History AII - Autocracy and Reactionary Reforms

What were the reasons for his reactionary reforms?

Attempts on his life

• April 1966, Karakozov shoots and misses him

• 1867, Polish Immigrant Berezowki fires on his cart, hits horse and cavalryman

• April 1879, Former Student Soloviev fires 5 times, misses

• December 1879, bomb planted under wrong train

• February 1880 - bomb planted in Winter Palace, AII was late and survived

Growing opposition

• Young Russia 1862

• The Organization 1863

What changes does he make to government officials?

Appoints new members:

• Dimitry Tolstoy - Minister of Education

• Aleksandr Timashev - Minister of Internal Affairs

• Pyotr Shuvalov - Head of Third Section

• Konstantin Pahlen - Minister of Justice

Reactionary Reforms to Education

• Church regained control over rural areas

• Schools could not teach natural sciences

• Literature, Science, Modern Language and History banned

• Maths, Latin, Greek and Divinity encouraged

• Censorship in education tightened

Loris-Melikov Reforms

• Political prisoners released

• Relaxation of censorship

• Lifted restrictions on zemstvas

• Removed salt tax

• Third Section > Okhrana

Loris-Melikov Constitution

• Aim to widen democracy at a national level

• Common people able to elect a small number of representatives for the government

• Representatives have advisory role

• Accepted by AII in January 1881

• Waiting to be discussed in March

• 13th March 1881 - AII dies, L-M constitution scrapped

Reactionary Reforms by AIII

• Hung 5 leading conspirers

• Created the Okhrana

• Severe punishments for revolutionaries