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Summary Russia: Alexander II
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- Alexander II
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1855 Russia Causes of Emancipation Effects of Emancipation All reforms50% Russian, many nationalities Crimean War: Exposed terrible army + Positive for Serfs: Some peasants bought land from poorer peasants, rented from Military (1874-75): Conscription compulsory for
(Poles, Ukrainians, Uzbeks) that numbers didn’t always mean victory. nobles + hired labour (Kulaks). Mir allocated Parcels of land to peasants. Serfs now everyone, lowered to 15 years from 25 (6 army, 9
4% lived in cities If serfdom abolished could have had same legal freedoms as other Russians reserves), better conditions, medical care, flogging +
over 170 languages spoken professional army + increase loyalty to Negative for Serfs: Former serfs had to buy land they had worked before
corporal punishment abolished, merit-rank system
nobles 2% pop, peasants 80% (serfs army/Tsar emancipation, still under control of mir (couldn’t travel unless got internal passport
40%) from mir, most got less land than before (Black Earth region), redemption payments introduced.
Economic: Would improve local economy,
Agrarian-economy, held back by enable peasants to move to cities + violated labour principle, peasants tied to village (if left couldn’t sell land, prevented Local Govt (1864-70): Elected local councils set up
nobles unwillingness to modernise + industrialise economy, needed to migration into cities), final transfer of land took ages, huge variation in (Zemstva at local level + Used at district level),
social system holding back innovation modernise Russia as falling behind compensation and land settlement agreements, only 1/3rd land received by Zemstva in charge of roads, schools, public health.
+ social mobility. Western Europe. peasants, strip farming, most got land that was hard to work + make profit (forced Only introduced where there is demand for them (19
Terrible Infrastructure Political: Num peasant revolts + since 40s, to still work for noble to get enough money), Alexander sacked Nicholas Milyutin in 1964 and 70 by 1914)
No middle-class only get worse due to Crimean War, army (most responsible for making emancipation act), initially only applied for privately Judicial (1864): Separate courts for peasants, church
Autocratic, Autocracy, Orthodoxy, mostly peasants so hard to contain owned serfs, state ones waited until 1866, only 50% had surplus by 1878
and military. Judges pay increased, training
Nationalism uprisings as most of army lost, large Positive for nobles: Got above market value for land lost to peasants, could decide
‘Little Father nickname for Tsar, what land kept, retained ownership of pastures, meadows and woodland. improved, trials public so can be covered by press +
increase in disturbances between 57-59,
controlled Church via Chief 1848 revolutions scared Tsar, many Negative for nobles: Not compensated for loss of their rights over serfs, lost power, oral evidence now given.
Procurator historians concerned with social stability, continued to go bankrupt/forced to sell/mortgage land, small num wanted national Education (1863-64) + Censorship (1858-70):
Slavophiles: superiority of Russian Alexander quote – ‘better to abolish it commission to stop bureaucrats ignoring wishes in future, many left for Everyone can go to school (women from 1870). +
culture + traditions from above than wait for it to abolish towns/sold/rented land to peasants to pay back loans. 62-05 landholdings fell by num primary schools, more teaches employed, more
Westerners: Russia backward + copy itself from below’. 40% modern subjects taught. Technical schools set up for
West Alexander’s personal views: Knowledge Military Local Govt Judicial Edu/Censor vocational subjects, unis allowed to govern
Strengths: Natural resources, large of Western ideas, saw serfdom as illiberal, - smaller - creation of - less corrupt/influence - + primary schools themselves, control of schools shifted from church to
pop, weather good defence, big army more humane perspective, believed more ‘Third Element’, from Tsar, independent from 8k 56 to 23k
+ landmass, large % Orthodox (70%) 80, num students + Zemstva. Ministry of Internal Affairs controls what is
would inevitably be removed. professional degree of juries (Vera Zasulitch)
Weaknesses: Hard to control as large, Moral + Intellectual considerations: army with representation at - Idea of rule of law from 400k to 1mil published, anything is allowed to be printed (1855 1k
culturally diverse, no access to warm Other members of Royal family saw it as more local level, - free speech - more literate books published, 10k by 94)
modern political - better access of justice for peasants,
oceans, serfdom, no industrial morally wrong, Westerners too
weapons experience of peasants education quality
Loris-Mikhail Reforms 1880-81
revolution, bordered many countries, (Turgenev). increased. - Political prisoners released + censorship relaxes
nobles - JPs respected by peasants
bad climate for farming, agrarian The Emancipation of the Serfs - Third Section abolished + replaced with Okhrana (intended
- wealthy - Zemstva only - separate peasant courts - education was
society to be softer form)
(1861) could still get limited num - govt officials couldn’t be expensive
Crimean War (1853) Failings out of it, still provinces tried - students became - Plan for representative govt
Abolished serfdom - reforms only really in large more radical
1 musket for every 2 soldiers mainly - no control over - Reforms too late, revolutionary groups still wanted Tsar’s
Peasants got land (house + peasant taxes urban cities - Ministry of removal
Alcoholism rife
everything immediately around it) conscripts + - noble dominated - trial by jury not Interior could shut
- 1879 ‘Land and Liberty’ split into Black Partition (peaceful)
Large % army conscripts slow tech - used to criticise guaranteed down anything,
Had to buy other land via and ‘The People’s Will (violent + assassinated Tsar in 1881)
advancement govt by - church and military courts undermined Tsar’s
Redemption Payments over 49 years professionals outside system authority
Bad communication, at 6% interest
transportation and production of Land given to Mir to be distributed
equipment
Counter Reforms
Why reaction? Changes? Effect of changes?
Education - Dangerous liberal ideas from West - Control of education returned to - Latin + Greek took prominence
particularly posed threat to autocracy. Church - Extra-curricular organisations in
- Schools encouraged to follow decline
traditional curriculum + ditch sciences - Loss in quality of Russian education
Police/law courts - Large + in num revolutionaries + - ‘Third Section’ stepped up - Radicals who fled to other countries
hard to catch when fled abroad - ‘Open show’ trials (trial of 50’) such as Germany and Switzerland
where public saw trials to deter them could be tracked down and brought
from revolutionary activity back
- political crimes transferred from civil - Gave revolutionaries loads of
to military courts where could be held publicity
in secret
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