Revision - Session 2
Russia 1855-1917
Reform
Russia in 1855
Largest of the Great Powers in the 19th C
 18th C Russian rulers tried to make it
more Westernised
 19thC this trend was reversed
 Russians were proud of being Slavs
(therefore different from other Europeans)
 Pan-Slav movement developed
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Russia in 1855
Government of Russia in the hands of the
Tsar
 He was an autocrat with complete power
 No parliament and no criticism
 If there were revolts the Tsar used force to
crush them
 He could use army or secret police
 He favoured the use of Cossacks (calvary
units)
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Russia in 1855
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Russia was a very backward country
Little industry
Transport was slow – few railways
Most important industry = agriculture
Plenty of people so no adoption of new methods
Russian peasants = serfs
They had small plots of land for themselves but had to
farm for their landlords and pay rents and taxes
Serfs were very poor and had little freedom
Landlords were often very rich
Russia in 1855
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In 1854 Russia had gone to war with Britain and France
in the Crimea
Russia lost 1855 as could not supply troops at
Sevastopol
Br and Fr could supply troops by sea
Russia bad roads and railways
Treaty of Paris 1856 Russia had to give up land on west
coast of Black Sea and withdraw all warships from Black
Sea
Alexander II became Tsar in 1855 and had many
problems to address. He believed in reform
Emancipation of Serfs
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1856 Alex II annouces he will abolish serfdom
Appeals to landlords for their agreement
Offered compensation in return
Most are opposed to it as they don’t think
compensation from government will be enough
Plus some landlords are in debt and they don’t
want to lose their financial assets (i.e land)
Emancipation of Serfs
Alex set up committees of noblemen to
plan the changes and work out
compensation etc.
 Figures were worked out – Landlords
would be paid compensation (80%) from
the government and serfs would be freed
 Edict of Emancipation 1861
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Emancipation of Serfs
BUT… most peasants were very unhappy
 They were able to marry, trade, own
property, take cases to court but had
expected to be handed over all the land in
the village and got very little
 Peasants were given the plots of land they
already farmed on
 The rest was kept by the landowners
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Emancipation of Serfs
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Peasants had to repay the government for cost
of compensation
This would last 49 years
Land was NOT given to individuals
Given to the MIR or commune this controlled
crop rotation and collection of taxes and
repayments
Volost (groups of mirs) held law courts and
controlled movement of people
There were RIOTS in many parts of Russia
when these conditions became known
Emancipation of Serfs
Did little to free peasants
 Failed to make a bond between Alex II and
the peasants
 Led to riots
 Made to satisfy the landowners
 In the end it was a mistake because the
power lay in the hands of the masses
(peasants and workers)
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Reform of Local Government
January 1864 set up district councils – the
Zemstva – each council was made up of 3
sections – rural landowners, urban
property owners and peasants.
 Representatives from the zemstva met in
provincial councils
 The councils looked after road building,
education and medical services
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Reform of Local Goverment
In 1870 Town Councils were created with
the reform of municipal government
 Towns were allowed self-government
through councils elected by people owning
property
 However in both cases – councils were not
allowed to communicate with each other
and they were kept subordinate to the
provincial governor
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Reform of Law Courts
He set up new courts
 Used trial by Jury
 Judges were paid salaries
 Less likely to be bribed
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Reform of Army
1874 Army was reformed
 Everyone treated equally in terms of
recruitment
 All conscripts served 6 years in army and
9 in the reserves
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The final years of Alexander II
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Began to be less inclined to introduce reforms
Did not want to do away with autocracy
Became involved in ideas of Pan Slavism
Thought Russia should protect Slavs in Eastern Europe
i.e. Bulgaria
Encouraged expansion of Russia in the East
Founded Vladivostok on the Pacific coast
Too concerned with threats from revolutionary groups
Used secret police called Okhrana to keep law and order
Killed by terrorist bomb in 1881
Alexander III
Abolished many reforms of his father
 Began a policy of repression
 Began to Russify the provinces
 Reign is a step backwards
 Clung to autocracy rejects democracy
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Nicholas II
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Alex III died in 1894
Nicholas II was sheltered and weak willed
He had no understanding of ordinary Russia
He took little notice of threat from revolutionary
groups
Used even greater force against terrorists
Any proposals made by zemstva were
immediately rejected
1903 there were protests in Russia he took no
notice – turned into revolution in 1905
Nicholas II
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Survived revolution because army remain loyal
October 1905 announces October Manifesto
Probably never intended to keep his promises
for a consitution and a parliament
The parliament (Duma) met in 1906 and was
closed after 72 days
There were 3 more Dumas that met in the next
10 years but each was more tightly controlled
and had little real power
Nicholas retained title of Autocrat
Made laws without Dumas consent
Nicholas II
No relaxation in the use or power of the
Okhrana
 1906 Peter Stolypin is appointed Prime
Minister – he tries to modernise Russia
 He abolishes the mir land-owning system
and in future peasants would be able to
own land
 Murdered in 1911 and Nicholas II did not
continue his policies
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Nicholas II
From 1912 strikes and unrest becomes
more common
 Nicholas becomes more unpopular
 Growing influence of Rasputin
 Tsar makes himself Commander in Chief
of army during First World War
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Nicholas II
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Probably didn’t make more reforms because…
Russian industry developed a lot from 1910
onwards (particularly railways, iron and steel)
Tsar’s secret police (Okhrana) proved very
effective in dealing with radicals and
revolutionaries (i.e. Lenin – leader of Bolsheviks
- is forced to go into exile) and the other
revolutionary groups were quite weak…