Chapter 1 - S5 Flashcards
what did the reforms of Alexander II bring
- hope for further change
- allowed for radical ideas to spread
- permitted a growth in the number of educated intellectuals
what was the moderate liberal opposition that the repression period was faced by
- few literate + educated Russians but their numbers + influence grew in the late 19th century
- the intellectuals had wealth + time to consider political matters, they had also travelled abroad
- most were westernisers or slavophiles
what did the westernisers want
- wanted russia to adopt western values
- favoured representative assemblies + less power to orthodox church
- expressed their views through the zemstva
what did the slavophiles want
- to preserve Russia’s culture and heritage as the country modernised
- to preserve principles of orthodox church
- declined in influence in the 1880’s as industrialisation grew
what did the famine of 1891-92 mark
- a significant point in the growth of opposition
- government failed to provide adequate relief
- zemstva assumed responsibility for improving conditions + intelligentsia demanded greater role in public affairs
what happened to the intelligentsia in the 1890’s
the intelligentsia was split
some remained moderate liberals
others were attracted by Marxist principles + socialism
how did radical opposition develop among the younger generations
- ‘nihilism’ became popular in the 18060’s
1862 - group of students (young Russia) published a manifesto, arguing for ‘bloody and merciless revolution’
what student run radical reform group was set up in 1863
- the organisation
- set up by students in Moscow university + called for radical reform
- student idealism + determinism heightened by influence of radical socialist writers
name two radical thinkers that encouraged opposition
- Herzen - advocated for new peasant based social structure
- Bakunin - argued that private ownership of land should be replaced my collective ownership
what was the Tchaikovsky circle
- set up in 1868-69
- literary society which organised printing + publishing of revolutionary literature
- sought social revolution
- 1872 - organised workers with intention of sending them to work among peasants
who were the Narodnik’s (populists)
- the concept of going to the people = populism
- 1874 - Lavrov encouraged 2000 men + women from intelligentsia to travel to countryside + exploit peasant discontent
-peasants ignorance + loyalty to tsar meant incomers were reported - 1600 arrested
What was the second attempt of ‘going to the people’
- occurred in 1876
- also failed and a series of show trials were held in 1877-78
- however, narodnyism did spread radical opposition in the countryside
What was ‘land and liberty’
- set up in 1877, continued the populist tradition
- members discreetly sought work in the peasant communes
- some carried out political assassinations
- gained public sympathy but still government failed to respond to growing pressure for change
When did land and liberty split and what was it split into
1879
Black partition and the peoples will
What was the black partition
- wanted to share the black soil provinces of Russia among the peasants
- worked peacefully among peasantry
- ceased to exist following arrests in 1880
