alexander ii later years Flashcards
1
Q
later years
A
- 1865 his eldest son/heir died & his wife withdrew from public appearances
- tsar spent increasing amount of time with his mistress
- distanced himself from reforming element within his own family
- these developments & assassination attempts made him aloof
- in 1866 replaced the more liberal ministers with conservative ones
- tolstoy minister of education
- shuvalov head of thurd section
- pahlen minister of justice
2
Q
changes to education
A
- tolstoy strict orthodox believer & felt a tight control on education necessary to rid western liberal ideas
- zemstva’s power over education reduced & church regained authority over rural schools
- from 1871 onwards only students from gimnazii schools could progress to unis
- in unis, more liberal courses were replaced by a traditional curriculum (subjects like history & lit forced out)
- maths & latin encouraged
- strict control over student activities & organisations
- many students attended uni abroad
3
Q
changes to police, law & control
A
- shuvalov strengthened police & encouraged third section & stepped up persecution of other ethnic & religious minorities
- pahlen ensured judicial system made example of those accused of political agitation
- searches & arrests increased and new governor-general’s established in 1879 with emergency powers to prosecute in military courts
- pahlen held open show trials which took place in front of general public
- used to stop other revolutionary activity but backfired & in 1878 political crimes transferred from civil courts to special secret courtd
4
Q
vera zasulich (1878) show trial
A
- shot & wounded the governor of st petersburg
- admitted this but jury accepted her plea that act was justified brought in a not guilty verdict
- defence counsel brought in polticial prisoners that witnesses the flogging young educated men
- their testimonies moved the jury & public
5
Q
loris-melikov constitution
A
- late 1870s time of political crisis in russia
- russian army bogged down in russo-turkish war & famine swept countryside in 1879-80
- further attempts on tsar’s life in 1879-80 led tsar to accept that violence & unrest might be better curbed by widening democratic constitution
- loris-melikov appointed minister for internal affairs & he released political prisoners, relaxed censorship, abolished third section
- in 1880 produced a report recomending inclusion of elected representatives of nobility, zemstva and town govs
- alexander accepted & signed report on 13 march 1881 same day he died
