Detailed essay plans on Russia & Tsardom (reforms, policies)
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Course
Russia & Tsardom 1855-1917
Institution
Amersham And Wycombe College
25 pages of essay questions and detailed responses on the IB History HL course, Russian Tsardom . Relevant to other qualifications. In depth responses with detailed historiography to help you to achieve a grade 7 in History. Grade 7 notes. Contains information about Alexander II, the extent of refo...
Alexander II (1855–1881): the extent of reform
“Despite his apparently liberal policies, Alexander II was just as conserva;ve as Alexander III.” To
what extent do you agree with this statement?
To what extent do you agree with the asser;on that Alexander II’s policies were revolu;onary?
“His measures of reform did not disguise his belief in the need to maintain autocra;c rule.” To
what extent do you agree with this view of Alexander II?
Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of Alexander II’s reforms.
In what ways, and with what success, did Alexander II aFempt to modernise Russia and
preserve imperial power?
To what extent did the reforms of Alexander II achieve his aims?
To what extent do you agree that Alexander II transformed Russian society?
To what extent did Alexander II’s reforms improve the lives of the Russian peasantry?
Policies of Alexander III (1881–1894) and Nicholas II (1894–1917): economic moderniza@on,
tsarist repression and the growth of opposi@on
Assess the success and failures of Nicholas II between 1894 and 1917.
Compare and contrast the domes;c policies of Alexander II (1855-1881) and Alexander III (1881-
1894)
“Alexander III was a poli;cal reac;onary but an economic moderniser.” To what extent do you
agree with this statement?
“The reigns of Alexander II and Alexander III had more similari;es than differences.” To what
extent do you agree with this statement?
“The reigns of Alexander II (1855-1881) and Alexander III (1881-1894) were marked by poli;cal
con;nuity but significant economic change” Discuss.
Evaluate the economic and poli;cal impact of the domes;c policies of Nicholas II between 1894
and 1914
, Examine the reasons for the growth of opposi;on movements in Russia between 1881 and 1914
2017 specimen paper: Compare and contrast the domes@c policies of Alexander II and
Alexander III
May 2017: With reference to the period up to 1914, discuss the economic developments that
took place in Russia during the reigns of Alexander III and Nicholas II.
Candidates are required to offer a considered and balanced review of the economic
developments that took place up to 1914. These may include aPempts to expand industry and
increase agricultural produc@on, achieve currency stability and promote trade with other
na;ons. Candidates may argue that although there were significant economic developments,
Russia’s economy remained largely agricultural with low produc@on levels. Despite aFempts
to s;mulate produc;on, for example the reduc@on in the Poll Tax and Stolypin’s Agrarian
reforms, crop yields were s@ll very low by 1912. Discussion of industrial developments that
were encouraged by WiPe, may include a commentary on levels of foreign investment, the
growth of railways (in comparison to other major powers), the impact on produc@on levels
and the scale of change. There may be discussion of the extent to which Russia had developed
a stable industrial economy by 1914 and the fact that agriculture remained the main economic
ac@vity for over 80 per cent of the popula@on.
ECONOMIC • Alexander III
DEVELOPMENTS • The land banks (1883-peasants, 1885- Nobles) helped peasants buy surplus land and land
AGRICULTURALLY off nobles with low interest rates, 26 million hectares of land were bought by peasants
between 1877 and 1905
• Yeilds (amount of food grown in a given area of land) remained low compared to Western
Europe (grain yields 3 ;mes lower than those in the UK and Germany)
• Despite the lack of agricultural development, expor;ng grain became a key economic policy
– minister of finance ivan Vyshnegradsky infamously said ‘we ourselves shall not eat, but
we shall export’
• An early winter and a long hot summer ruined crops and disease spread amongst the
Russian people including cholera and typhoid – 350,00 died of starva;on or disease
• The government did liFle to help the peasants
• Vyshnegradsky was removed and replaced by wiFe
• Nicholas II
• The rural economy was vital to any economic development as it involved 80-90% of the
popula;on
• The ;me of Nicholas II saw many remnants of his father’s and grandfather’s reigns that
made progress difficult
-Serfs had been freed but ;ed to the mir and made to pay redemp;on payments
-They suffered the burden of high taxes
-Although Nicholas abolished redemp;on payment following the 1905 revolu;on,
problems remained
, • The subdivision of land amongst all males in the mir meant average holdings fell from 35
acres in 1877 to 28 acres in 1905
• Technologically farming was backward with wooden ploughs and medieval crop rota;on
was s;ll being prac;ced
• The low level of livestock meant that there was insuffient manure
• Bri;sh farms were producing 4 ;mes the amount of grain on an equivalent amount of land
• Some had improved their posi;on (kulaks) who had bought up land and introduced more
efficient methods – this group appeared key to any progress
• Stolypin’s land reforms
-1903 Mir was no longer responsible for taxes of all peasants in the village
-1906 (September) – more state and crown land available for peasants to buy,
government encourages and subsidises migra;on to fer;le land in Siberia
-Land organisa;on commiFee oversees changes
-1906 (October) – equal rights for peasants in local administra;on
-1906 (November) – peasants can leave the commune (mir), land owned by oldest male
not the whole family (stopping subdivisions)
-Peasants can remove their land from collec;ve mir farming (consolidate their strips
into an individual farm)
-A new peasants land bank was created
-1907 (Jan) – redemp;on payments are abolished, although few s;ll paying in full
-1910 (June) – any commune (mir) that had not redistributed land since 1861 was
dissolved
-Stolypin said he needed 20 years of peace to fully implement his reforms (he was killed
in 1911)
-The level of success Stolypin had is debated but clearly improvement in agricultural
output and freeing up of labour was needed if industrialisa;on was to be a possibility
• Success of stolypin’s land reforms
-3.5 million peasants migrated to Siberia which became a major producer of cereals and
dairy by 1915
-In 1905 20% of land owned by peasants in 1915 it was nearly 50%
-Grain produc;on 56 million tons in 1900 grew to 90 million tons in 1914
-1909 Russia was the leading exporter of cereals (grain)
• Failure of Stolypin’s land reforms
-90% of peasant land was s;ll in tradi;onal strips in 1914 and peasants remained highly
tradi;onal in their farming methods
-only 1.3 million of the total of 5 million applica;ons to have land consolidated and
under hereditary tenure had been processed in 1913
-Only 10% of land had moved from communal to private ownership by 1914
-Nobles did not want to give up land, this plus difficul;es in dividing common land led
to delays and long legal baFles
-Less than 1% of peasants became kulaks, many of the rest were forced off their land
and set out looking for work omen in the industrial areas
-This group were omen embiFered against the Tsarist regime
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