Essay plans for Trying to preserve the autocracy topic Russian History A-level 1H. Covers the topic of Opposition, Economy, Society and Politics. Essay titles from books and past papers (AS and A-level).
Trying to preserve the autocracy
Economy
‘The emancipation of the serfs opened major opportunities for Russia to modernise.’
Modernisation – improvement of agriculture, industry, lifestyle, economy
Emancipation opened modernisation Did not open/ something else opened
• Possibility to improve military - no big army • Nobels, who carried the most money, were not
(from 25 years to 11 years of service) - less interested in investing them in modernisation;
chance of revolt; less money spent on huge they needed to pay debts and support their
army lavish lifestyle
So, emancipation allowed for military reforms, which in So, as emancipation did not benefit financially nobles
turn saved money; smaller army was easier to (they were taken their power), they would not spend
modernise (less money to spend on) money (which they scarcely had)
• Economic benefits: free serfs – more incentive -> But! This was not the case. Tsar was not interested in
to work - grain surplus - bigger exports - more spending on modernisation (nobility had all the money)
money for the government and neither were peasants. Neither major
So, emancipation had an economic advantage both for improvement was seen + redemption payments were
serfs (they would have more money – could spend on high, which meant that peasants did not have much
improvements) and the gov (had money from exports – disposable income – just to scrape by
could spend on modernisation)
• Improvement of agriculture: appearance of -> but it was only 1% of the population. Peasants were
kulaks who were interested in using more still in Mirs, which were controlled by the elderly, who
modern way of farming – were ready to work were reluctant to change anything. The mindset
and spend money on modernisation remained unchanged
So, emancipation allowed people to take care of their
own farming methods – some took benefit and
modernised -> their wealth grew
• Opportunities for industrialisation: free people- -> but internal passports were set up to make sure that
could move to the cities to get jobs there. With the peasants do not flood to the cities (because
more workforce, factories could grow and otherwise there will be no one in the countryside)
industry grow as well
So, by freeing people a class of workers could be • Lack of education would not allow neither
created, which would be working on industrialisation of peasants nor workers to modernise, as they did
Russia noy have knowledge to do so
So, emancipation by itself would not cause
modernisation; further changes/reforms were needed
to educate people and motivate them
But! Alexander II did implement some educational
reforms (primary schools, more available universities)
•Emancipation (+further reforms) resulted into
the growth of opposition. This meant that the
gov paid more attention to deal with it by
creating secret police or reversing reforms
instead of modernising
So, there were dissatisfied peasants and nobles, who
had to be dealt with; the gov wasted time and
resources on this
Conclusion: emancipation 1861 was definitely an important event in Russian history; however, further reforms were
needed, or even the change of the government for Russia to be able to modernise.
‘The foundations for Russia’s industrial growth were firmly laid in the years 1855 to 1895.’
, More people, more money, more resources, reforms
Laid during the period Weren’t laid in the period/other
• Emancipation of the serfs allowed people to • Despite move to the cities, the majority of the
move to the towns and become workers. workers were involved in the small workshops.
Without the workforce, the factories cannot This was not effective for the economy and
exist. The population of Moscow and St thus did not contribute to the industrialisation.
Peterburg doubled.
• The economy ministers focused on the
industry: Bunge developed railways (Trans-
Siberian railway), Witte as well and negotiated
loan from France. Railways allowed better
transportation of the materials, which allowed
industry to grow.
• There were some industrial centres developing, -> but the growth was limited to western areas of
like Donbas in Ukraine. This suggests that Russia. This could imply that there were not yet enough
Russia had enough resources at the period for resources for the industrialisation during the period.
industrialisation
• Alexander III conducted some progressive • Living conditions of the workers were appalling;
industrial reforms aiming to improve working there were also diseases in the cities, which
conditions (no night shifts, inspection of meant great turnover and human
factories, limitation of child labour). These were dissatisfaction. Lack of motivation did not
the basis for the industrialisation. contribute to the industry growth.
• After the emancipation nobles lost their land, -> but nobles did not have neither motivation, nor the
which meant that some of them had to move to money for investment and modernisation. They had to
the cities and so money moved to the cities as repay debts and mortgages and spend money on
well. Nobles could invest into businesses, themselves. Only few were modernisers.
helping them to develop.
Conclusion: emancipation was arguably the most significant change in the society that allowed industry to grow
during the period. Societal changes followed from it, and they did not contribute significantly to industrialisation.
There were some reforms by the Tsars, but they were limited.
‘The decision to emancipate the serfs was the result of peasant unrest’
Politics
While Alexander II was the ‘great reformer’, Alexander III was the ‘great reactionary’. Assess the validity of this view.
For Against
1. True: 2 did mostly reforms, 3 reversed them 1. 2 also reversed reforms after 1866 (show trial
(primary education under zemstva control- didn’t work-set up secret courts; liberal courses
returned it to church; gave votes to everyone- in unis replaced by traditional; 1879 governor
municipal government act-only who owned general could do military and exile political
property above certain value; opening offenders)
education for women-closing it) 2. 3 did some reforms (Land captains 1889;
2. More attention to the opposition during 3 abolishing poll tax; Peasant’s and Nobles Land
(secret spies, agent provocateurs, 1882 statute banks 1883 and 1885)
on police surveillance-police had more rights) 3. Reforms were not great (emancipation
when 2 was more liberal. backfired; not the same judicial system in
Caucasus, Poland; censorship led to spread of
revolutionary ideas)
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