chapter 2 Flashcards
who was Alexander II
-Tsar from 1855
-liberal ideas due to education
-wanted to make bold, liberating moves.
what inspired his decision to emancipate
-liberal tuto Zhukovsky
-had travelled the empire while his father was in reign
-progressive nobles in St Petersburg progress
-brother and aunt were both ‘enlightened bureaucrats’
-many of his influences were against serfdom
-ineffiencies of crimea
why were there increasing peasant disturbances in the 1840s
-1840-44 there were 30 outbreakers a year, and this doubled over the next 15 years
-landowners demanded more produce and rent
-protests against military conscription for crimea
when and what was the emancipation edict
-february 1861 his decree was announced
-only applied to pivately owned serfs
-granted freedom and allotment of land
-required to pay redemption payments for their land
when were state serfs granted freedom
1866
how long did it take to come into effect
two year period to decide allocations
15% of peasants remained ‘temporary obligated’ until it was made compulsory in 1881
what were allocations
-peasants share open fields & strips of land
-nobles keep meadows, forest, pasture and personal holding
what were the results of the emancipation
-kulak class created from peasants who made more profit from their land
-some peasants left to find work in cities
what were issues
-some peasants did not feel the allocations were fair
-backwardness persisted so only 50% were capable of producing a surplus
-burden of redemption payments meant mirs didnt allow travelling so the burden would not be increased.
military reforms 1874-75
-conscription compulsory for all classes but service length is reduced
-punishments less severe
-better provisions & medical care
-modern weaponry introduced
-training and education improved
local gov reforms 1864-70
-local councils established called zemstva
-chosen through voting yet allowed nobility to dominate
-power to improve public services eg road, school, public health
-extended to towns in 1870 and they were called duma.
-no control over state and local taxes
-valuable reform as it focused on ‘irrelevant’ small-scale troubles
judiciary reforms
-new system modelled on west
-equality with a single system throughout all levels
-heard before a barrister and a jury. judges appointed by tsar
-courts open to public and may be reported
education reforms
-universities given more control of staff & governing
-responsibility transferred from church to zemstva
-primary and secondary extended
-schools declared open to all
-university independence created more radical & liberal thinkers
censorship & other
-initial relaxation of press censorship
-growth in critical writing brought re-tightening in 1870s.
-ministry of finance Mikhail Reutern economically liberalises
summary
-agriculture remains dominating field
-noble class retains dominance
-edict announces a government that is willing to change
