited by Nicholas I’s minister Count Kakrin
why was Golvnin replaced by Toltstoy in education and effect
1866 shot fired at Tsar unsuccessful but Tolstoy restricts education + censorship
