1. Overview of Russia, 1855

• What social structure did Russia follow in 1855?

  Feudal system
• What was Russia's economy like in 1855?

  It was:

  • Russian industry was protected by duties on foreign imports and felt little pressure from its overseas competitors.
  • Joint stock companies were restricted by state legislation, so that it was impossible to finance large enterprises by raising money in shares and giving those shareholders a stake in the success of the business.
  • Private banks were unstable, making it difficult for anyone who wished to raise capital to do so in the form of bank loans.
• What was Russia's economy like in 1855 (card two)?

  It was:

  • Reliance on plentiful serf labour meant that there was little incentive to invest in machinery to reduce labour costs.
  • The cost of transporting goods was very high due to the huge empire.
  • Resources, such as coal and iron core, were often a long way from the centres of population, with poor transport links and slow communication.
• What was the order of hierarchy in Russia in 1855?

  It was:

  • Tsar and the royal family
  • Church of Russia
  • Military
  • Gentry
  • Peasants (serfs and workers)
• What percentage of the Russian population comprised of ministers, civil servants, and local administrators in 1855?

  3.7%
• What percentage of the Russian population comprised of the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church?

  1.1%
• What percentage of the Russian population comprised of the armed forces?

  5%
• What percentage of the Russian population comprised of nobles?

  1.1%
• What percentage of the Russian population comprised of industrial workers, shopkeepers, artisans, and merchants?

  4.2%
• What percentage of the Russian population comprised of state peasants?

  32.7%
• What percentage of the Russian population comprised of serfs?

  50.7%
• What were serfs?

  Russian peasants who were tied to both the land that they lived and worked on and the noble who owned the land. In return for the landowner granting the serfs the right to live on the land, serfs had to pay them either by working a number of days a week for the landowner, or by paying rent, or a mixture of the two. They had limited freedom, with the landowner having certain rights over them due to obligations to the state.
• What restrictions did serfs face from the landowners?

  Landowners could do whatever they wished with serfs, including selling them to the market place, selling their land, selling the serfs themselves, splitting up serf families, using them for domestic service, arranging marriages, and administrating justice as they saw fit.
• What was the role of the village mir?

  It was ran by the most senior members of each serf family, and distributed land and tasks.
• What were state peasants and how did their conditions differ from the serfs?

  State peasants were mainly either those working on the crown estates, or non-Russians. They were tied to their villages. They were also liable to conscription, but they were able to engage in any activity as long as they paid their taxes.
• How long could male peasants be conscripted into the army for?

  25 years
• Who was the father of Alexander II?

  Nicholas I
• What were the three pillars of Russian tsarist rule?

  Autocracy, nationality, and orthodoxy.
• What did the autocracy pillar mean?

  It meant:

  • The Tsar had no limits on his power and was accountable to no-one but God
  • He was divinely appointed and God supported his actions
  • He had advisors but were not bound to listen or take their advice
  • Laws were made by Tsarist decree and his will was supreme
  • Made the authority of the Romanov Tsars the 'most absolute' in Europe
• What did the orthodoxy pillar mean?

  It meant:

  • In 1453, the centre of the Orthodox church moved from Constantinople to Moscow
  • The church supported the monarch as the representative of God on earth so received state protection
  • The Patriarch of Moscow worked closely with the Tsar
  • Orthodoxy taught its followers to accept that conditions on Earth were God's will, to never question their earthly lot, but trust God's goodness in the world to come
• How many sections were there in the Imperial Chancery?

  6
• What was the role of the First Section?

  Department heads and ministers who advised the Tsar, composed mainly of rich noblemen.
• What was the role of the Second Section?

  Responsible for law reform.
• What was the role of the Third Section?

  The secret police, responsible for internal security, including censorship.
• What was the role of the Fourth Section?

  Charities, in charge of education.
• What was the role of the Fifth Section?

  In charge of peasants.
• What was the role of the Sixth Section?

  In charge of supervising the Caucasus.
• When did Alexander II come to the throne?

  1855