Alexander II's reforms

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When was Alexander’s reign?

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1

When was Alexander’s reign?

1855-1881

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2

What was crop labour called?

Obrok

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3

What was the labour service in homes called?

Barschina

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4

How much of the population were serfs?

90%

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5

What were the reasons for emancipation?

  • Alexander was a liberal reformer

  • Serfdom was ruining the economy

  • Failure in the Crimean War

  • Opinion was turning against serfdom

  • The tsar wanted emancipation

  • increase in rural disturbances

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6

Why was the serfdom bad for the economy?

Labour was tied down in the countryside so a capitalist economy couldn’t develop

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7

How many Russians died in the Crimean War?

250,000

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8

When did Alexander II make a famous speech on serfdom?

1856

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9

What did Alexander II say about serfdom

It is better to abolish serfdom from above, rather than to wait until the serfs begin to liberate themselves from below

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10

When did Alexander II tour the provinces?

1858

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11

How many rural disturbances were there in 1860?

108

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12

When did Alexander II set up a secret committee on emancipation?

January 1857

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13

Who was instructed to set up local committees of the gentry to emancipate the serfs?

Governor Nazimov

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14

When was the secret committee renamed the main committee?

January 1857

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15

When was the emancipation law introduce?

February 1861

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16

What were Nazimov’s original orders?

To emancipate the peasants without giving them land

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17

How much of the land that they had previously farmed did the peasants receive?

½

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18

How long were Redemption Dues repaid for?

49 years

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19

How much of the cost were the landowners paid by the government?

80%

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20

Who had to repay the other 20% of the cost?

the peasants

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21

How many peasant disturbances were there in March-May 1861

1300

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22

In 1880 how much of their debt had the peasants repaid?

22%

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23

Who claimed that emancipation gave serfs full freedom?

Petrov

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24

What was the traditional peasant commune called?

The Mir

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25

What did the peasants have to do to be emancipated?

Join a Mir

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26

What happened if a peasant wanted to permanently leave?

They had to surrender their land

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27

What did the Mir also restrict?

The peasants’ choice in farming - remained on the strip system

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28

Who was subject to the poll tax?

The peasants

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29

How much less land did the nobles have in 1905 than in 1861?

40% less

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30

Increase in schools?

8000 to 25000

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31

What was the problem with how emancipation was carried out?

It was too carefully thought out and thus too rigid

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32

When was the assassination attempt on Alexander II?

1866

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33

When did Alexander reform local government?

1684

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34

What was Alexander II’s aim in reforming local government?

To decentralise some authority from St Petersburg + reduce noble opposition after emancipation

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35

What were the local governments called?

the Zemstva

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36

When was the Judicial reform?

1864

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37

What were some problems with the judicial system?

  • Cases could drag on for decades

  • Too many, varied courts

  • Masses could not get justice

  • Judges were illiterate and untrained

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38

What were the peasant courts called?

Volost courts

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39

Who were the judicial reforms meant to benefit?

The nobles

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40

What judicial changes were introduced?

  • All citizens were equal before the law

  • Court system simplified

  • New professional lawyers

  • Jury system

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41
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42
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43
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44

What were the nobles now eligible for in 1875?

Military service - substitutes could not be bought

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45

What was the military service reduced to

15 years from 25 years

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46

What was created in 1878?

5000 mounted police

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47

Why did students worry the authorities?

  • they tended to be older and more politically motivated

  • a growing proportion was poor

  • students began to organise

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48

When did students try to set up a “free university”

1862

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49

When were new university laws introduced?

1863

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50

In 1863 which new university laws were introduced

  • Universities were controlled by a council at each institution

  • Salaries were raised

  • Rebellious students were tried by a court of 3 professors

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51

When was the reform of primary education considered?

1858

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52

When were Sunday schools shut down?

1862

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53

Why were Sunday schools shut down?

They were seen as hotbeds of sedition

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54

When was a new code on secondary education introduced?

1864

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55

What did the new code on secondary education do?

  • Gave attention to modern languages, science and math

  • helped select students for university

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56

Who tried to assassinate Alexander II

Karakozov

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57

What did Tolstoi do after Alexander’s assassination attempt?

  • took science away from schools

  • limited university entry

  • devoted more hours to Latin and Greek

  • allowed police to discipline students

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58

When were girl’s schools and teacher training courses introduced

1870s

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59

When was a single state bank set up?

1860

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60

When was a united treasury set up?

1862

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61

When was excise duty placed on alcohol

1863

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62

Why was the attempt to stabilise the currency abandoned

Because it depleted the state’s metal reserves so much

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63

How much higher was poll tax in 1870

80% higher

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64

Did Church reforms achieve anything?

They generally failed and only improved the position of a few churchmen

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