Chapter 4 Flashcards
Political authority in action
Which ethnic groups made up 2/3 of the population during Alexander II’s reign?
Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians
Why did the ethnic minorities prove a challegnge for Alexander II’s reign?
National minorities were provoked to assert their distinctive identities in order to maintain their culture
What form of resistance did the Finns show in the 1840s?
A Finnish language pressure group was set up with a national Finnish newspaper
What Ukranian group sought to separate Ukranians from their Russian counterparts?
Brotherhood of Saint Cyrus and Methodius
How did the Polish resist against Alexander II’s reign in 1863?
200,000 Poles had created an underground National Government for Poland, and waged a form of guerilla warfare
What kind of concessions did Alexander II use to appease the national minorities?
In 1864 and 1875, Latvians and Estonians were allowed to revert to Lutheranism and the Finns were granted their own diet (parliament)
Why was there growing intolerance to national minorities at the end of Alexander II’s reign?
A result of Alexander’s assassination attempts and the influence of more conservative ministers
How were Ukrainians repressed further in 1876?
A prohibition on the use of the Ukrainian language in publications and performances
What was ‘Russification’?
The belief and program that sought to merge all of the Tsar’s subjects into a single nation with a feeling of shared identity
How did Alexander III’s reign impact the rights of the Finns?
The diet was reorganised to weaken its political influence, the Russian language was increasingly demanded, the independent postal service was abolished and Russian coinage replaced local currency
How did Alexander III’s reign impact the rights of the Poles?
The Polish National Bank was closed in 1885 and in schools and universities Russian was enforced in all subjects except Polish and religion
How were Baltic Germans impacted by Russification?
The use of Russian was enforced in all state offices, schools, the police force and the judiciary. The German University of Dorpar was ‘Russified’ and became Iurev University
How was the Ukraine impacted by Russification?
In 1884, all the theatres in Ukrainian provinces were closed and conscripts from national areas were dispersed to prevent national groupings
What were some examples of uprisings that were crushed by Alexander III’s regime?
Georgia in 1892, Bashkira in 1884, Fergana and Armenia in 1886 and at Tashkent in 1892
How many Lutherans converted to Orthodoxy to take advantage of special measures?
37,000
How was Catholicism treated in Poland under Russification?
Catholic monasteries were closed down, the influence of Catholic priests was curbed and incentives were provided for the settling of non-Catholics
How were Muslims treated during Russification?
The All-Russian Orthodox Missionary society worked to convert ‘heathens and Muslims’ by forced mass baptisms
How were non-Orthodox faiths treated from 1883?
They were not allowed to build new places of worship, wear religious dress or spread religious propaganda
How many cases of mass disturbance was reported in June 1888 as a result of Russification?
332 cases of mass disturbance in 61 of Russia’s 92 provinces and districts
Which groups were particularly affected by Russification?
Finns, Poles and Baltic Germans
What forms of non-violent resistance were there as a response to Russification?
National groups petitioned the Tsars, secret publication of books in local languages and some ethnic schools survived
Why was there some support for Russification?
Some believed Russification was necessary to unite the country to improve its administration, to allow for modernisation and reassert Russian strength
How many Jewish people approximately lived in the Russian Empire?
Five million
What was the Pale of Settlement?
A region in the southern and western parts of European Russia (around 20%) in which most Jewish people were confined
