Russian society by 1855 & Alexander II’s reforms Why is Alex II called the ‘tsar liberator’? Is Alex II a ‘liberator’? How successful were Alex II’s reforms? How did his reforms affect the people? What factors led to a rise of opposition, despite those reforms?

What was Russia like before 1855?

Russian society & economy 2 classes – peasants (90%) and nobility/Church (10%) A middle class intelligencia emerged in the late 19th Century Majority of population tied to land, with economic repercussions Poor life expectancy & literacy rates No industrialisation Poor communication & transport Decembrist Rising 1825 = result of W .European Enlightenment

Crimean War Crimean War, 1853-1856 Humiliating defeat on “Russian” soil Defeat greatly undermined Romanovs’ legitimacy. Exposed army’s problems, especially recruitment “non-system” and poor quality of soldiers. technological inadequacies: Railroad telegraph

By 1855… End of Nicholas I’s reign: Dissatisfaction with poverty and war Extremely low levels of education Major censorship & government crackdown Fear of speaking out against the Romanovs

Alexander II, r. 1855-1881 Born April 1818 Eldest son of Nicholas I Tutor: Vasily Zhukovsky founder of Russian Romanticism Kind, warm, humane Toured Europe and 20 provinces of Russia Adhered to no particular set of ideas, neither a radical or a reactionary

Alex II’s reforms Emancipation of the serfs Army reforms Local government Law Censorship & press Educational reforms Economic development The nationalities

Emancipation of the serfs Why did some people want free serfs? Serfdom prevented industrial growth Serfdom prevented modernisation of agriculture Army needed reforms but too difficult with serfs serving 25+ years To stop peasant revolts

Emancipation of the serfs Nicholas I: Set up secret committees to investigate end of serfdom But gentry complained about losing land & peasants knew no land would mean they couldn’t survive Secret committees unsuccessful Alex II: Set up Secret Committee on Peasant Affairs – lots of people against debating serfdom (like nobles, Orthodox church)

Emancipation of Serfs, 1861 3 March 1861: Emancipation Manifesto 23 million serfs emancipated Got the worse half of the land Had to pay for it over 49 years Strengthened and empowered the village commune “mir” or “obshchina” – in charge of land redistribution.

Was emancipation a success? Use notes and textbook to help you evaluate Alex II’s emancipation of the serfs. Evaluation of the Emancipation of the Serfs

Was emancipation a success? Use pages 302 to help you evaluate Alex II’s emancipation of the serfs. + - Freedom Minimum size of allotment Could move, marry, own businesses Landowners compensated by state Not enough land allocated to peasants Household serfs got nothing but freedom (no land) Had to pay huge redemption payments to landlords Land was not worth the amount peasants had to pay Mirs (village councils) responsible for collective redemption taxes Land shortages

Other Alexander II Reforms Problem Solution Results

Problem: army Solution: Crimean War shows Russian army weakness – bad equipment, poor leadership, corruption Solution: Conscription age to 21+, regardless of class, A quarter chosen by drawing lots Change time of mandatory service to 15 years Training & discipline more efficient & humane Results: Army = better trained, more men in reserve, better educated soldiers, possibly more incentive to fight

Problem: local government Country too big to be ruled just by tsar – had to have someone control the peasants Solution: Zemstva  replaced feudal system; peasant gov’t Dumas  similar, but in towns & cities Results: New opportunities to get involved with gov’t Zemstva run by nobles(25+ landowners voted) Not enough money to make effective / wide change Success in some areas, better administration

Problem: justice system Justice remote for poor; guilty until innocent; slow; no juries / lawyers Solution: Introduced juries in criminal cases (landowners); more transparency; judges better paid; quicker Results: Intellectuals = new jobs in law profession Courts more liberal and fair Less police influence on trials Less bribery possible but still common

Problem: censorship & press Nicholas I – censorship complete; everything submitted in advance, no freedom of press Solution: Minister of Interior in charge of censorship  new rules Editors no longer had to submit things before printing; much more freedom of topics Results: Lots of revolutionary material published Still could suspend / close publications By 1873 could forbid topics discussed in public

Problem: education Lack of education / higher education, not enough schools, poor literacy rates Solution: Common curriculum; 1870 schools for girls; less repression of university lecturers; travel abroad for lectures & students; expansion of literacy (army, zemstva); poor exempt from fees Results: More poor in schools; education accessible for more Universities still wanted further freedoms Uni’s become hotbeds of politics  political instability

Problem: economy Backwards; not modernised; not much foreign investment Solution: Industrial development esp. with coal & oil. More foreign money allowed in. Banking/finance reformed Results: Increase in industrial workforce, bigger cities More foreign investment in coal & oil, greater output More demand in countryside for manufactured goods

Problem: non-Russian nationalism Lots of nationalities inside Russia Solution: Relaxation of central control in some regions (Poland, western Russia, Finland) Reduced restrictions on Jews, also helped economy Results: Finland gets parliament & currency & eventual independence Poles want more autonomy, created instability in west Jews allowed into gov’t jobs & higher education; can live outside the Pale of the Settlement(West Russia)

To what extent can the reforms of Alexander II be seen as a success? IB Question To what extent can the reforms of Alexander II be seen as a success?