Alexander II (tsar Reformer)

Question 1

Motives for Alexander to reform

Answer 1

• 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

Question 2

Reforms made by Alexander II up to 1860

Answer 2

• 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

Question 3

Timeline of edict

Answer 3

• 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.

Question 4

1861 edict

Answer 4

-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.

Question 5

Mir

Answer 5

-peasant commune.
- In charge of allotting land, collecting and controlling peasant taxes was and farming

Question 6

Volosts

Answer 6

-Surpervising of mirs.
-From 63 they ran the peasant courts.

Question 7

Winners in the emancipation edict

Answer 7

-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

Question 8

Losers in the emancipation edict

Answer 8

-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.

Question 9

Military reforms (74-75)

Answer 9

-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.

Question 10

Negative impact of military reforms

Answer 10

-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.

Question 11

Zemstva

Answer 11

-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.

Question 12

Durmas

Answer 12

-elected town councils like zemstvo but for a singular town
-set up in 1870

Question 13

Négative of zemstvas

Answer 13

-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.

Question 14

Positives of zemstvas

Answer 14

-raised hope for intelligentsia of a representative national government.
-Composed of people understanding of town and peasant needs.

Question 15

Old judiciary system

Answer 15

-Judge would examine written evidence given by the police and gentry.
-No jury, no lawyers and no witness.
-Guilty until proven innocent.

Question 16

Changes to judiciary system

Answer 16

-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.

Question 17

Positive impact of judiciary changes

Answer 17

-fairer and less corrupt.
-Intelligentsia could use the public stage to spread ideals as lawyers.
-Judges often aquittted sympathetic political crimes

Question 18

Negative impact of judiciary changes

Answer 18

-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

Question 19

Need for education reform

Answer 19

-Peasents needed literacy and numeracy to run their own small holdings.
-Zemstva allowed change

Question 20

Changes to education system

Answer 20

-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.

Question 21

Impact of education reform

Answer 21

-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

Question 22

Censorship reform

Answer 22

-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.

Question 23

Impact of censorship reform

Answer 23

-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

Question 24

Minor church reform

Answer 24

-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

Question 25

Minor economic reform

Answer 25

-Reutern tried to promote economic liberalisation but this ended up at the expense of the peasents

Question 26

Continuity in Alexander IIs reign in comparison to before

Answer 26

• 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.

Question 27

Changes to russia in Alexander IIs reign

Answer 27

• 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.

Question 28

Long term impact of Alexander IIS reign/reforms

Answer 28

-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