Political authority and attempts at reform

How did economic factors/crimean war push towards the emancipation edit?

• Serdom limited poverty,restricted labour mobility and kept peasants in poverty free labour foce to industralise

• The war exposed dependence on untrained serfs/military backwardness

• Refomring military measnt ending serfdom to create professional army

Negative impacts of emancipation edit 1861

-Some peasants felt cheated on as land allocations were not fair, and some received poor land quality

-High debts due to redemption payments

-Mir resitricted movment

-Subsitence farming remained and only 50% were able to produce a surplus

-Landowners resented loss of infleunce

What were the terms of the emancipation edit,1861?

-Serfs became legally free so they could marry, own property and trade

-Free peasants were granted allotments but had to buy them from landlords.

- Peasants had to pay redemption payments for over 49 years

-Mir took collective repsonisbility for land distributions

Positive results of emancipation edit,1861

-It legally abolished over 40 million peasants

-Kulaks did well with land allocations and produced surplus

-Others moved to cities providing a free labour force laying foundations for industralisation

-Allowed mobility/free labour force

How do historians assess the emancipation edit?

See it as a turning point that modernised Russia legally and socilly but failed to resolve economic tensions

When was the emacipation edit issues and how many did it effect?

1861

Freed around 40 million

What limitations reduced the effectiveness of reforms?

-Reforms were inconsistent and incomplete

-Peadsants rtemianed poor and constrained by the mir

-Nobility and conservatives resented the loss of control

-Political power stayed firmly autocratic

Positives and limitations of judicial reform

-It reduced corruption as transparent public trials and more indpendent judges

-Articualye lawyers of the intelligentsia used it to criticise the regime

-The government could overide verdicts, and trial by jury was never established in western provinces

What situation did Alexander II inherit when he became Tsar in 1855?

-Came into power in 1855 during the final months of the Crimean War

-Russia was politically autocratic, socially divided and economically backward

-Crimeanj war exposed the military reform needed

-Grwoing unrest:1840 -300 local opeasant uprisings

What was Alexander II’s overall approach to reforms?

-Deeply moved by his travels, reallising Russias backwarness

-Belived Reform was necesary to preserve autocracy

-Sought to modernise Russia from above to modernise autocracy not replace it

What were the main achievements of Alexander II’s reforms?

-Abolished Serfdom

-Modernised administration, judiciary, education, and army

-Laid groundwork for industrial and social progress

What changes occured in education under Alexander II?

Introduced by Alexander Golovin

-Univerisities able to govern themselves and appoint their own staff

-Newsschools open/curriclulum expanded to science

-Respobsibilites trafsferred from orethodoc to zemstva

-Schools open to all reglardless of class and sex

Who could serve on zemstva, and what powers did it have?

-Chosen through ’electoral college’ with seperate collages for nobles,towns people abd peasants but voting prefered nobility through qualifications

-Managed local roads,schools,welfare and infrastructire but had no control over taxation or police

What were the zemstva, and when were they introduced?

Local elected councils were established in 1864 at district and provincial levels to improve local administration

Created to replace rights/obligations of the former serf owning gentry

Political significance of the Zemstva

-Attracted doctors, lawyers, teachers, and scientists and developed a new class of liberal professionals to encourage public particiaption

-Used as an opportunity to debate political issues and criticise government

How did censorship change under Alexander II?

-Initial relaxations of press censorship to all books and newspapers

-Resitrictionds on publishers permitted with government approval

-Press able to print editorials with comments on government policies

Why is judicial reform considered one of Alexander II’s most successful reforms?

-Modenised legal administration created a fairer system and promoted civil rights unprecendented in Russia

What were Alexander II’s military reforms?

-Done by Dmitri Milyutin(war minister)

• Conscription made cumposory for all classes from 21

-Service reduced from 25 to 6 active years and 9 in reserve

-Punishments less severe/military colonies abandioned with better medical care

-Modern weaponry introduced

-Literacy rates improved with educational campaigns

Impacts of military refomrs

-Created a smaller,more professional army,imporved efficiency and morale howver social inequality persisted as nobles evaded service

Impact of censorship reform

-Writiers crisisised regime

-Shortlived increase in the number of books

-Encourgaed greater public discussion and criticism of the regime

-Unitnentionally fostered political opposition

-Number of books published 1000 in 1855 by 1894 it was 11,000

When were judicial refomrs introduced and what were the reforms?

Introduced 1864

-Equaity before thr law and persumed inccoent and could emplly laeyer

-Criminal cases heard before a judge

-Courts open to the public and proceeding could be freely reposted

-National trials recorded in government newspaper,the russia courrier

What impact did Education reform have on Russian society?

-Number of uni’s trebled by 1870s

-Literacy rates rose,new educated missle class emerged and increase in radical/evolutionary thinkers

-Number of students increased from 400,000 t0 1 million 1856-80