Alexander II, the Tsar Liberator Flashcards
What did the Emancipation of the Serfs in 1861 entail?
- Serfs legally free to marry, vote, leave land, and trade.
- Lands allocated with freedom - house and plot plus share a of strips in village fields.
- Land handed over to village to allocate to peasants.
- Land overhauled.
- Amount of land received usually smaller than previously worked.
- Peasants had to buy land by means of redemption payments.
- Mir given greater power over lives of peasants and measures were put in place to stop them from leaving the village.
- Nobles got choice of best land and compensated in government bonds.
What did the Local government reforms in 1864-1870 entail?
- Elected councils (zemstva) to run aspects of social government, such as roads, health, and schools, in rural areas.
- Electoral system favoured nobles.
- Appointed professionals such as teachers and doctors.
- In 1870, the reforms were extended to town councils.
What did the Judicial reforms in 1864-65 entail?
- Simplified court system.
- Independent, salaried judges.
- Courts open to press and public.
- Trial by jury for criminal cases. Evidence and witnesses could be challenged.
- JPs for smaller cases.
- Separate peasant courts.
What did the military reforms in 1861-81 entail?
- Universal conscription for all classes over 21.
- Military service reduced to fifteen years, six active and nine in reserve.
- Officer training overhauled - military colleges, open to other classes, better education required.
- Re-organisation of administration - fifteen military districts.
- Modern rifles and artillery.
- Corporal punishment reduced.
What did the education reforms in the early 1860s entail?
- Zemstva took over responsibility for running many rural schools.
- Many more schools built - primary and secondary.
- Secondary schools could focus on classical or modern subjects.
- Universities given much greater freedom over intake, curriculum and discipline.
What did the education reforms after 1866 entail?
- Ministry of Education took some control of schools away from zemstva.
- Restrictions and crackdown in universities.
- This crackdown on universities and student organisations led to many young people being radicalised.
What did the censorship reforms in the early 1860s entail?
- Relaxation - newspapers, books and periodicals did not have to be submitted for prior censorship.
- Newspapers could report government policy and jury trials
How did emancipation of the serfs generate challenges to the political authority of the Tsarist regime?
- Peasants dissatisfied - peasant disturbances.
- Nobles disgruntled at loss of power and influence.
- Revolutionaries saw emancipation as a betrayal, e.g. Young Russia and the populist Narodnik ‘go to the people’ movement.
How did relaxation of censorship generate challenges to the political authority of the Tsarist regime?
- More books and periodicals - some critical of the regime.
- Created a freer climate of opinion that challenged authority.
How did education generate challenges to the political authority of the Tsarist regime?
- Expansion of primary, secondary schools, and universities.
- Universities more independent with more liberal professors.
- Hotbeds of dissension. Many students became radicalised, e.g. Young Russia.
How did legal reforms generate challenges to the political authority of the Tsarist regime?
- Independent courts with a new class of lawyers and independent juries.
- Challenges authority of government.
- Court cases provided an opportunity to criticise the regime.
- Many lawyers joined movement for liberal reform.
How did local government reform generate challenges to the political authority of the Tsarist regime?
- Creation of zemstva and town councils.
- Source of autonomous authority.
- Challenged central bureaucracy who in turn mistrusted them.
- Created the ‘third element’ - zemstva professionals who pushed for liberal reform.
