Moderate Liberal opposition Flashcards
Why were the moderate liberals a relatively small group?
There were comparatively few literate and educated Russians
Why did the size and the influence of the liberal intelligentsia grow?
The reforms and economic changes of the later 19th century
What did liberal intellectuals have the benefits of?
- Education
- wealth
- time and interest to reflect on political matters
What happened when many liberals travelled abroad?
They despaired at the political and social stagnation of Russia?
What did some liberals seek ‘the truth’ through?
nihilism and anarchism
Who were the Westernisers?
They wanted to ‘catch up with the west’ by copying western ways e.g. Ivan Turgenev
Who were the Slavophiles?
They favoured the superior ‘Russian’ path to a better future. e.g. Leo Tolstoy
What did the zemstva provide?
a natural home for Westernising liberal opposition voices, as local decision-making encouraged members to think more nationally
What was the zemstva members’ hope?
To reform autocracy so that the Tsar would listen and rule in conjunction with his subjects
Although Alexander II had created the zemstva, what was he not prepared to do?
To give them national influence
What bitterly disappointed the zemstva liberals?
The restriction of the zemstva powers by Alexander III 1889-90
What happened to the Slavophiles?
After peaking in 1881, the attraction diminished in the 1890s
Why did Western-style socialism start to take root?
The country, in the 1890s, was moving forward in its march towards industrialisation
How was the intelligentsia split?
Some were attracted to the Marxist theory and were drawn to socialism, and others maintained a more moderate liberal stance and continued to pin their hopes on reform of tsardom
What left the zemstva largely in charge of relief work?
The 1891-92 famine, and the inaction of the bureaucratic tsarist government
