Key Debate 4: 'How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

Explain the views that different types of history texts have on this debate?

Many of the more general history texts:

• Assume AII’s reforms affected everyone the same regardless of the region of the empire they lived in

• Paid little attention to how the reforms were viewed in particular parts of the empire

More specific texts:

• AII treated different minorities in different manners

• He was well aware of the complex ethnic makeup of the empire

How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

What were AII’s interactions w/ Poland?

• The Polish rebellion (1863) was the result of:

  • Access to land

  • Proposed policies of Polish leaders

  • The role of the Catholic church in Polish society

  • AII’s 1862 proposal of conscripting Polish people

• AII tried very hard to compromise w/ the Polish government (eg: allowing it to frame it’s own land reform programme)

• Polish extremists opposed the proposals (esp conscription) → rebellion

  • Failed to gather support bcs peasants divided = divided b/w rebel + Russian support

  • Rebellion = ruthlessly crushed (1864)

• After, AII imposed reforms that benefitted majority of peasants

  • 700,000 peasant families got freehold tenure w/o RPs

  • 100s of Polish nobles exiled to Siberia

How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

What does AII’s interactions w/ Poland show about how much he paid attention to NMs?

• The Polish rebellion = start of Russification

• Shows he was v concerned to maintain order across the empire

How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

What was AII’s interactions w/ Ukraine?

What does this show us about how much attention he paid?

Interactions:

• Paid a lot of attention to detecting separatist movements post Polish rebellion → eg: official commission set up in 1876 to investigate it in Ukraine

• Issued decrees (1863/76) banning publication/importation of books written in Ukrainian (Russification) → v. diff to relaxation of censorship in R (1865)

Shows:

• Reforms didn’t affect everyone in R empire equally

• Shows he was v concerned to maintain order across the empire

How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

What was AII’s interactions w/ the Baltic Germans (Estonia + Latvia)?

What does this show us about how much attention he paid?

Interactions:

• AII continued his father's liberal policy despite rising nationalism (mainly from MC intelligentsia) eg:

  • Publication of literature written in Estonian

  • ‘Sakala’ newspaper campaigning for social/econ equality b/w all Estonians BUT explicitly stated that it supported the tsar

Shows:

• AII was concerned about maintaining regional stability, but complex challenge

• Reforms didn’t affect everyone in R empire equally

How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

What was AII’s interactions w/ Jews/Catholics?

What does this show us about how much attention he paid?

Interactions:

• The tsar took some practical measures to improve the lives of Jewish people

  • Eg: some Jews (merchants + doctors esp) were allowed to live outside the Pale of Settlement

• Seized property of the Catholic Church (1864)

• Banned Catholic Church in Poland from communicating w/ the Vatican

Shows:

• Reforms didn’t affect everyone in R empire equally

How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

What was AII’s interactions w/ his expansions in Central Asia?

What does this show us about how much attention he paid?

Interactions:

• Significant expansion in several areas in CAsia, eg: Kazakhstan, Turkestan

• Established the Governor-Generalship of Turkestan in 1867→ administered the newly acquired regions

Shows:

• He made specific reforms that didn’t effect everyone in R empire equally to integrate this region militarily, economically, + administratively

How far were issues relating to the empire and minorities neglected by Alexander II?

Overall stance

• Untrue to say his reforms affected all NMs equally

• He made specific reforms (both liberal + repressive) in order to maintain his control in different regions