National Minorities Under The Tsars. Flashcards
What is Russification
-Process whereby non Russian regions drawn more securely into the Russian Empire
-Involved administrative integration characterised by transmission of the Russian language, religion and culture
-Went hand in hand with improvement to communications and transport
What was the Polish Question.
Whether the Poles would be allowed to self rule.
Who was Wielopolski
-Appointed Prime Minister 1862 of Poland
-Campainged for partial independence from Russia
-Viewed as a Russian lapdog by nationalists
-Forced conscription of young poles causing Polish revolt of 1863
Who took control of poland after Wielopolski
Milyutin
What were the consequences of the Polish revolt
-Russian nobility exiled to siberia
-Polish peasants emancipated more favourably
-Rural district councils set up (zemstvos)
-Russian taught in schools
-Catholic church restricted
-Nationalism and autonomy diminished: Poland referred to as the Vistula region
Why was Poland important to Russia
-Fuelled Russian industrialisation through its proletariat
-Acted as a buffer state to invasion
What happened to Poland in WW1
By 1915 Russia forced to abandon Poland to advancing German and Austrian forces
How was Finland treated by the Tsars before Nicholas II
-1863 Finnish parliament
-1865 Finnish constitution
-Separate army
What changes did Nicholas II make to Finland
-Finland integrated and Russified into Russia appointing Bobrikov to oversee Finland
-Finnish separate army disbanded
-Russian became main language
-Finnish State Secretariat abolished
When was Bobrikov assasinated
1904
How were the Baltic states Russified
-Russian language adopted and more widespread with renaming of various economic institutions
How were the Ukrainians Russified under the Tsars
-Alexander II issued decrees forbade publication and import of books written in Ukrainian
-Alexander II reinforced this policy
Why were the Caucasians easy to Russify
-Caucasus region divided along religious lines
-High levels of illiteracy of the region
What movements in the Caucasus region openly opposed Nicholas II
-Dashnaks: self defence militias against intrusion of Russian officials
-Georgian Mensheviks
What is the Pale of Settlement
-The region within which Jews were allowed to settle
-From 1835 it included Lithuania, Poland and South Western Provinces
What change did Alexander II make to treatment of the Jewish population
Allowed members of the Pale to migrate to other regions
How did Alexander III treat the Jews
-Helped organise a mini Pogrom by an anti-Semitic group known as the Holy League
-Confinement of Jews to the Pale of Settlement
-Banning of Jews from purchasing land in prosperous rural areas
-Restrictions on access to senior positions in the military or medicine
-Removal from electoral register in the Zemstva
How did Nicholas II treat the Jews
-Continued anti Jewish position of his Father
-Accused of being revolutionaries as some were affiliated with the SDs
-Did allow Jews to sit on the Duma
Who oversaw expansion into Central Asia
Alexander II
What was the Steppe Statue of 1891
Granted 40 acres of land to peasant settlers which was enough to establish a successful farm unit
How did Central Asia avoid Russification
-Difficulties with communication and transport
-Harsh environment
-Nomadic lifestyle
How were Muslims in Central Asia treated under the Tsars
-Muslims gained brief representation in the Duma
-Attempted to draw on them for conscription in non combat duties however this started in the Ramadan period causing the “Conscription revolt”
