opposition under Alexander II

Q: What created the conditions for growing opposition under Alexander II?

A: Disappointment with the limited reforms (e.g., Emancipation 1861). Censorship relaxed → increased spread of radical ideas. Growth of educated intelligentsia. Failure to address social inequality and political stagnation

Q: What types of opposition emerged?

A: Liberal (non-radical, reformist) Populist (Narodnik)Radical socialist Terrorist groups (e.g., People’s Will)

Q: Who were the liberal reformers under Alexander II?

A: Members of the intelligentsia and Zemstva (local councils) Some nobility who wanted constitutional reform

Q: What did liberal opposition groups demand?

A: Expansion of Zemstva powers. Creation of a national representative assembly (Duma) Legal reforms and further civil rights

Q: How did Alexander II respond to liberal opposition?

A: Rejected national parliament proposals. Zemstva remained limited to local issues. Some liberal hopes raised in 1860s, but repression tightened in 1870s

Q: Who were the Narodniks (Populists)?

A: Radical middle-class intellectuals who believed in the peasantry as the key to revolution. Inspired by socialist and anarchist ideas

Q: What was the "Going to the People" campaign (1873–74)?

A: Thousands of students and radicals went to rural villages to educate and radicalise peasants. Believed peasants would lead a socialist revolution

Q: What was the result of the “Going to the People” campaign?

A: Largely failed — peasants were suspicious or hostile. Over 1,600 arrests by the authorities. Demonstrated disconnect between radicals and peasants

Q: What was Land and Liberty (Zemlya i Volya)?

A: A populist organisation formed in 1877 advocating peasant revolution and socialism. Divided over whether to use violence or peaceful methods

Q: How did the state respond to the Narodniks?

A: Harsh arrests and show trials, e.g., the Trial of the 193 (1877–78). Crackdown pushed radicals toward violence and terrorism

Q: What was the People’s Will (Narodnaya Volya)?

A: Formed in 1879 from a split in Land and Liberty. Believed in violent revolution and targeted assassination to overthrow autocracy

Q: What were the goals of the People’s Will?

A: Kill the Tsar to spark a popular uprising. Establish a democratic republic

Q: What actions did the People’s Will take?

A: Attempted 7 assassination plots on Alexander II. Succeeded on 13 March 1881, using a bomb thrown by Ignacy Hryniewiecki. Tsar died hours after signing a proposal for a national assembly – tragically ironic

Q: What was the state’s response to People’s Will?

A: Brutal crackdown. Leaders arrested and executed. Led to rise of reactionary repression under Alexander III

Q: What were the main types of opposition?

A: Liberal reformers (wanted gradual change). Populists/Narodniks (believed in peasant revolution). Revolutionary terrorists (e.g. People’s Will)

Q: Why did radical opposition grow under Alexander II?

A: Frustration with limited reforms. Censorship relaxed, but hopes not fulfilled. Repression of peaceful dissent pushed some to violence

Q: How successful was the opposition in Alexander II’s reign?

A: Liberal reformers failed to bring constitutional change. Narodnik campaigns were ineffective with peasants. People’s Will succeeded in killing the Tsar, but did not spark revolution

Q: What was the long-term impact of opposition during Alexander II’s reign?

A: Set the stage for radical politics in Russia. Showed the limits of Tsarist reform without political freedom. Prompted a backlash of repression under Alexander III