Alexander III counter reforms

Question 1

Significance of Statute of state security of 1881

Answer 1

-Prohibited gatherings of 12 people
-Prosecute anybody for political crimes
-Introduce emergency police rule
-Special courts outside of legal system
Led to period of repression and restricted civil liberties

Question 2

How did Alexander exert control?

Answer 2

-1881= secret police established (Okhrana) and March 1882 allowed police to declare anyone subject of surveillance
-Government appointed officials to have control over peasants meant they were very powerful and could overrule courts with no appeal

Question 3

Reforms to education

Answer 3

-1884= University Statute brought strict control on universities reducing student freedom
-Universities closed to women
-Church given more control over education
-Secondary school fees raised -> percentage of children of nobles rose in schools and excluded lower rank children

Question 4

Changes made to local government

Answer 4

-1890= Zemstva act reduced independence of Zemstva control
-Provincial governments could veto and amend decisions and stifled with local initiatives and peasant representation was reduced
-1892= Municipal government act cut number of people eligible to vote

Question 5

Changes made to legal system

Answer 5

-Court martials were used to try sensitive cases to avoid publicity
-Ministers of justice could order trial to be held in private
Justices of peace’s were abolished
Huge increase of centralisation of power

Question 6

How was repression placed?

Answer 6

-Assassination of Alexander II led to police offensive that caused 10,000 arrests and there was a crackdown on terrorist activities
-Okhrana penetrated revolutionary groups and thousands suspected of being danger and were exiled
-Revolutionary groups still began to spring up

Question 7

Economic development

Answer 7

-Financial ministers (Bunge, Vyshegradsky and Witte) lay down basis for industrial spurt of 1870’s encouraging railway building and foreign investment
-Bunge introduced measures to help peasants, improving living conditions
-Vyshegradsky ramped up taxes and tariffs to force peasants to sell more grain, harvest failures caused massive famine while government carried on exporting

Question 8

Financial and social measures

Answer 8

-Bunge abolished poll tax and lowered redemption payments but Vyshegradsky increased indirect tax so overall tax didn’t change
-1883= peasants landbank set up to help peasants buy land
-1885= nobles bank was established, lending money to nobles at low interest rates