Alexander II, The ‘Tsar Reformer’ Flashcards
Why was Alexander II called the tsar liberator?
Due to his decision to emancipate the serfs
When was the emancipation of the serfs?
1861
How many serfs were freed?
51 million serfs were freed
What were the economic motives to abolish serfdom?
-free peasants
-greater incentive to work
-grain surplus
-export of grain providing money for landowners/ state
-investment companies j industry within Russia
-mobile peasantry moving to towns to work in industry
-greater prosperity
What were the social reasons for reforms?
Peasant uprisings had increased since the 1940s and this may have encourages Alexander to concede that emancipation should be granted
Why was the main reason for emancipation triggered due to Russia’s defeat in the crime and war
Dmitry Milyutin argued that only a ‘free’ population would provide the labour needed to improve the army
How did Alexander maintain autocracy during the first year of his reign?
-released political prisoners
-relaxed controlled censorship
-lessened restrictions on foreign travel and university entrance
Who did the emancipation edict apply to?
This applied to privately owned serfs immediately and state serfs from 1866
What did the emancipation edict state?
-Serfs were granted freedom and a land allotment
-landlords were compensated by the government. They kept some lands but open fields were given to the peasant commune (Mir)
-freed serfs has to pay redemption payments over 49years
-volosts we’re established to supervise the Mirs; from 1863, the volosts ran their own courts
What’s the period of temporary obligation?
Around 15% of peasants remained temporary obligated to their landlords until 1881, when redemption was made compulsory
What were the positive results of emancipation?
-peasants were no longer subject to their masters’ whim and had free status
-kulaks die well out of the land allotments, buying up extra land and exporting surplus grain
- some peasants sold their land, obtained a passport to leave the Mir, and raised their living standards by finding work int he cities
-some landowners used the compensation offered to get out of debt
-enterprise landlords made profits through investment in industrial enterprise
What were the negative results of the emancipating?
-land allocations were rarely fair
-most peasants holdings grew increasingly smaller as the population grew
-the Mir system was highly traditional- subsistence farming and technical backwardness persisted
-the loss of former benefits, restrictions on travel and the burden of the redemption made rural life difficult
-the newspapers ran articles about their disappointments and a wage of student protests and riots occurred in St Petersburg, Moscow and Kazan
When were the local government reforms?
1864-70
What did the local government reforms state?
Elected local councils (zemstva) replaced the rights and obligations of the serf-owning entry
What did the zemstva do?
-they were given power to improve public services, develop their industrial projects and administer poor relief. In 1870 elected town councils called Dumas were set up in the towns
What were the limitations of the local government reforms (1864-70)?
-the power of the zemstva was strictly limited
-they had no control over taxes
-the voting procedure favoured the nobility
-the councils were never truly people assemblies. They attracted doctors, lawyers, teachers and scientists who used meetings to debate political issues
When were the judiciary reforms?
1864
How was the law before the reforms?
There was no jury system, no lawyers and no examinations of witness. The accused was considered guilty until proven innocent and Judges decision was final
What did the new law system look like?
-a single system of courts established equality before the law. The accused was presumed innocent until proven guilty and could employ a lawyer
-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
-courts were opened to the public and proceedings could be reported
When was the education reforms?
1863-64
Who was the minister of education from 1862-67?
Golovin
What did the education reform state?
-universities could govern themselves and appoint their own staff
- responsibilities for schools was transferred from the church to the zemstva
-opened to boys and girls
- primary and secondary education was extended
What was a limitation of the education reform?
The universities’ new independence increased the number of radical thinkers. After 1866, government control was reasserted
When were the military reforms?
1874-75
