Studied by 3 people
When was Alexander’s reign?
1855-1881
What was crop labour called?
Obrok
What was the labour service in homes called?
Barschina
How much of the population were serfs?
90%
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
Why was the serfdom bad for the economy?
Labour was tied down in the countryside so a capitalist economy couldn’t develop
How many Russians died in the Crimean War?
250,000
When did Alexander II make a famous speech on serfdom?
1856
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
When did Alexander II tour the provinces?
1858
How many rural disturbances were there in 1860?
108
When did Alexander II set up a secret committee on emancipation?
January 1857
Who was instructed to set up local committees of the gentry to emancipate the serfs?
Governor Nazimov
When was the secret committee renamed the main committee?
January 1857
When was the emancipation law introduce?
February 1861
What were Nazimov’s original orders?
To emancipate the peasants without giving them land
How much of the land that they had previously farmed did the peasants receive?
½
How long were Redemption Dues repaid for?
49 years
How much of the cost were the landowners paid by the government?
80%
Who had to repay the other 20% of the cost?
the peasants
How many peasant disturbances were there in March-May 1861
1300
In 1880 how much of their debt had the peasants repaid?
22%
Who claimed that emancipation gave serfs full freedom?
Petrov
What was the traditional peasant commune called?
The Mir
What did the peasants have to do to be emancipated?
Join a Mir
What happened if a peasant wanted to permanently leave?
They had to surrender their land
What did the Mir also restrict?
The peasants’ choice in farming - remained on the strip system
Who was subject to the poll tax?
The peasants
How much less land did the nobles have in 1905 than in 1861?
40% less
Increase in schools?
8000 to 25000
What was the problem with how emancipation was carried out?
It was too carefully thought out and thus too rigid
When was the assassination attempt on Alexander II?
1866
When did Alexander reform local government?
1684
What was Alexander II’s aim in reforming local government?
To decentralise some authority from St Petersburg + reduce noble opposition after emancipation
What were the local governments called?
the Zemstva
When was the Judicial reform?
1864
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
What were the peasant courts called?
Volost courts
Who were the judicial reforms meant to benefit?
The nobles
What judicial changes were introduced?
All citizens were equal before the law
Court system simplified
New professional lawyers
Jury system
What were the nobles now eligible for in 1875?
Military service - substitutes could not be bought
What was the military service reduced to
15 years from 25 years
What was created in 1878?
5000 mounted police
Why did students worry the authorities?
they tended to be older and more politically motivated
a growing proportion was poor
students began to organise
When did students try to set up a “free university”
1862
When were new university laws introduced?
1863
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
When was the reform of primary education considered?
1858
When were Sunday schools shut down?
1862
Why were Sunday schools shut down?
They were seen as hotbeds of sedition
When was a new code on secondary education introduced?
1864
What did the new code on secondary education do?
Gave attention to modern languages, science and math
helped select students for university
Who tried to assassinate Alexander II
Karakozov
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
When were girl’s schools and teacher training courses introduced
1870s
When was a single state bank set up?
1860
When was a united treasury set up?
1862
When was excise duty placed on alcohol
1863
Why was the attempt to stabilise the currency abandoned
Because it depleted the state’s metal reserves so much
How much higher was poll tax in 1870
80% higher
Did Church reforms achieve anything?
They generally failed and only improved the position of a few churchmen
Note 
Flashcard (31)