2. Alexander III, 1881-1894

• When did Alexander III reign from and to?

  1881-1894
• What military experience did Alexander III have?

  He commanded army units of 70,000 men in the war against Turkey from 1877-1878.
• What were Alexander III's strengths?

  Answers:

  • Had military experience;
  • Had experience in several governmental departments;
  • Strongly supported his ministers once he had adopted their policies, and they admired him for his loyalty.
• What were Alexander III's weaknesses?

  Answers:

  • Some ministers commented on his stubbornness and lack of insight;
  • He seemed to have a limited view of what his purpose as Tsar was;
  • He tended to identify autocracy with his own party whims rather than with the greater needs of the state;
  • He was remote from St Petersburg, which was the focus of government and policies.
• What was the name of Alexander III's manifesto?

  'Unshakeable Autocracy'
• When did Alexander III publish his manifesto?

  29th April 1881
• What is a quote regarding autocracy from Alexander III's manifesto?

  'The Tsar will rule with faith in the strength and truth of the autocratic power.'
• How did Alexander III deal with revolutionaries when he came to the throne?

  Answers:

  • He arrested and hanged leading members of the People's Will, and those who were not caught went into hiding.
  • The People's Will called on Alexander to pass a constitution and issue a political amnesty to its members, but this was unsuccessful.
• Who was Alexander III influenced by?

  Answers:

  • His old tutor Pobedonostsev.
  • Pobedonostsev persuaded Alexander that parliamentarianism was unworkable.
  • He also persuaded Alexander to abandon the Loris-Melikov plans for constitutional reform as they would be dangerous.
• Which ministers resigned in response to Alexander III's repressive regime?

  Answers:

  • Abaza
  • Loris-Melikov
  • Miluytin
• Which new ministers replaced the old administrators in Alexander III's court?

  Answers:

  • Delianov
  • Ignatev
  • Katkov
  • Tolstoy
• When was the Statute on Police Surveillance?

  March 1882
• What did the Statute on Police Surveillance do?

  Answers:

  • Police could now search and monitor exiles' correspondence and to develop the secret police network.
  • Spies and counter-spies were recruited to watch factories, universities, civil service, and central government.
  • The Okhrana looked into communists, socialists and militant unionists through torture and execution.
  • Thousands of suspected revolutionaries were sent to Siberia or Sakhalin.
• How did Alexander III ensure control over the judicial system?

  Answers:

  • In 1885, the minister of justice was given the ability to dismiss judges whose decisions he disliked.
  • In 1887, closed court sessions were introduced for cases where the dignity of state power was in question.
  • Jurors also needed to own more property and have higher educational qualifications in order to sit on a jury.
  • In 1889, local magistrates were abolished and the justice ministry took control of the appointment of town judges.
  • Judicial powers in the countryside were given to land captains.
• When was the Emancipation of Labour founded?

  1883
• What did the Emancipation of Labour aim to do?

  Answers:

  • It was the first Marxist revolutionary group and founded by 4 exiled ex-Populists (including Vera Zasulich) in Switzerland.
  • Aimed to assess Russia's position in relation to Marxist theory, to spread knowledge of Marxism more widely in Russia through propaganda and agitation, and to establish a Marxist-Socialist party dedicated to bring about a proletarian (workers') revolution.
  • Had a limited impact since there was no politically conscious middle class, no free press, and the Okhrana was still in operation.
• When was the People's Will reformed?

  1886 in St Petersburg.
• What was the impact of the reformed People's Will?

  Its activities were restricted after students preparing bombs were arrested and hanged in March 1887.
• What was the impact of the opposition group consisting of liberals?

  Answers:

  • They sought moderate reform.
  • Flourished in the zemstvo and town dumas, as they remained critical of central government but also used their initiative to offer relief in the famines.
  • Lays the foundation for further reform (but not in Alexander III's reign).
  • Proved they could support the population in crises better than the actual government, showing an increasing understanding that the government didn't meet their needs.
• Why did Alexander III abolish the Justices of the Peace?

  Answers:

  • These elected officials had been the link between the zemstvos and dumas and the peasants and the workers.
  • Without their role, the Tsar had weakened the rights of workers.
• How did Alexander III replace the Justices of the Peace?

  Answers:

  • There were new noble positions called land captains.
  • They were appointed and controlled by the minister of internal affairs.
  • They were picked from eligible hereditary nobles (who had land, education, and length of government service) and were responsible for enforcing government orders in their areas.
• What powers did the land captains have?

  Answers:

  • Given wide-ranging powers to root out sedition.
  • Could override elections to the zemstva and village assemblies.
  • Could overturn the decisions of local courts.
  • Could remove unreliable village elders and undermine the tradition of self-government in the mirs.
• When did Alexander III change the constitution of the zemstva?

  1890
• How did Alexander III change the constitution of the zemstva in 1890?

  Answers:

  • It gave the nobles 57% of the places available.
  • The ministry of internal affairs assumed direct control.
  • The zemstva's right to appoint magistrates was removed.
  • Any decisions made became subject to the veto of the local land captain.
• When was the property qualification for voters to the municipal dumas raised?

  1892
• What were the impacts of the changes Alexander III made in local government?

  The zemstva and dumas were less political in their discussions and more focussed on the social and community work they could achieve.
• When were universities deprived of their independence?

  1884
• What did the universities being deprived of independence mean?

  Answers:

  • Chancellors, deans, and professors had to be approved by the Ministry of Education, and chosen according to their 'religious, moral, and patriotic orientation' instead of just their academic qualifications.
  • The separate university courts from 1755 were abolished.
  • In 1887, university fees were raised.
  • Only the upper-classes became eligible for higher education.
  • Students had to pay to attend lectures and sit exams.
  • Student organisations were banned and private meetings of more than 5 people were forbidden.
• When were women banned from universities?

  1882 and 1886
• What did Delyanov's memorandum on education state?

  It ordered schools to stop accepting 'the children of coachmen, domestic servants, cooks, washerwomen, small shop-keepers and other similar persons'.
• What were the impacts of the education reforms under Alexander III?

  Answers:

  • The number of elementary schools increased, but they were controlled by the church.
  • Lessons reinforced the value of humility and obedience, and there was constant religious indoctrination.
  • Pupils were taught to read Slavonic texts and to accept that Russia was a 'holy land' chosen by God to save the world.
  • The educational budget was only a tenth of the amount allocated to the Ministry of Defence.
• In 1904, what percentage of children were in school?

  27%
• In 1882, what percentage of the Russian population could read and write?

  21%
• How did the number of pupils in elementary schools change between 1882 and 1895?

  It decreased severely.
• What religious reforms relating to Orthodoxy took place in 1893?

  Answers:

  • Orthodox priests were made official state servants with their salaries being paid by the state.
  • Priests had to read out imperial decrees and manifestos to their congregations.
  • Religious books were subject to censorship by the Church, and the church courts judged social and moral crimes like divorce.
  • Other religions were generally tolerated, but Orthodox priests had an overriding status.
• What religious reforms relating to Orthodoxy took place in 1883?

  Answers:

  • Members of non-Orthodox churches weren't allowed to wear religious dress other than at their meeting place, spread propaganda, or build any new places of worship.
  • The crime of attempting to convert an Orthodox Christian to another faith was made punishable by exile to Siberia.
• When was a new censorship committee established under Alexander III?

  1882
• Who was in charge of the new censorship committee?

  Tolstoy.
• What did this new censorship committee do?

  Answers:

  • They issued a series of temporary regulations, giving the government the power to close offending publications and ban the editor and publishers from any future activity.
  • Any newspaper that received 3 warnings had to present all their text to the Board of Censors the day before publication.
  • Provincial reading rooms were controlled by the local governors, and official approval had to be given before books could be purchased for these reading rooms.
  • There was censorship of the theatre, arts, and culture.
• For what period of time was Nikolai Bunge finance minister?

  1882-1886