Section 1: Chapter One Flashcards
Political context of Russia in 1855
Russia = autocracy
Tsar = ‘emperor and autocrat of all Russia’ ‘god on earth’
Tsars imperial edicts (ukazy) were law
Role of the church in 1855
Church + state entwined
1721 - introduced over-procurator of Holy synod - appointed by tsar to run church affairs
Control through individuals
Advisers + ministers - chosen by Tsar
Nobility - kept order on their estates
The bureaucracy - paid noble officials, each held a rank + orders passed down through corrupt bureaucracy.
Army
1.5 million conscripted serfs, forced into service for 25 yrs + made to live in military colonies
Military = 45% govs annual expenditure
Cossacks - elite military class - tsars bodyguards/police
Police state
Censorship enforced
Secret state security network - run by ‘third section’ - power to arrest/ raid etc
Police state
Censorship enforced
Secret state security network - run by ‘third section’ - power to arrest/ raid etc
Peasants/ serfs in 1855
Over 50% of population = peasant serfs
Over 1/2 of this 50% = privately owned
Most worked on the land in village communes (Mirs)
illetierate but deeply superstitious + religious
What was the main economic structure in rural areas?
Serf-based economy
How did the serf-based economy limit forces that drive change?
By restricting peasants’ ability to become wage earners and limiting market development
How did peasants survive in the serf-based economy?
they were barely getting by on the produce they cultivated
How did the landowning elite obtain what they needed?
From the serfs, landowning elite were still in debt but money not of value
what two social groups was russia divided into
landowning elite - (non-productive class - own 75% of land)
serf majority (productive class)
Intelligentsia
small number of professionals that effectively made up substitute ‘middle class’
Society structure in 1855
society remained ‘feudal’ (based on birth, land and service)
Who paid taxes?
serfs paid direct and indirect taxes to the government
the nobility + clergy were exempt from the payment of any direct monetary taxes
