Alexander III - Russification

• Alexander III succeeded Alexander II and he was crowned in May 1881.
• Alexander III was advised by Konstantin Pobedonostev who was Procurator of the Holy Synod.
• Pobedonostev encouraged the Tsar to reassert autocracy.
• Alexander III publicly announced that he was "the sole ruler, as only absolute power can safeguard Russia".
• The People's Will had 150 people arrested and hanged because they assassinated Alexander II.
• The powers of the police increased and the Department of Police was made to supervise the Okhrana.
• The Department of Police reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs so activities could be monitored.
• Spies were also widely used whilst also being watched by secret spies.
• In 1882, a land rule was put in place that any area could be deemed as an "area of subversion" where police agents could arrest, imprison and exile on suspicion.
• Closed courts were reintroduced in 1885.
• Alexander III introduced Land Captain in 1889 who were appointed by the nobility.
• Land Captains replaced magistrates and they could override the zemstva.
• Land Captains could overturn local court judgments and the flogging of peasants.
• The zemstva peasant vote was reduced in 1890.
• Outspoken liberals were removed from office.
• Alexander III adopted Pobedonostev's creed of "Autocracy, Orthodoxy and Nationality" which meant Russification.
• Russification was the enforcement of Russian language and culture on ethnic minorities.
• Russian was declared as the first language which meant that trials and local government had to be conducted in Russian.
• Public office was closed to non-fluent Russian speakers.
• Adherence for the Orthodox Church was encouraged and 37,000 Lutherans converted.
• Monasteries were closed down and non-Orthodox churches were not allowed to build new places of worship.
• The military suppressed Russification resistance.
• Poles, Finns, Baltic Germans and Ukrainians suffered the most.
• The intention of Russification was to "unite" the country but all it did was intensity national feelings for non-Russians and cause opposition groups to form.
• Jews suffered the most from Russification with 5 million of them living in Russia.
• Anti-semitism was ingrained in Russian society and Jewish pogroms broke out between 1881-84.
• Authorities did not curb anti-Semitic violence with many Jews being raped or murdered and having their property destroyed.
• Laws were passed during Alexander III's reign to restrict Jews who were now forced to live in ghettos.
• Many Jews emigrated or were expelled as well as the likes of Leon Trotsky and Julius Martov joining revolutionary groups.
• Martin Sixsmith said that Alexander III's intentions towards Russification was to "unify the country by turning an empire into a nation">
• Orlando Figes said the central aim of Russification was to "assimiliate non-Russian peoples".
• John Gooding said that Jews were seen as a "particular problem".