Alexander II reforms

Question 1

Who was responsible for military reforms

Answer 1

Dmitry milyutin

Question 2

Conscription made compulsory to who? how long did they have to serve for?

Answer 2

All classes including nobles from the age of 21, but the length of service was reduced from 25 to 15.

Question 3

What was done to military punishments?

Answer 3

Made less severe and the systems of military colonies abandoned, better provisioning and medical care was also est.

Question 4

What did Milyutin do to the weaponry and command structure.

Answer 4

Modernised it.

Question 5

Limitations of Milyutin’s military reforms.

Answer 5

better-off people found substitutes to serve in their place, while the officer class remained largely aristocratic, the problems of supply and leadership continued. the army struggled to win the war against Turkey and, in the longer term, was defeated at the hands of the Japanese 1904-05 and again by Germany 1914-17.

Question 6

What are the zemstvos and why were they set up?

Answer 6

to replace the rights and obligations of the former serf-owning gentry. A system of elected local councils, both at district and provincial levels. they were known as the zemstvo.

Question 7

What power did the zemstvo have over?

Answer 7

The zemstvo were given power to improve public services (roads, schools, public health, prisons), develop industrial projects and administer poor relief in times of hardship.

Question 8

What did the creation of the zemstvo raise hope of?

Answer 8

The est. of a degree of representative government at a local level raised the hopes of those members of the intelligentsia who anted a representative National Assembly. However, the power of the zemstvo was strictly limited. They had no control over taxes. Provincial governors continued to appoint officials, took responsibility for law and order, and could even overturn zemstvo decisions if they chose,

Question 9

When were the liberal local government reforms under Alexander II?

Answer 9

1864-70.

Question 10

When did Dmitry Milyutin introduce his local government reforms?

Answer 10

1874-5

Question 11

When were the judiciary reforms under Alexander II introduced?

Answer 11

1864

Question 12

Describe the judicial reforms/

Answer 12

1. Equality before the law was created with a single system of local, provincial and national courts. The accused were presumed innocent until proven guilty and could employ a lawyer to defend themselves.
2. Criminal cases were heard before barristers and a jury, selected from lists of property owners. Judges were appointed by the Tsar and given improved training and pay.
3. Local Justices of the Peace were elected every 3 years by the zemstvo, and were to be independent from political control.
4. Courts were opened to the public and proceedings could be freely reported. National trials were recorded in a government paper, the Russian Courier.

Question 13

Limitations of the liberal judicial reforms under Alexander II?

Answer 13

The public flocked to the open courts so a new opportunity arose for lawyers of the intelligentsia to criticise the regime.
Trial by jury was never established in Poland, the western provinces and the Caucasus, while church and military courts were excluded from the reforms, and the peasantry in the volost courts were still treated differently from those of higher status.

Question 14

Who introduced the education reforms?

Answer 14

Alexander Golobnin

Question 15

When did the educational reforms get introduced?

Answer 15

1863-64

Question 16

Why were educational reforms introduced?

Answer 16

The abolition of Serfdom increased the need for basic literacy and numeracy among peasants trying to run their private smallholdings, whilst the establishment of the zemstvo provided an opportunity for a change in the control and funding of education,

Question 17

What were the provisions of Golovnin’s educational reforms?

Answer 17

Universities were given the opportunity to govern themselves and appoint their own staff.
Responsibility for schooling was transferred from the Russian Orthodox Church to the zemstvo,
Primary and secondary education was extended, with 'modern schools' est. at secondary level for those who did not want the traditional classical education offered in the gimnaziya. Students from both could progress to university.
Schools were declared 'open to all' regardless of class and sex.

Question 18

Limitations of Golovnin’s educational reforms

Answer 18

The new independence given to the universities had the effect of increasing the number of radical and militant thinkers. Indeed, the education reforms were so ‘successful’ that after 1866, it was deemed necessary to reassert government control.

Question 19

When were Liberal changes made to censorship under Alexander II?

Answer 19

1858-70

Question 20

What changes were made to censorship 1858-70

Answer 20

Restrictions on publishers were reduced, foreign publications were permitted with govt approval, and the press was allowed to print editorials with comment on government policy.

Question 21

What impact did the changes to censorship have?

Answer 21

Short-lived growth in the number of books, journals, newspapers on sale in Russia. the numbers of books grew from 1020 in 1855 tp 1836 in 1864 and 10691 in 1894.