trying to preserve autocracy

Question 1

political context

Answer 1

• freedom of speech prevented and travel is forbidden (3rd Section) they also controlled and operated prisons and banned dissidents
• censorship needs to be tightened (church and state)
• texts against Tsar were not allowed

Question 2

problems of governing Russia

Answer 2

• communication is difficult
• poor transport (railways had not yet been built)
• different ethnic groups, language, religion and culture (less than 50% were russian in 1855)

Question 3

economic situation

Answer 3

• serf based
• mid 19th century- Europe’s main exporter for agricultural produce (40%)
• Russia possessed large areas of valuables but due to lack of transport they could not retrieve this

Question 4

social context

Answer 4

• in 1855, 59 million were peasants and could potentially pose a threat to the Tsarist government
• but since they were uneducated, illiterate and obeyed the church they did not realise this
• intelligentsia (educated)
• slavophiles, rejected western ideas yet still wanted to compete with the west

Question 5

socio- economic evaluation

Answer 5

• russia was still considered a great power in the West due to its huge empire and large army
• However… it was still politically, economically and socially backwards compared to the west

Question 6

Crimean war

Answer 6

• reason why Alex II felt the need to implement reforms
• In1853, Nicholas I ordered Russian troops to advance into Moldavia and Wallachia. The Russian troops clashed with the Turks and in October, the Turks declared war on Russia\
• 1854, Britain and France allied with the Turks and advanced into Crimea (to protect the trading areas of their interest)
• 1855, Nicholas I died, Alexander II forced to sign the treaty of Paris in 1856

Question 7

impact of the Crimean War

Answer 7

• 45% of government expenditure was spent on the army, debts reached 360 million roubles. And by printing money all they did was accelerate inflation
• 25 million men were subject to military service

Question 8

standing army was only 1.4 million because

Answer 8

• 250,000 were dying of disease and illness
• russia lacked technological and industrial development and had no railway or transport and couldn’t compete against modern warfare

Question 9

signing the treaty of Paris was humiliating for Russia

Answer 9

HOWEVER it also banned Russian battleships from sailing the Black sea and this affected the trade as there was no access to the ports