Impact of the Crimean War

Impact of the Treaty of Paris (political)

March 1856

• Highlighted the weak position Russia found itself in

• Ceased to be the leafing guarantor of the status quo

• Seemingly harsh terms, illustrated the fear of European countries for Russia

• Prohibited from maintaining fleet int he Black Sea, had to removed all naval fortification along Black Sea coastline

• Loss substantial amount of land → loss of physical land power

Indirect impact on the development of Russian government

The war appeared to act as a catalyst for a number of significant economic, social and political reforms

• Came to the way in which localities national minorities were governed

• Also linked to the emancipation of the serfs

Impact on the reform of local government (political)

• Emancipation of the serfs → reduced political role fro the nobility at local level

• Creation of the Zemstva → filed the gap, members of local government had to be elected

• Element of democracy watered down → property qualification attached to voting

• In long run - the more the zemstva acted, the more the Tsars repressed them

Impact of military reform (political)

• Milyutin reduced service in army to 15 years

• Modernised training provided rigorous instruction for officers

• Result was a far more professional army, in line with Western rivals

• Army could now be relied on to maintain order at home and fight overseas

Impact of educational reforms (social)

Now controlled by Zemstva not the church

Impact of industrial reforms (Economic)

• Expansion of railway systems

• War had revealed how slow Russian was to mobilise

• 20,000km of track from 1861 to 1878

• Boosted ability to deal with logistical problems of expanding, protecting and maintaining an empire

Impact of the emancipation of the serfs (social)

• War revealed Russia as backwards and underdeveloped

• True

• A2 encouraged to reform from above

• Some time after the war the edict was made, suggesting considerations had to be made first

• Serfdom underpinned the way society was governed, organised and administered