Test 1 Flashcards
Peter the Great
1682-1725 - Ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother. Through a number of successful wars he expanded the Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power. He led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, westernized, and based on The Enlightenment.
Catherine the Great
1762-1796 - Was the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia, reigning from 1762 until her death in 1796 at the age of 67. Came to power following a coup d’état when her husband, Peter III, was assassinated. Russia was revitalized under her reign, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.
Westernization
becoming more like the West (France).
Begins under Peter and progresses under Catherine.
Language, arts, literature, education, clothing.
Enlightenment
Secularization, constitutional monarchy, working in connection with advisers, administrators. Take away power and authority from the church.
Social Makeup of Russia
Nobles - 1% Clergy > Local Administrators > Professors - 1% Townspeople - 3% Peasants - 95% Serfs - 55% State Peasants - 40% (After 1649)
Paul
Was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine the Great, though Catherine is said to have later stated that he was fathered by her lover Sergei Saltykov.
He remained overshadowed by his mother for much of his life. Paul’s reign lasted for only five years, ending with his assassination by conspirators. His most important achievement was the adoption of the laws of succession to the Russian throne that lasted until the end of the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Empire.
Serfdom
Serfdom became the dominant form of relation between peasants and nobility in the 17th century. Serfdom only existed in central and southern areas of the Russian Empire. It was never established in the North, in the Urals, and in Siberia. Tsar Alexander I of Russia wanted to reform the system but was stymied. New laws allowed all classes (except the serfs) to own land, the privilege that was previously confined to the nobility. Finally, serfdom was abolished by a decree issued by Tsar Alexander II in 1861.
First Liberal Reform
Under Alexander I 1801-1805 - brought in foreign professors for education, restricts censorship, increases publishing houses throughout Russia.
Second Liberal Reform
1807 - 1812 - Put Michael Speransky in charge of writing a constitution in 1809. It does not get adopted. Establishes DUMA, a national representative assembly. Most reforms that happened during these 2 periods were unsuccessful.
Constitution of 1809
Written by Michael Sperasnky in 1809 but is not adopted.
Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia
1812 - 1815 - Napoleon invades Russia in June 1812. Russians occupy Paris in 1814 and Napoleon goes into exile for a year. Then is defeated at Waterloo.
Battle of Borodino
General Kutuzov
Congress of Vienna
1814-1815 - Attempt to restore and redistribute European landholdings. Creation of the congress system.
Autocracy
In it, all power and wealth is controlled (and distributed) by the tsar. They had more power than constitutional monarchs, who are usually rested by law and counterbalanced by a legislative authority; they even had more authority on religious issues compared to Western monarchs. In Russia, it originated during the time of Ivan III (1440−1505), and was abolished after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Some historians see the traditions of tsarist autocracy as loosely influencing totalitarianism in the Soviet Union.
Unofficial Committee
During Alexander I - During the first, from 1801 to 1803, the tsar took counsel with four intimate friends, who formed his so-called Unofficial Committee, with the intention of drafting ambitious reforms. In the period from 1807 to 1812, he had as his chief adviser the liberal Mikhail Speransky.
Quadruple Alliance - Confederation of Europe
The Quadruple Alliance was a treaty signed in Paris on 20 November 1815 by the United Kingdom, Austria, Prussia, and Russia. It renewed the alliance first agreed to in 1813 and it modified the aims of the alliance from defeating Napoleon Bonaparte to upholding the settlement following the Napoleonic Wars: with France’s admission in 1818, it became the Concert of Europe, though British government distaste for the other allies’ reactionary policies meant that it lapsed into ineffectiveness after the mid-1820s.
Holy Alliance
was a coalition created by the monarchist great powers of Russia, Austria and Prussia. It was created after the ultimate defeat of Napoleon at the behest of Tsar Alexander I of Russia and signed in Paris on 26 September 1815. The intention of the alliance was to restrain republicanism and secularism in Europe in the wake of the devastating French Revolutionary Wars, and the alliance nominally succeeded in this up until the Crimean War (1853–1856). Otto von Bismarck managed to reunite the Holy Alliance after the unification of Germany, but the alliance again faltered by the 1880s over Austrian and Russian conflicts of interest with regard to the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire. By extension, the Alliance can be considered the most potent prevention against any other general wars on the continent of Europe between 1815 and 1914.
General Arakcheev
Placed in charge of military colonies (1817-1850s)
Not hugely successful, quite costly.
Only state peasants, not serfs.
Communities were exempt from poll taxes.
Regimented the entire community - created backlash.
Alexander Golitsyn
Put in charge as head of the Holy Synod (which controls Russian Orthodox Church).
After 1817, education is directly connected to the church.
Restricts university professors to only teach from the bible – it contains all the education they need. Opposed to “free thinking” and accused Nicolas of this.
Constantine
Was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. He was the Tsesarevich of Russia throughout the reign of his elder brother Alexander I, but had secretly renounced his claim to the throne in 1823. For 25 days after the death of Alexander I, from 19 November (O.S.)/1 December 1825 to 14 December (O.S.)/26 December 1825 he was known as His Imperial Majesty Konstantin I Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, although he never reigned and never acceded to the throne. The succession controversy became the immediate cause of the Decembrist revolt.
Decemberists Movement
Alexander I dies. Nicolas and Constantine are his brothers. After receiving Poland, Constantine moves there and marries a Polish person. Nicolas would then be next in line. Alexander writes it down but never publishes it so Constantine is recognized as Czar. Many involved in this movement were elite army officers. They favor three things, constitutional monarchy, abolish serfdom, and land reform.
Mikhail Miloradovich
goes in as a mediator, gives a speech, doesn’t finish and gets killed.
“Official Nationality”
1833 - Guiding philosophy throughout Nicolas’s reign. 3 major parts:
Orthodoxy (church)
Autocracy (state)
Nationality (Russian)
Backlash against westernization, superiority of Russians.
His Majesty’s Own Chancery
Six different departments:
- deals with petition, fire, orders
- codifying laws (write down in an organized manner)
