Alexander II the Tsar Reformer

Question 1

How many serfs did Alexander II emancipate and when

Answer 1

51 million serfs 1961

Question 2

What reforms did alexander II make

Answer 2

Emancipation of the serfs, the local government, the army,the judiciary, education, publishing

Question 3

What was Alexander II nickname

Answer 3

Tsar liberator

Question 4

How may some criticise the emancipation of the serfs

Answer 4

Some may say it was a state directed manipulation of society to strengthen social and political stability rather than as a product of liberal thinking for his people.

Question 5

What was the party of St Petersburg progress

Answer 5

A loose title given to the more liberal nobles and officials who frequented the salons of the tsar aunt, or gathered around his brother

Question 6

Who were the milyuntin brothers

Answer 6

Nikolai and dmitry Milyntin who were both influential to Alexander II in emancipating the serfs.
Nikolai was an Influential voice in the ministry of internal affairs. He was largely responsible for drafting the terms of he emancipation edicts

Dmitry- trained in a military academy- reputation as a military scholar. He researched reasons behind Russia’s defeat in he Crimean war and was Alexander II minister of war.

Question 7

What is the definition of emancipation

Answer 7

Freeing from bondage

Question 8

Was Alexander II conservative or liberal

Answer 8

Conservative

Question 9

How many out breaks of disorder was there between 1840- 1844 and why did this double over the next 15 years

Answer 9

Fewer than 30.
This doubled because:
Landowners pushed peasants to produce more to pay higher rents in order to maintain their own income
Peasants conscripted to fight in the Crimean war when they was unskilled and didn’t want to fight.

Question 10

Alexander II felt pressure to make reforms. How did he begin ?

Answer 10

• Releasing prisoners and pardoning the Decembrists ( the group who had been involved I the plot to assassinate his father)
• relaxed controls on censorship
• lessened restrictions on foreign travel and university entrance.
• cancelled tax debts
• restored some rights for the polish and Catholic Church.

Question 11

What did Alexander II think was going to happen by emancipating the serfs

Answer 11

Free peasants- greater incentive to work- grain surplus- export of grain providing money for landowners- investment in industry with Russia- mobile peasantry moving to towns to work in industry- greater prosperity

Question 12

How did Alexander II try encourage the idea of emancipation

Answer 12

In 1858-1859 he set off on a tour around the country side making pro emancipation speeches to try win the support of the nobles.

Question 13

Who did he 1861 emancipation edict initially apply to

Answer 13

Privately owned serfs

Question 14

When did the state serfs earn there freedom

Answer 14

1866

Question 15

Who did the emancipation of the serfs grant them with
What did the landowners receive ?
What where the freed serfs required to do?

Answer 15

Freedom, an allotment of land.
Landowners received government compensation.
Freed serfs were required to pay redemption payments to the government over 49 years for their land, and we’re to remain within the peasant commune (Mir) until these redemptions payments had been made.

Question 16

Who were the Mirs ?

Who were the volosts

Answer 16

Mirs were made responsible for distributing the allotments, controlling he farming and collecting and paying the peasants taxes.

Volosts- they were a peasant community consisting of several villages or hamlets. They where administrated areas of between 200-300 people. They were run by an assembly of representatives from the Mirs. They where established to supervise the Mirs. From 1863 the volosts ran their own courts replacing the landlords.

Question 17

How may it be argued that the serfs where not given freedom

Answer 17

There was a two year period “temporary obligation” before freedom was granted. Landowners kept the meadows , pasture, woodland, and personal holding. Although open fields were given to the Mirs.

The abolish of serfdom took way longer than it should of done. Around 15% of peasants still remained temporary obligated to their landlords u till 1881 when redemption was made compulsory

Question 18

How did the emancipation of the serfs benefit some?

Answer 18

Some peasants- kulaks did well out of the land association - they bought extra land so they could produce surplus grain for export. Others sold up their allocation or obtained passports to leave the Mir, raised there living standards by finding work in the industrialising cities. Some landowners used the compensation and made profits through investment in industry.

Question 19

Why did some peasants feel cheated

Answer 19

The land allocation was rarely fair.
The small allotments were divided as several sons inherited and the land was shared between them.
The farming and technical backwardness persisted.
Loss of former benefits
Restriction on travelling meant a passport was needed to travel.
Landowners resented their loss of influence.

Question 20

What showed the peasants where not happy with the emancipation edicts

How did it effect the Nobles?

Answer 20

647 incidents of riot in the four months that followed the decree and a peasant riot in Bezdna was brutally crushed with 70 peasants deaths.

Nobles bankruptcie also continued as landowners had to sell or Mortgage their own land. Some nobles used one of Alexander’s II reforms ‘ the zemstva’ to share their resentment of the emancipation.

Question 21

How was the military reformed

Answer 21

Was reorganised- more efficient,professional and less expensive

• conscription was compulsory for all classes from the age of 21 was the length of service was reduced from 25 years to 15. 10 years in the reserves
• punishments were made less severe. Medical care was established.
• modern weaponry
• military colleagues set up for better training
• literacy within the army was improved.

Question 22

How can it be argued that the military reformers were still not good enough

Answer 22

Problems of supply and leadership continued. The army struggled to win the war against Turkey in 1877-1878 and was defeated at the hands of the Japanese in 1904-1905 and again by Germany in 1914-1917

Question 23

What were the reforms of the local government

Answer 23

The former set owners get gentry was replaced with the zemstva, a local council.

Question 24

Problems with local reforms (zemstva)

Answer 24

The zemstva was chosen through electoral colleagues, separate collages for nobles, town people, church and peasants and some way the system still allowed the nobility to dominate.

Power of the zemstva was limited- no control of state and local taxes. The provincial government continued to appoint officials, took responsibility for law and order and even over turn zemstva decisions is they wanted

They were never truly ‘People’s assemblies’- the attracted doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientist who used meeting as an opportunity to debate political issues and criticise central government.

Question 25

What did the zemstva do

Answer 25

Given the power to improve public service eg schools and roads. And develop industrial projects and administer poor relief in times of hardship

Question 26

What were the judiciary reforms

Answer 26

The old jury system “ the accused was assumed guilty until proved innocent” the new system:

• The accused was assumed innocent till proven guilty and was allowed a lawyer to represent him
• Judges were hired by tsar given training and paid
• courts were open to the public and nation trails reported in the newspaper

Question 27

Problems with the judiciary reforms

Answer 27

The peasantry in the courts were still treated differently from those of higher status

Question 28

What reforms were made by Alexander Golvovnin minister of education

Answer 28

• unis were given the opportunity to govern themselves and appoint their own staff
• responsibility for schooling was transferred from the Russian Orthodox Church to the zemstva
• modern schools for those who were not academic. Students from both schools could go to uni
• schools were open to all regardless of sex and class.

Question 29

Why may the reforms to education might not be a good idea to the tsar

Answer 29

The independence given to the university effected the increase in the number of radical and militant thinkers- new ideas for the government other than the tsarist autocracy

Question 30

What did the reduce on censorship lead to

Answer 30

Growth in books meaning a growth in critical writing however this brought a re tightening of government control in 1870

Question 31

What stayed the same under Alexander II

Answer 31

• agriculture still remained backwards and there were still problems with Russia’s economy
• the noble class still retained much of its former dominance
• controls of the Mirs worked against progress for the peasants. Peasants society changed little in terms of literacy, religion and superstition. But now they had to pay heavy taxations

Question 32

What changed under Alexander II

Answer 32

• emancipation edict marked a turning point in the governments willingness to take interest in economic matters
• changed patterns of land ownership produced more mobile labour - increase in grain exports which helped industrial development
• changes in military, education, judiciary and the local governments.

Question 33

How could it be argued that in fact the reforms of Alexander II put him in danger

Answer 33

Expectation was raised, and when they were not fulfilled the autocracy was in danger