Alex III

• who was Alex's right hand man

  Pobedonostev
• Pobedonostev was the driving force of extremist ideas starting with the People's Will's Assassination
• who was the finance minister in 1882-6

  Nikolay Bunge
• when was Nikolay bunge finance minister

  1882-6
• who was finance minister in 1887-1892

  Ivan Vyshnegradskii
• when was Ivan Vyshnegradskii finance minister

  1887-1892
• when was Sergei with finance minister

  1893-1903
• who was finance minister in 1893-1903

  Sergei witte
• Statute of State Security set up govt controlled courts to try political opponents

  Convicted suspects executed or exiled to Siberia From 1890 govt reserved right to choose juries
• Press freedom restricted, 14 major newspapers banned between 1882-1889, Suspects put on trial without jury, Foreign books & newspapers rigorously censored
• Launched campaign of repression

  Repression of all those supporting political reform
• Dismissal of liberal ministers


  From Alex II's government
• Issued Manifesto declaring power resided in Tsar
• Statute of State Security

  Govt controlled courts to try political opponents
• Convicted suspects

  Executed or exiled to Siberia
• From 1890 govt reserved right to choose juries
• Press freedom restricted

  14 major newspapers banned between 1882-1889
• Suspects put on trial

  Without jury
• Foreign books & newspapers

  Rigorously censored
• University fees increased

  From 1884 lost independence & came under state control
• Universities temporarily closed


  Due to student demonstrations
• Okhrana


  Secret police established
• Land Captains

  • Used to enforce local laws, replacing locally elected justices of the peace
  • Members of aristocracy appointed by Minister of Interior
• From 1890, Land Captains


  Made members of zemstva
• Membership of zemstya restricted

  Doctors and schoolteachers barred from election
• Nicolai Bunge


  Introduced laws to reduce tax burdens on peasants
• Peasants Land Bank established

  To provide loan facilities for peasants
• Vyshnegradski


  Introduced financial incentives to migrate to Siberia
• Famine struck in 1891
• Alexander Ill expanded the size and powers of the Third Section creating the feared secret police force known as the OKhrana.
• Limited workplace reforms were introduced by Alexander III-notably a limit of 8 Hours a day working for women & children.
• In the 1881 Statute of State Security

  Alexander Ill set up Special Courts, controlled by the Government to try political offences.
• Alexander Ill established a Peasant Land Bank to provide cheap loans to help Peasants to invest in land, improvements and equipment.
• Many of the liberal judges who had been appointed under Alexander Il were sacked by Alexander III.
• Alexander Ill made small reductions in the size of Redemption payments.
• Alexander Ill's policies to help peasants were aimed at winning the loyalty of the strongest, most able peasants with the greatest initiative (the group later condemned as kulaks by the communists).
• Press censorship was extended and a wider range of subjects put off limits for discussion by Alexander III. A special Committee could ban publications and newspapers and magazines warned 3 times had to submit to a censor a day before publication.
• Justices of the Peace elected by the Zemstva were replaced by Land Captains, appointed by the Government-often military officers starting in areas where there was opposition,
• Appointed Land Captains were often welcomed by the peasants as Justices of the Peace elected by the Zemstva tended to be nobles and to favour other nobles.
• In 1886 Alexander Ill abolished the Poll Tax— hated by peasants because every adult member of a household had to pay it— difficult for large, but poor, peasant families.