Alexander III

Question 1

Alexander III’s finance ministers

Answer 1

Bunge, Vyshnegradsky, Witte

Question 2

Bunge’s planned reforms

Answer 2

Tried to defeat socialism by improving working conditions, living conditions, legalising trade unions, providing accident support and construction of workers’ houses, laundries, cafes and even reading rooms (although never carried out)

Question 3

What happened to Bunge?

Answer 3

Conservatives grew angry at him for raising expectation- resigned in 1887

Question 4

Who was made minister of the Interior?

Answer 4

Ignatiev

Question 5

What reforms did Ignatiev make?

Answer 5

Improve the peasant’s loyalty by granting them a few concessions.- two pieces of legislation that aimed at reducing the burden on the peasantry enacted before 1881. Planned an Assembly of the Land- meant to be representative

Question 6

What happened to Ignatiev?

Answer 6

Assembly was rejected in 1882

Question 7

Success by Vyshnegradsky

Answer 7

Increased taxes and tariffs= government income rose by nearly 50%. Russia’s budget achieved a surplus. Mendele’ev tariff in 1891 raised revenue

Question 8

Failures of Vyshnegradsky

Answer 8

1891-2 famine in Volga region- illness and death of about 2 million people caused by Vyshnegradsky raising tax on consumer goods

Question 9

Vyshnegradsky slogan

Answer 9

‘We must go hungry, but export’

Question 10

Religion under Alex III

Answer 10

Russian Orthodox Church used to repress- growth in number of churches

Question 11

Examples of Russification

Answer 11

Poland (although already started under Alex II)- garrison of 100,000 troops permanently stationed in Poland

Question 12

Alex III and Jews

Answer 12

wave of pogroms- worst of which left 47 dead, 400 wounded, 600 shops and 700 houses destroyed

Question 13

Restrictions on peasants

Answer 13

banned from leaving their mir by 1893

Question 14

Negatives of Land Captains

Answer 14

could overrule decisions made by peasant court, remove peasant officials, fine or arrest peasants and use corporal punishment- so repressive some believed serfdom was being re-established

Question 15

Structural changes made

Answer 15

independence of the zemstva limited in 1890, voters eligible to take part in elections drastically lowered

Question 16

Repression

Answer 16

Reach and powers of the Okhrana extended e.g. caretakers became spies. The Statute of State Security given more powers e.g. the right to prohibit gatherings of over 12.

Question 17

Railways under Alex III

Answer 17

construction of the Trans Siberian Railway began

Question 18

Corruption of the Okhrana

Answer 18

e.g. police chief set up illegal printing presses so he could shut them down,

Question 19

the three ‘Rs’

Answer 19

Repression, Russification, the Reaction

Question 20

What were land captains?

Answer 20

Landowners who were appointed mainly to supervise the work of the zemstva