CRIMEAN WAR Flashcards
what was the significance of the Crimean War’s casualties?
Far heavier than any other European war fought between 1815 and 1914
When was the Crimean War?
1853-6
How many died in total?
750,000
Russian casualties compared to French and British
450,000 compared to 90,000 and 20,000
Proportion of soldiers who lost their lives in battle
1/5
What did most die of?
Disease
When was the Treaty of Paris signed?
March 1856
What did the Treaty of Paris do?
Brought the Crimean War to an end
Who was the Crimean War between?
Russia
Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, Sardinia
What did Russia have to give up due to the Treaty?
- The duty to protect Christian subjects in the Ottoman Empire
- Its claim to act as the protector of the principalities
- Bessarabia to Moldavia
What was Russia prohibited from maintaining?
A fleet in the Black Sea
What naval fortifications did Russia have to give up?
Those along the Black Sea coastline
What was the impact of the losses for Russia?
- humiliating
- highlighted the weak position Russia was in
- Russia was no longer a leading supporter of the status quo and became a revisionist power dedicated to regaining sovereign power over its coastline
What did the Crimean War act as a catalyst for?
Economic, social and political reforms
What did the Crimean War have an indirect impact on?
Development of Russian govt
What did the Crimean War have a direct impact on?
Governance of localities’ national minorities
What was the Crimean War linked to?
Emancipation of the Serfs
Why did the Crimean War lead to the Emancipation?
It revealed how backward and underdeveloped Russia was
What areas was Russia underdeveloped and backward?
Transport, communications, technology
What had been progressing at a much slower rate than Britain and France?
Industrialisation
For many Russians, what was the root of this stagnation?
Serfdom
It was 5 years until the Emancipation Edict was made, what did this suggest?
Other considerations had to be made before the reform could be enacted as serfdom underpinned Russian society
How did the Emancipation affect the nobility?
Reduced political role at a local level
What were created for local government?
Zemstva, local government members now elected
How was the element of democracy watered down?
Property qualifications attached to voting, suggested the tsars were lessening their autocratic grip
What had to be modernised for Russia to maintain its world status?
Military
Conditions of the military before the war
- 1 million men, mainly peasants
- harshly disciplined
- poor accommodation
- disease
- lack of good clothing and equipment
- low morale
Between 1833-55, how many soldiers died from ill health?
1 million
Who enacted the military reforms?
Dmitrii Milyutin
What military system did Dimitrii Milyutin use as a model?
Prussian
Military reforms made by Dimitrii Milyutin
- reduced 15 year service
- modernised training
- rigorous instruction for officers
Results of the military reforms
- more professional army more like western rivals
- government now had an army to help maintain domestic order and fight overseas
What economic development did the Crimean War stimulate?
Railway expansion
Why did the war cause railway development?
Revealed how slowly Russia had been to mobilise resources compared with the enemy
How did Russia fund the railways?
Foreign loans
How many km railway constructed between 1861-78?
20,000
How much spent on railways between 1861-78?
2 million roubles
What remained firmly in place despite the more liberal phase of government post Crimea?
Autocracy
