Alexander III 1881-1894

Question 1

1881

Answer 1

• Alexander III becomes into power= rejected his fathers reforms
• Creation of the Statue of State Security= Emergency powers following his father’s assassination
• Okrana created
• Gatherings of more than 12 people prohibited
• Led to 10,000 arrests
• Pobedonostsev becomes Holy Synod= forces Russian language and orthodox religion on ethnic minorities = 5 million Jews forced to live in the Pale settlement near the east of Poland.
• Middle classes had started to develop/kulaks= gaining managerial roles and other professions such as doctors and teachers
• Peasants= mostly illiterate and had sexual diseases = although number of peasants in primary schools had quadrupled since 1875 by 1911
• Working class= bad working conditions, many lived in dorms of factories which stayed open 24h
• Slavophilles peak= some attracted to socialism whilst others want to reform tsardom

Question 2

1882

Answer 2

-Bunge becomes finance minster= abolishes poll tax (Tax on households) and lowers redemption payments

Question 3

1883

Answer 3

• Peasant land bank set up= helps peasants to buy land = peasants could take advantage of large quantities being put on the market by the nobility
• Plekhanov sets up the ‘Emancipation of labour group’ from Switzerland which smuggles Marxist Tracts into Russia, although a smuggler gets caught in 1884

Question 4

1884

Answer 4

• University statue = stricter controls, bans organisations and women in universities= leads to uprisings with students and middle classes
• Liberalism has its peak= Some turn to socialism whilst others as in the zemstvos

Question 5

1886

Answer 5

• Vyshnegradsky becomes finance minister, improves Russian finances through; gold reserves and investment in mining and metal= modernisation
• Although relied on loans from big European countries such as Britain and France too much
• Increases import tariffs by 30% in 1891
• Modernisation brings opposition= illegal unions and Marxist discussion groups= small steps but important

Question 6

1888

Answer 6

-Loans from France used to grow the economy

Question 7

1889

Answer 7

-Land Captains formed= more power to the nobility= helped control the regions of Russia = acted as administrative officials between regions and local areas on behalf of the tsar

Question 8

1890

Answer 8

-Zemstva Act = control became more centralised. Peasant representation reduced and the vote was reduced

Question 9

1891

Answer 9

• Great Famine kills 500,000 = spread to 17 provinces out of 39. Caused cholera and typhus = highlighted the geographical problems due to the lack of connection between cities (before trans Siberian)
• Government kept on exporting grain during the famine = has to ask help but zemstva took control = other voluntary bodies organised citizens to create relief campaigns= doctors and teachers got involved
• despite the Famine, grain grew by 18% by 1891 = more money for industry = vyshnegradsky’s policies had been used to politicise Russia and caused growth in opposition towards the government.

Question 10

1892

Answer 10

-Witte becomes finance minister= heavy industry focus, foreign loans= also got European powers to invest in Russian joint-stock companies
Grain exports= way used to pay for foreign loans and imports.
Creates the Trans-Siberian Railway = end of 1890s 60% of all iron and steel was consumed by railway.
Neglects light industry, agriculture and welfare of the population
Adoption of the gold standard for the rouble

Question 11

1894

Answer 11

Alexander III dies of a kidney infection