Essay - causes of the emancipation Flashcards

1
Q

Question

A

“The decision to emancipate the serfs was the result of peasant unrest.” Assess the validity of this view.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Judgement.

A
  • The main cause of the emancipation was economic factors rather than peasant unrest.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

The 3 factors to consider.

A
  • Peasant unrest.
  • Crimean War.
  • The economy.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Peasant unrest evidence:

A
  • Tsar Alexander II used peasant unrest to persuade the nobles that Emancipation was needed.
  • Alexander II told the nobility that, ‘It is better to abolish serfdom from above, than to wait for that time when it starts to abolish itself from below’
  • Between 1840 and 1844 there had been fewer than 30 outbreaks of disorder per year on privately owned estates, this figure more than double over the next 15 years.
  • Alexander get worried - from December of 1857 he ordered weekly reports on the mood of the peasants.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

The Crimean War evidence:

A
  • The trigger to the emancipation of the serfs.
  • Left Russia with a 1 billion rouble debt.
  • The Crimean War emphasised the backwards nature of both Russia’s economy and their military.
  • Military reformers felt that Russia should have a smaller army with better trained men - this could only happen though, after economic development.
  • The Crimean War saw Russia lose 450,125 men in battle - despite Russia being the larger force, Russia had the largest number of casualties.
  • The image of the Romanov dynasty as one of great military power had been destroyed.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

The economy evidence:

A
  • There was a ratio of 11:1 village to town dwellers.
  • The capital (St Petersburg) had a population of 500,00
  • The military used up 45% of annual government funding.
  • Lower classes provided 90% of revenue through taxation.
  • The serf army was made of 1.5 million serfs they had to serve for 25 years.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly