Alexander II (tsar Reformer) Flashcards
Motives for Alexander to reform
- romatic poet tutor Zhukovsky
- travels around the empire and seeing serfdom first hand
- progress party of st Petersburg was very prominent in his court
- his family were enlightened bureaucrats who were very pro reform
- huge increase in peasent uprisings
- Crimean war had made the state weak and embarrassed, only a freed population would provide labour for military reform
- economically: free peasents would have incentive to work, they would move to industrial areas, more grain would be exported, industry would be more invested in
Reforms made by Alexander II up to 1860
- political prisoners released INCL Decembrist’s who attempted assassination on his father
- lessened censorship, restriction on travel and university entrance
- cancelled tax debt
- resorted some rights for Catholics and Poland
- asked nobles for suggestions for the emancipation
Timeline of edict
- 1858-59 Alexander 11 toured countryside making speeches and winning support.
-Came into force in lent 1861 for privately owned serfs and was in place for all state owned serfs by 66. - 2 years post 61 of allocating land between peasants and landowners.
- 15% of serfs remained ‘temporarily obligated” to owners until 81.
1861 edict
-Freedom for serfs and own allocated land.
-Landowner3s gov compensated via 49 years of serf paid redemption payments.
-All paying this had to remain in the mir.
Mir
-peasant commune.
- In charge of allotting land, collecting and controlling peasant taxes was and farming
Volosts
-Surpervising of mirs.
-From 63 they ran the peasant courts.
Winners in the emancipation edict
-Kulaks who brought extra land w farming profit and made profit out of surplus grain.
-Those who sold up allocation, got a passport to leave the mir and moved to urban areas.
-Landlords invested in industry or who used compensation to get out of debt
Losers in the emancipation edict
-Many felt cheated by small allloctments, barren areas that wer3e non fertile and that the offspring had to divide already small land.
-Mirs were traditional and so any new technology was little.
-Only 50% of peasants able to produce a surplus in the 70s.
-Resentment of kulaks.
-Lifearguably harder for peasants- travel restrictions, no former protection, burdenous redemption payments.
-Landowners lost influence and many protested.
-647 incidents of riot in the months following the edict.
Military reforms (74-75)
-Conscription compulsory for ALL.
-Only 15 years of serving down from 25.
-Better medical care and aid.
-Less servere punishments.
-Military colonies scrapped.
-Modern weapons and command structure introduced.
-Done by Dmitry Milyutin.
-Military training colleges for no nobles.
-Literacy hugely improved.
Negative impact of military reforms
-The rich found substitues to serve for them and the officers stayed nobles.
-Wars lost against turkey in the 70s and later japan and Germany.
-Still issues with supply and leadership.
Zemstva
-Replaced the rights of the serf owners
-a system of electoral colleges (members voting on issues who have been elected by a group eg the pesants who would then nominate one member to be on the council.)
-Separate colleges and so nominations and members for peasents, church nobles etc.
-Dominated by nobility.
-They could improve public services and administer poor aid.
Durmas
-elected town councils like zemstvo but for a singular town
-set up in 1870
Négative of zemstvas
-power was very limited eg had no control over taxes and could be overturned by provincial governors who were in charge of law.
-Ended up being predominantly run by intelligence like lawyers and doctors who used the meetings as social debates rather than aud for the poor.
Positives of zemstvas
-raised hope for intelligentsia of a representative national government.
-Composed of people understanding of town and peasant needs.
Old judiciary system
-Judge would examine written evidence given by the police and gentry.
-No jury, no lawyers and no witness.
-Guilty until proven innocent.
Changes to judiciary system
-Single system of courts.
-Innocent until proven guilty.
-Lawyers could be appointed by defendant.
-Volost courts for peasents.
-Judges given improved training and pay.
-Jury and barristers heard cases.
-Zemstva could elect local justices of the peace which were separated from government control.
-Courts were open to public and could be reported on.
Positive impact of judiciary changes
-fairer and less corrupt.
-Intelligentsia could use the public stage to spread ideals as lawyers.
-Judges often aquittted sympathetic political crimes
Negative impact of judiciary changes
-New degree set so political crimes were secret and under special procedures.
-Trial by jury never established outside of the central provinces of russia eg not in Poland.
-Volost courts treated worse.
-Military and ecclesiastical courts exempt from reform
Need for education reform
-Peasents needed literacy and numeracy to run their own small holdings.
-Zemstva allowed change
Changes to education system
-Alexander Golovnin.
-Universities self governing and self appointed staff.
-Zemstva in charge if schooling.
-Primary and secondary education extended and new modern secondary schools established- both could progress to uni.
-Schools became open to ALL.
Impact of education reform
-15K new primary schools opened by 1880.
-Increasedthe number of radical thinkers.
-Post 1866 the success was too much so the gov had to reassert control as radicalism was increasing
Censorship reform
-relaxation of press from 1858 under Nicolas I and later all books and newspapers.
-Publisher restrictions reduced + foreign publishing allowed w gov approval.
-Press could critique/comment on gov policy.
Impact of censorship reform
-Impact of censorship reform Growth in sales of books and newspapers.
-Book publishing Increased by a factor of ten by 1894.
-However in the 70s a wave of critical writing had gov reassert control
Minor church reform
-attempts to eliminate corruption in the orthodox churches and reform of Jewish treatment.
-Squashed by the 70s and in the 63 polish rebellion as many turned on Jews
Minor economic reform
-Reutern tried to promote economic liberalisation but this ended up at the expense of the peasents
Continuity in Alexander IIs reign in comparison to before
- Argiculture stayed dominant as Russia’s economic giver and the technological and geographical issues w this remained.
-Nobles stayed dominant.
-Peasents stayed same due to taxation, mirs and illiteracy.
Changes to russia in Alexander IIs reign
- emancipation edict showed a gov interest in more lierbal ideas and economic development
-more mobile labour force, new land ownership, increase in grain exports.
-ALL finance développement industrially.
-All reforms helped empower a group of professionals and a new social change.
Long term impact of Alexander IIS reign/reforms
-new social classes and alignments formed.
-Reforms taught that change was possible and the future could get better for many/ more liberal.
-Autonomy downfall formed in the fabrics of expectations made
