3. A2 & counter-reform

When was the assassination attempt?

4 April 1866

Who was the shooter in 1866?

Dmitry Karakazov with a double barrel shotgun. Missed due a nudge for Ossip Komissarov

What was Karakazov's backstory?

Political history?

Son of minor nobility - Saw nobles exploiting poor.

Joined Ishutin Society in 1863

And hung in 1866 in StP + 20 comrades sentenced to hard labour

Ishutin Society

Small anti-Tsarist group of 6 members formed at uni. Part of Intelligentsia. Leader was Nikolai Ishutin, Dmitry Karakozov's cousin

What happened in A2's sons?

Eldest son Nicholas has died who'd had rigorous education and had been tired around country. Set up to be a reformer. Second eldest son A3 was more conservative and set to be a military leader

What happened after tsarinas death in 1866?

She died on 10 June 1866 and he married God new mistress ten days later, Catherine Dolgorukova. She encouraged him towards autocracy. Disrespect slower to tsarina panned him away from court

Change in advisors : 1855-66

Liberal ➡️

Education: Mikolai Reutern

Internal affairs: Pyotr Valuyev

Military: Dmitry Milyutin til 1881

Political: Nikolai Milyutin

Change in advisors : 1866-

➡️ conservative

Education: Count Dmitry Tolstoy

Internal affairs: Aleksandr Timashev

Third Section: Pyotr Shuvalov

Justice: Konstantin Pahlen

What happened in there Russo-Turkish War?

1877-78

Russian attempt to stop Salman nationalism and regain lost land from Crimean war. Russia won but was forced to give land back and recognise independence of some Damian states in Congress of Berlin.

Loris-Melikov Constitution

-The attempted assassinations led Alexander to accept that the violence and unrest may be curbed by widening democratic consultation.

-1880- Loris-Melikov produced a report in response to Zemstva demands, recommending the inclusion of elected representatives of the nobility, of the zemstva, and of the town governments in debating the drafts of state decrees.

-However they did not create a constitution.

-Alexander accepted and signed this in 1881, the same day he was assassinated.

Who's was Count Mikhail Loris-Melikov?

-as Minister for Internal Affairs, Melikov released political prisoners, relaxed censorship, removed the salt tax and lifted restrictions on the activities of the zemstva

-Third Section was also abolished and the Okhrana was created.

Educational counter-reforms

Censorship tightened

Church regained authority over local schools

So zemstva's power over education reduced

1872 Education Reaction

More liberal courses at unis replaced with more traditional ones

Dmitry Tolstoy (believed in tight control to eradicate western ideas) replaced liberal Golivnin as minister.

Judiciary counter-reforms

Open shows trials held as deterrence but backfired when political crimes moved to several courts in 1878

Trial of 193, 153 were acquired. Poor PR for judiciary system

Trial of Vera Zasulich had similar consequences

Counter-reforms of police and third section

Stepped up persecution of ethnic and religious minorities.

Third section abolished in 1881 but Okhrana established so soon became infamous as being even more violent. Effectively exclamation of secret police

Governor generals given access time martial law

Search and arrests increased