1855-1917

• Autocracy

  Political, social, and economic system of government in which supreme power is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regularized mechanisms of popular control or power-sharing
• Alexander II

  • Firm believer of autocracy
  • Eager to reform
• Crimean War

  1853-56
• Emancipation motivations

  • Moral case - Nicholas I called it evil and palpable + turgenev humanises serfs within literature
  • Risk of revolt - Reports of instability and abolition meant he kept control of the army
  • Crimean War - highlighted state of the army - needed serfs support to resize it and retrain + question of loyalty meant it was inevitable
• Russia overestimated herself: biggest army but all conscripted, untrained peasants + lack of infrastructure, tech + industrialisation
• Crimean War was a wake up call for Russia - first loss
• Crimean War impacts 1853-1856

  Wishes to extend empire, improve army + industrialise
• Economic backwards: serfdom main hindrance, 1:1 village to town dweller v GB 2:1
• Novelift Turgenev-humanises serfs
• Reports of instability: abolition of serfdom is means of control
• Crimean War

  • Highlighted state of army
  • Needed smaller, trained army
  • Needed serf support
  • Question of loyalty
• Emancipation

  • Needed to accommodate aspirations, improve conditions
  • Economic reasons: no other country needed slavery, further improvement, free labour further incentive: "work harder"
  • Grain surplus: exports, money, mobility
  • Inhospitable territory + untapped resources: economic strain
  • Serf-based economy inhibited development: no incentive, cottage economy + no internal market (varied currency), no demand: no capital accumulation opportunity, falling behind western Europe due to lacking competitiveness
• Russia possessed mass reserves of timber, coal, oil, gold + precious metals
• Emerging market forces - peasants moving for work (like serfdom)
• 1859-edit committee - reports legislation

  1. Terms

  2. Other reforms: local gov, nobles oversaw, army support, meet

  3. Reaction appointments
• Tolstoy: 1866-education minister, primary schools state, promote classical subjects (Latin, Greek) no critical thinking, uni disciplined by police
• Nobles lost power: local assemblies (zemstvo) restricted uni to classic+nobles, heavy power in electoral college
• 1870-1937: mass improve school, roads, under 1/2 Provinces had one
• Strong restrictions on tariffs
• Patent 1867-justice, increased search arrest
• 1879:gov generals-power to prosecute people
• Third element educated dominated by nobility: corrupt, patchy results, very decisions hamper progress, military courts put off peasant participation
• 1863-Polish revolt, quickly put down-Alex furious
• 1864 meets mistress: 1 secular, 1865-son dies - divine punishment?
• 1886 - first assassination attempt -ex-uni student, blames reforms
• Emancipation of serfs

  • Serfs abolished and given (around house) redemption payments (49 years) + under mir control payments
  • Nobility police+.compensated for land +.State paid waits year
  • 2 year transition (free but obligations): work out land ownership: last fed payment
  • Noble's best land and internal passports: no leave without £ land
• 10k+ Peasant disturbances (cheored), nobility unfair + wanted parliament + debt: broke, loss of power talk of national assembly
• 1892-1905: Went from 87% to 50%. land for ]nobility, spark opposition for +sanam (radical)
• Kulaks: rich peasants enterprising, blamed Milyatin: Tsar support
• 1867 second assassination attempt, Alex III scared
• 1879-third assassination attempt, paranoia - needs affirm power
• 1880-fifth assassination attempt, 112 dead-50 injured
• 1886: 180° move, liberal minister sacked, conservative appointments, tighten censorship, stricter rules: Students + uni, military courts usage, rule by decree
• 1877-50 (most not) guilty, 1877/78-193-153 not guilty, sympathetic jury, Zasulich-Shot at governor of St Petersburg (injured), not guilty of attempt
• Assassination of Alexander II

  March 1881
• 1880: Loris Melokov interior. min. the ppl, thousands came Alex anniversary
• March 1881 Loris constitution, abolishes the 3rd section (secret police), give peasants civil rights-easier to buy land, introduce national assembly-devolve legislative power
• 13 March 1881: bomb hurled at carriage-steps out+ and is fatally wounded