Government and Tsars Flashcards
What was Alexander II’s political change?
1) Alexander II transitioned from relatively liberal to reactionary politics
2) Failed assassination attempts in 1866, 1879 undermined Alexander II’s
confidence in his modernisation attempts
3) After the death of his wife, Alexander II became more distant from his liberal
family members
What were Alexander II’s education counter-reforms?
1) The Church was given control of rural schools
2) Subjects that provoked critical thinking, like literature, science or history, were heavily discouraged
3) The opposition that formed in higher educational institutions was forced underground, where it couldn’t be measured or controlled
4) Appointments of university professors could be vetoed by the government
What were Alexander II’s judicial counter-reforms?
1) Third Section – Alexander II’s secret police – activity increased
2) A law was passed allowing political radicals to be tracked down to be brought to justice, including those in foreign countries
What occurred to censorship after Alexander II’s political shift?
1) State teacher training colleges to control teacher education
2) Extra-curricular student activity was heavily controlled
What occurred to politically sensitive court cases in 1879?
1) 1879: Emergency powers allowed anyone to be tried in military courts, which were closed to the public.
2) This reduced the potential publicity trials could gain, like with the Trial of 193 and of Vera Zasulich.
3) Military court rulings were made by judges, and not juries, which reduced the risk of out-of-government-line verdicts
How did Alexander II’s attitude to ethnic minorities change over his reign?
1) Became more hostile
2) 1863: a Polish rebellion was only crushed by the army
Who was Alexander III?
1) Ruled 1881–1894
2) Conservative reactionary
What were the Alexander III’s judicial counter-reforms?
1) A new secret police was created – the Okhrana
2) 1885: Judges lost security of tenure
3) 1887: closed court sessions became legal again
What were the Alexander III’s governmental counter-reforms?
1) 1881: the government was given emergency powers
2) 1889: Land captains took over judicial functions of the JP. Peasants could not appeal the land captain’s decisions
What were the Alexander III’s education counter-reforms?
1) Women were barred from universities
2) Lower class children were barred from secondary and higher education
3) 1884: the appointment of university professors had to be approved by the government
What were Alexander III’s counter-reforms to the bureaucracy?
1) 1890: the independence of the zemstvo system was reduced, as their ability to
levy taxes was restricted
2) 1890: peasants became more disenfranchised from the zemstvo vote
3) 1890: provincial governors gained the power to veto any appointment that a zemstvo made
4) Huge centralisation of power
What reformations did Alexander III make?
1) 1881: redemption payments were reduced
2) 1883: Peasant’s Land Bank was established
3) 1885: the poll tax was abolished, and inheritance was reduced (removing some tax burden from the lower classes)
