Reform And Reaction 1855-81 12 Mark Questions

Question 1

Explain why Russia was so backwards in 1855

Answer 1

-Political: autocratic rule
-Economic: not industrialised or good in agriculture
-Social: serfdom and social structure
The political factor made it difficult for the other two areas to be developed, left backwards

Question 2

Explain why Alexander II embarked upon a series of reforms in Russia after 1855

Answer 2

-Defeat in the Crimean war
-Moral and intellectual motives
-Economic motives
The Crimean war highlighted the state of the economy and Alexander was then motivated by personal beliefs to make reforms/his beliefs increased the likelihood of reforms

Question 3

Explain why the serfs were emancipated in 1861

Answer 3

• Economic: needed to develop agriculture and industry
• Social: pressure from educated classes and intellectuals to bring about change in Russia
• Social: this pressure was exacerbated by the increase in peasant uprisings

Question 4

Explain why the emancipation of the serfs only had limited success

Answer 4

-Redemption payments
-Restrictive Mir system
-Landlords benefitted
The redemption payments and Mir system meant that the landlords benefitted and the success for the peasants was therefore limited

Question 5

Explain why many Russians were dissatisfied with the decree emancipating the serfs

Answer 5

• Peasants dissatisfied due to restrictions on them
• Nobles/landowners dissatisfied as lost rights over serfs and new economic position
• Modernisers dissatisfied as still hard for peasants to move to cities to industrialise

Question 6

Explain why Serfdom was a significant issue for Alexander II

Answer 6

• Personal beliefs, exacerbated impact of long term factor
• Autocratic nature of tsarist regime, long term
• Defeat in Crimean war, trigger

Question 7

Explain why Alexander II introduced further reforms following the emancipation edict of 1861

Answer 7

-To calm discontent of peasants
-New status of serfs meant education was needed
-Economic reform still needed
In calming discontent, the tsar would be able to make wider reforms too as peasant support was crucial

Question 8

Explain why defeat in the Crimea led Alexander to reform Russia

Answer 8

-Humiliation
-Failure to compete with western powers
-Bad state of army
The humiliation of defeat exacerbated the illustration of Russia’s poor army which highlighted their inability to compete with other powers, thus motivating reform

Question 9

Explain why Alexander II reformed education

Answer 9

-Necessity for a reformed economic status
-Peasants needed skills to run small holdings
-Key individuals endorsed the idea of reform
The need for peasants to have skills was necessary for industrialisation which was encouraged by key figures

Question 10

Explain why Alexander II reformed the judicial system in Russia

Answer 10

-Emancipation left issues that needed resolving
-Unrest in countryside
-Legal system was corrupt and backwards
The need for reform stemmed from the backwards system and the unrest in the countryside exacerbated the significance of the issues that needed reforming

Question 11

Explain why Alexander II reformed the system of local government in Russia

Answer 11

-Maintain support, especially from the nobility
-Provision needed for small scale projects
-Emancipation left issues that needed resolving on a smaller level
Keeping support was crucial and in doing this the other issues could be resolved

Question 12

Explain why Alexander II reformed the economy in Russia

Answer 12

-Was very backwards, would restore prestige/status
-Influence of individuals
-Debt & under-utilised resources
Reform through reducing debt would restore prestige and subsequently satisfy calls from key individuals

Question 13

Explain why military colonies were abolished in Russia in 1874

Answer 13

-Crimean war
-Pressure from key individuals
-Backwards army
The humiliation of losing the Crimean war triggered the reforms after the underlying inefficiency was raised by key figures

Question 14

Explain why Alexander II’s reforms were limited in their success

Answer 14

-Still limited representation
-Not widespread enough, did not benefit everyone
-Limited due to the tsar needing to maintain his position
Need to maintain power meant that reforms were not fully successful as they were not for everyone and did not allow representation at high levels

Question 15

Explain why Alexander II turned back on his reforms in 1866

Answer 15

-Assassination attempt
-Personal circumstances
-Conservatives in the church
The attempt on his life reduced his confidence in reforms, which was exacerbated by personal circumstances and meant he was more easily persuaded by the church to reverse reforms

Question 16

Explain why Alexander II faced opposition to his rule in the 1870s

Answer 16

-Policy of Russification
-Third Section
-Reversal of reforms
The reversal of reforms led to him seeming not genuine and the treatment of minorities inflated tensions which were exacerbated by the methods of the Third Section

Question 17

Explain why the Narodnik movement was a failure in the 1870s

Answer 17

-Membership
-Split of Land and Liberty
-Difference in views/methods after this split
Lack of support from peasants led to differing plans within the group which led to a split which meant they could not sustain a movement

Question 18

Explain why opposition to the tsar increased throughout Alexander II’s reign

Answer 18

-Limitations of reforms
-Lack of representation
-Introduction of oppressive methods
The lack of representation when needed most was exacerbated by the limitations of reforms and these tensions increased to opposition triggered by the reversal of reforms

Question 19

Explain why liberals were dissatisfied with tsarist autocracy in 1881

Answer 19

-Limited political representation
-Russia was backwards
-Limitations of reforms
The backwardness of Russia meant there was a lack of political representation which meant the liberals had little impact in their areas of expertise

Question 20

Explain why tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881

Answer 20

-Opposition group, The People’s Will
-Increased repression led to opposition and a desire for his overhaul
-Loss of support when he reversed reforms
The reversal of reforms necessitated repression which increased opposition and initiated the creation of groups

Question 21

Explain why Alexander II was successful in achieving his aims by 1881
(Initial aims)

Answer 21

-Motivation to reform, support from reforming influences
-Emancipation of serfs
-Successful military reforms
The influences inspired reform in form of emancipation which stimulated other reforms and made the tsar successful in these

Question 22

Explain why Alexander II was successful in achieving his aims by 1881
(Reversal of reforms aim)

Answer 22

-Third Section
-New, more repressive, ministers
-Distanced from pro reform influencers
The distance from influential figures was replaced with new ministers who advocated new methods such as the third section to successfully reverse reforms

Question 23

Explain why Alexander II was unsuccessful in achieving his aims by 1881

Answer 23

-Opposition groups & resistance of nobility
-New views were established
-Limitations of reforms
The limitations of his reforms led to new views being preferred, initiating opposition, thus making Alexander II unsuccessful in achieving the aims of reforms and also reversing them as such groups prevented this