Depth Studies: AII domestic Reform

Question 1

What did the Crimean war show

Answer 1

The weaknesses of Nicholas I’s rule (serfdom under autocratic rule did not fit with modern warfare), serfs in the army were not trained to the standard of France/Britain and lacked commitment/inclined to revolt, soldiers were poorly supplied (result of slow industrialisation)

Question 2

When were russia defeated in the Crimean war

Answer 2

1856

Question 3

Other than the Crimean War, why else might Alexander have implemented reforms

Answer 3

Pressure to abolish serfdom as seen as immoral, growing peasant unrest that stemmed from the 1770’s, high demand for industrialisation (railways etc), population growth (put pressure on farming- food shortages)

Question 4

Alexander’s change to government

Answer 4

Personal Chancellery of his Imperial Majesty was abolished and replaced with the Council of Ministers

Question 5

Alexander’s changes to local government

Answer 5

Introduced Zemstvas (element of democracy) that we’re good for education, public health and local economy (1870’s onwards a copy of the original Zemstva was applied to towns and cities)
BUT dominated by the nobility

Question 6

Impacts of the Emancipation Edict of 1861

Answer 6

All privately owned serfs were freed, nobles had to hand over a proportion of land to peasants, the state provided compensation to land owners, peasants had to pay redemption payments (paid over a 49 yr period at 6% interest) and the administration for these payments were carried out by the Mir (village council of elders)

Question 7

Opposition caused by the Emancipation Edict of 1861

Answer 7

LANDOWNERS
took out loans for day to day costs>redemption payments from peasants were diverted to repay the debts>if failed to do so, estates were broken up and sold off>by 1905 land owned by the nobility had reduced by 40%
PEASANTS
- land was poor quality
- peasants struggled to earn enough to pay redemption payments
- peasants were not completely free as had to answer to the Mir
POPULIST MOVEMENT
movement failed in the “mad summer” of 1874 > some turned to “revolutionary terror” to gain peasant support > group splintered into People’s Will and wanted to weaken autocracy to gain peasant support > 4 assassination attempts were made before a success in 1881

Question 8

Impacts of Alexander’s domestic reforms

Answer 8

• introduction of the Zemstva to take over running local affairs was a major step in liberalising the Empire
• break up of serfdom took away the authority of nobility to administer/govern at a local level

Question 9

Alexander and Poland

Answer 9

• polish rebellion 1863 was caused by access to land, proposed policies of Polish leaders, Gorchakov, Wielopolski and the role of the Catholic church in polish society
• Alexander tried to compromise with polish government: allowing them to frame their own land reform programme
• polish extremists opposed this and rebelled
• peasants divided their allegiance- Poland vs russia
• rebellion was suppressed in 1864 + Alexander imposed reforms to benefit peasantry > nobility
• arguably the rebellion started Russification

Question 10

Alexander and other regions

Answer 10

• any other hints of “separation” after 1864 were dealt with: official commission set up in 1876 to investigate separatist activity in Ukraine
• Alexander continued Nicholas I’s policy towards Baltic Germans (upper-classes of Latvia and Estonia)
• Alexander took practical measures to improve the lot of Jews: some were allowed to love outside the Pale of Settlement
• during Alexander’s rule, there was significant expansion of the Empire into Central Asia