Key Questions

Question 1

What were Alexander II’s reforms and what impact did they have

Answer 1

• emancipation of serfs, military reforms, judicial reforms, and expansion of education
• short term: increased expectations for reform and led to significant disruption

-Long term: set the stage for more modern industrialized russia but faced backlash

Question 2

Why was Alexander II assasinated what was Alexander III’s reaction

Answer 2

Assasinated by the radical group “people’s will” due to impatience with slow reforms

Alexander III reacted with repression, implemented policies of Russification, and curtailed political freedoms

Question 4

Explain the “tug of war” the tsars engaged in from reform to repression in the 1800s

Answer 4

-initial reforms often provoked backlash from conservative factions leading to counter-reforms

Cycles of attempts at liberalization met with strong repressive measure to control dissent to showcasing instability