Question 1

What was the name of the Secret police of Alexander II?

Accepted Answer

Konspiratsia

Question 2

When did Alexander II reigned?

Accepted Answer

March 3, 1855 at age 37

Question 3

When was Alexander II assassinated?

Accepted Answer

1881. He was 62.

Question 4

What was Alexander II's nickname?

Accepted Answer

Tsar Liberator

Question 5

What was Alexander II's famous quote?

Accepted Answer

"Better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait till it begins to abolish itself from below."

Question 6

How was Nicholas I's Russia Before Alexander II? 2

Accepted Answer

To have a better idea of what was Alexander II was liberating we need to understand the circumstances of Russia before Alexander II became Tsar. Nicholas I ruled Russia and he has been known as the most reactionary[1] Russian monarch.

Question 7

What were Alexander II's aims in embarking upon his social and political reforms? 3

Accepted Answer

strengthen and consolidate the tsarist autocracy --- Alexander's childhood readings in history had firmly embedded his belief in his own autocratic powers as tsar. to secure Russia's position as a great power --- following the humiliation in the Crimea, through improving the position of the Russian state both internally and externally In short, and to summarize, Alexander II wished to modernize Russia as a means of strengthening the autocratic tsarist state.

Question 8

Situation when Alexander II came to power: what problems faced the new tsar of the Russian Empire? 6-7 MAIN POINTS ON THE CRIMEAN WAR

Accepted Answer

Defeat in Crimean war (1854 - 1856, fought on Russian territory against British, French and Turkish troops over territorial control over the Holy Land) exposed how serious Russia’s problems unable to equip Russian troops with the modern weapons used by British and French soldiers Increasing criticisms of the institution of serfdom Increasingly abolition of serfdom was seen as necessary to allow progress and modernization in Russia, but the question was how was this to be done? Such embarrassing proof of Russian backwardness in relation to the Western powers challenged the Slavophiles' argument that Russian greatness was best maintained through autocracy and the status quo. The loss in Crimea showed Alexander the need to modernize in order to strengthen Russia and retain its status as a Great Power.

Question 9

Why did Alexander II introduced these reforms?

Accepted Answer

He brought these revolutions was not a liberal. He did this to prevent a "revolution from below" and maintain tsarist rule in Russia. However many of his reforms did not go far enough, receiving mounting criticism and unrest for the second half of his reign.

Question 10

What was the Significance of the Assassination of Alexander the II? 5

Accepted Answer

Alexander the III became reactionary and The police was given more power to arrest people without reason The social and political reforms that Alexander II introduced were halted The death of the Tsar by assassination should weakness in ruling under Tsardom, provided new revolutionary cause for martyrs Revolutionaries learned that they needed to be more disciplined to avoid arrest and imprisonment

Question 11

What are the main points on the Emancipation of the serfs? 3

Accepted Answer

Only applied to privately owned serfs --- owned by nobles Emancipation would come through a gradual 3 stage process Alexander II reassured the landowners that their interests would be protected

Question 12

When did the Emancipation of the serfs happen?

Accepted Answer

1861

Question 13

When was the Conscription act of Alexander II?

Accepted Answer

January 1, 1874

Question 14

Alexander's Treatment of the Jews, Finns, Poles?

Accepted Answer

Jews More tolerant of the Jews than any other Tsars before him Jews were seen as "christ-killers" There we restrictions placed on their rights and professions Alexander the II allowed the Jews: to attend universities Jews with degrees could live in towns not be stuck in the "Pale of Settlement" --- patch of land west of Russia Participate in expanding commerce and industry Finns Gave them more independence to win them over Recalled the Finnish Diet (Parliament) Allowed Finnish to be the sole language Allowed them to have their own newspaper Allowed them to have their own separate currency Poles Brutally repressed under Nicholas the I Relaxed restrictions on catholicism and the use of Polish language He gave the Poles more autonomy but when they wanted more freedom and rebelled, he used his iron fist to bend them to his will

Question 15

Alexander's Treatment of the Jews,?

Accepted Answer

Jews More tolerant of the Jews than any other Tsars before him Jews were seen as "christ-killers" There we restrictions placed on their rights and professions Alexander the II allowed the Jews: to attend universities Jews with degrees could live in towns not be stuck in the "Pale of Settlement" --- patch of land west of Russia Participate in expanding commerce and industry Finns Gave them more independence to win them over Recalled the Finnish Diet (Parliament) Allowed Finnish to be the sole language Allowed them to have their own newspaper Allowed them to have their own separate currency Poles Brutally repressed under Nicholas the I Relaxed restrictions on catholicism and the use of Polish language He gave the Poles more autonomy but when they wanted more freedom and rebelled, he used his iron fist to bend them to his will

Question 16

Alexander's Treatment of the Finns?

Accepted Answer

Jews More tolerant of the Jews than any other Tsars before him Jews were seen as "christ-killers" There we restrictions placed on their rights and professions Alexander the II allowed the Jews: to attend universities Jews with degrees could live in towns not be stuck in the "Pale of Settlement" --- patch of land west of Russia Participate in expanding commerce and industry Finns Gave them more independence to win them over Recalled the Finnish Diet (Parliament) Allowed Finnish to be the sole language Allowed them to have their own newspaper Allowed them to have their own separate currency Poles Brutally repressed under Nicholas the I Relaxed restrictions on catholicism and the use of Polish language He gave the Poles more autonomy but when they wanted more freedom and rebelled, he used his iron fist to bend them to his will

Question 17

Alexander's Treatment of the Poles?

Accepted Answer

Jews More tolerant of the Jews than any other Tsars before him Jews were seen as "christ-killers" There we restrictions placed on their rights and professions Alexander the II allowed the Jews: to attend universities Jews with degrees could live in towns not be stuck in the "Pale of Settlement" --- patch of land west of Russia Participate in expanding commerce and industry Finns Gave them more independence to win them over Recalled the Finnish Diet (Parliament) Allowed Finnish to be the sole language Allowed them to have their own newspaper Allowed them to have their own separate currency Poles Brutally repressed under Nicholas the I Relaxed restrictions on catholicism and the use of Polish language He gave the Poles more autonomy but when they wanted more freedom and rebelled, he used his iron fist to bend them to his will

Question 18

When was the Conscription act of Alexander II?

Accepted Answer

January 1, 1874

Question 19

What are the main points on the Conscription act of Alexander II? 7

Accepted Answer

Noble had to take part in the military Male ages 20 and up were eligible for military service Conscripts were chosen by drawing lots in each military district 25% of men aged 20 would serve each year Instead of 25 years service, it was reduced to 15 (6 years + 9 years in the reserve) Men with formal education has shorter terms of active service Those with no education were taught to read

Question 20

What were the results of the Conscription act of Alexander II? 7

Accepted Answer

A new spirit of professionalism Social status was less important than ability Government spending on the army was reduced Russia was prestigious against Turkey in 1877-78 --- restored the prestige of Russia Improved literacy --- although the majority was still illiterate Officers were still largely aristocrats --- could read and write but it didn't mean that they made good decisions Wealthy could hire "substitutions" --- people to serve for them Despite some notable achievements, Russia did not keep up with the west in producing rifles, artillery, ships and ammunition. (Russo-Japanese War in 1904-05 and WWI proved disastrous)

Question 21

“To what extent did the Alexander II deserved his title of the ‘Tsar Liberator’?”

Accepted Answer

Born in Moscow on April 29, 1818 and died in St. Petersburg on March 13, 1881, was Tsar of the Russian Empire from the March 3, 1855 until his assassination in 1881.During his youth he showed his real skills, until the time of its advent in 1855, few imagined that it would be known as a leader who implement the most difficult reforms in Russia. During the thirty-six years he was heir to the atmosphere of St. Petersburg was unfavorable to the development of any intellectual or political innovation. All the principles of freedom of thought and private initiative were, as far as possible, suppressed. Personal and official censorship, the criticism of the authorities were seen as a serious crime. This was also considered as one of the reasons that led to his murder. Russia Before Alexander II To have a better idea of what was Alexander II was liberating we need to understand the circumstances of Russia before Alexander II became Tsar. Nicholas I ruled Russia and he has been known as the most reactionary[1] Russian monarch. Nicholas I was determinate to control Russian society to prevent the spread or culmination of liberty ideas that could question his absolutism. Therefore the government censured and controlled the education, making difficult the access to higher education. He also restricts the sell of foreign books. Nicholas did not agree with serfdom and he considerate the idea of abolishing it, but he was afraid of the landowners turn against him. However he took actions to improve the peasant life style with help of the minister Pavel Kiselev. Emancipation of the Serfs This was the first and most important liberal reform of Russia during Alexander’s reign making serfs free. They were in right to married who ever they wanted, travel, have a legal status and to own a property and a business. They where also allowed to buy land from the landowners. It was the end of feudal dues and payments; some peasant had more land holding, as well they were not afraid of being forced to join the military service. As a consequence of this, a new class of peasants emerged, the Kulaks, they where private owners. This is not a fairytale story were everyone ended up happy, at the end there where more looses than gains. There was an over loss of land and because of that they had to rent additional lands at higher prices. The volosts did not have full citizen rights. The Mir tended to replace the nobility, controlling the independence and lives of the peasants. In addition to, subsistence farming made peasants more vulnerably to famine. In my opinion this reform was not successful, how can we call Alexander II a liberator? If the legislation did not liberate peasants from excessive external obligations and neither he fixed up all their restrictions as social or economic. Applying an unequal using of the legislation, he left a lot of peasants with out lands, while others ex peasants became the landowners of their provinces. I think this was a kind of an “exchange of restrictions” serfs weren’t serfs anymore, they could do more things than before but at the same time new rules were created and more restrictions came with it. At the end, in my opinion mostly no one was freer or less free, it was just a new lifestyle within new rules but the same kind of injustice to say it like that. Judicial The judicial system before Alexander II was full of corruption was illogical, arbitrary and cruel. Was abusive in general, the new reforms Alexander II involved included the separation of judicial and administrative powers, public tribunals, the right to appeal to a conference of justice as well as showing evidence and try to defend yourself, and what I considerate a very important one, judges better trained, among many others. These reforms made a less corruptive Russia and helped the modernization of the country. According to H. Seton-Watson, ‘it raised general moral and even political standards’… ‘for a long time the court-room was the one place in Russia where real freedom of speech prevailed, and its main champion was the lawyer’. The new system has really good statements, but it did not work at all, the country was used to all the irregularities and at the beginning where some problems with the lawyers because only a few where trained, some people still was excluded of all the new reforms, to only mention a few anomalies. So even though it was a good idea it was no good managed and did not succeed as it could. Military Because the reform was really necessary to defeat the Crimean War and to abolish the serfdom it was applied more effectively, becoming a better-trained military given a proper training, modern weapons, etc. Dimitri Milyutin had great intelligent statements to change in the military but once again the nobility argued against it. I think the reduction of the military service during peacetime was a brilliant idea to save money but still having one. However, peasants still where the base of the military army giving an unequal treat among the rest of the population. Education and Censorship The education had a significant improvement where primary and secondary schools where opened not only allowing to students to assist, but permitting women as well. Also censorship was re-organized, now there were liberal publications, the press could discuss the government policy, foreign publications were allowed. Also editors had more freedom over their writings. Universities where independent for a short time until the rebellions occurred making the state supervising them again. But in 1861 many of them where closed and students criticized the regime. Behind all this problems, education was for everyone and that involve a lot of power. Not only make you a better person but also it allows you to have a proper critic of everything, basically it permit you to think. And that for me, is one of the most important things if you what to be free. Financial and Economic Reforms In a way to improve the economy there was not much, there were not real tax reform. Foreign trades, planned railways, banking had different results trying to succeed. But the one metallurgy and engineering industry provide some stability. All the reforms until certain point was useful but in the end everything change, he returned to a conservative atmosphere and a lot of repression. He accused universities of spreading liberating ideas and because of that he suppressed subjects like history, science, and modern languages because they ‘encourage independent ideas’. Also he censured any bad comment against the government. People were not free of expression again. The reforms of Alexander II mostly where not well applied and maybe that’s why many people were dissatisfied with them. Nevertheless speaking about the abolishing of serfdom were a lot of injustices, I think that reform was the least liberating and the less successful measure. Whereas the education reforms lend people the capacity of thinking which makes the most successful measure. Even though it was all censored again, young people had conscience of their rights and they fight for them. Calling the Alexander II “the Tsar Liberator” is a bit too much; I think a more proper name for him could be a reactionary tsar. He changed from a non-liberal country to a freer of opinion one, but then he transformed to a conservative one, so he established an anterior state to the present. “To what extent did the Alexander II deserved his title of the ‘Tsar Liberator’?” Renée Alejandra Becerra León

Question 22

What did Alexander III do with Alexander II's policies? 2

Accepted Answer

Reversed Alexander II's political and social policies Expanded on Alexander II's economical policies

Question 23

What was the cause of the death of Alexander III? 2

Accepted Answer

Died from Nephritis After getting from saving his family during the assassination attempt on Mar 1887.

Question 24

When did Alexander III die?

Accepted Answer

October 1894

Question 25

During which reign were Ethnic minorities subjected to Russification 2

Accepted Answer

During the reign of Tsar Alexander III Anti Semitism escalated

Question 26

When was Alexander III in power?

Accepted Answer

Mar 1, 1881

Question 27

What was the three sayings of the Romanov Dynasty?

Accepted Answer

Autocracy, Nationality and Orthodoxy

Question 28

What was the 3 factors that made it increasingly difficult for Alexander III to rule as their ancestors had done?

Accepted Answer

The rise of liberal, professional middle class Changes in position of the peasants --- freed by Alexander II Importantly, the development of a large and vocal urban industrial workforce

Question 29

What was the goal of Russification?

Accepted Answer

To turn a multi-national empire into a single country under one ruler (the Tsar), language and nationality

Question 30

Who were the two Tsars the pursued Russification?

Accepted Answer

Alexander III and Nicholas II

Question 31

What was the results of Russification?

Accepted Answer

It turned many non-Russian people, who had mostly been loyal citizens, into opponents of the Tsarist rule

Question 32

Why did Alexander III and Nicholas II pursued Russification?

Accepted Answer

They believed turning 60% of the population of non-Russians under one country would strengthen their Autocracy and encourage stability

Question 33

What were the methods of Russification? 4

Accepted Answer

Enforced use of Russian in schools in Poland, Finland, Lithuania and Central Asia Other languages like Ukrainian and Belorussian were forbidden and their churches persecuted Harsh persecution of many ethic groups the revolted Jews suffered greatly from anti-Semitism. Where pogroms were encouraged.

Question 34

What was Alexander III's Secret police called?

Accepted Answer

Expanded the power of Okhrana

Question 35

What did Alexander III do with his Secret police?

Accepted Answer

Expanded the power of Okhrana The Okhrana dealt with Communists, Socialist and Militant unionists using torture and execution. Thousands of suspected revolutionaries were sent to Siberia

Question 36

When did Lenin die?

Accepted Answer

January 21, 1924

Question 37

When did Lenin drew up a codicil, an addition to his will?

Accepted Answer

1923

Question 38

What was in the Codicil of Lenin in 1923? 3

Accepted Answer

Describing how each major contender for leadership role as being incapable He recommended group leadership Singled out Stalin as being "too brutal"

Question 39

What happen in the year of 1921 in Russia?

Accepted Answer

Drought and famine. It would take until 1924-25 for the economy to really pick up

Question 40

Who made sure that news of Lenin's death would be late to Trotsky?

Accepted Answer

Stalin

Question 41

Where was Trotsky at the time of Lenin's death?

Accepted Answer

Out of Russia for some time off

Question 42

What enabled Stalin to put people loyal to him throughout the Soviet Union? 2

Accepted Answer

He took up a job that Lenin offered to Trotsky, which Trotsky denied. Stalin agreed and from then on slowly put people who were loyal to him throughout the Soviet Union

Question 43

Do Stalin and Trotsky like each other?

Accepted Answer

No, they hated each other

Question 44

What was the Lenin's N.E.P. a partial return to?

Accepted Answer

A partial return to the capitalist system Lenin didn't want to do this but he saw it as a his only way of holding on t power

Question 45

What was Lenin's political party?

Accepted Answer

Bolsheviks

Question 46

What policies did Lenin make?

Accepted Answer

War Communism after it failed and N.E.P.

Question 47

What was War Communism?

Accepted Answer

Private trade was banned --- spare crops had to be sold to the government at a fixed price. Squad of workers were sent out to hunt for any hidden food and informers were given half of any crops found hidden

Question 48

What were the results of War Communism? 5

Accepted Answer

Food price in the city was cheap --- big demands with big supply lowers price Peasants planted less crops Hid their spare food or traded it secretly Fewer farm animals Up to 5 million people starved to death

Question 49

Why did Lenin use War Communism? 3

Accepted Answer

His biggest problem after the communist revolution was on how to feed his people --- simply not enough food and millions of people were hungry Factories were also down or stopped making anything Only a quarter of the railways could be used so he chose to put his attention to the people in the city to build up Russia. Through War Communism, peasants greatly suffered

Question 50

Between what years was War Communism used by Lenin?

Accepted Answer

1918 - 1921

Question 51

Between what years was New Economic Policy used by Russia?

Accepted Answer

1922 - 28

Question 52

What are the main points on New Economic Policy? 2

Accepted Answer

Each peasant would give a fixed amount of his crop to the government as tax, the rest he could sell for as much as he could get. --- Successful peasants could employ other peasants to work for them or rent land from the less successful Private trade was allowed again

Question 53

What did putting in place the New Economic Policy reject?

Accepted Answer

It meant rejecting Communist ideas, perhaps for a long time Stalin swung back into War Communism kind of but improved it, taking farms and making them efficient so that there were less people needed to attend it. They then were sent to the city to work or sent to Siberia

Question 54

What were the results of New Economic Policy? 3

Accepted Answer

Production went up So did cost of food --- big demands with low supply increases the price, This angered the people living in the cities Kulaks began to appear again (rich peasants)

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June 20, 2017 Exam (Just on Russian Revolution) Reforms of Alexander II, Policies of Alexander I and Nicholas II, Causes of the 1905 Revolution, Lenin) Flashcards

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