1. 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?

2. What was Russia like before 1855?

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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)

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. Other Alexander II Reforms
Problem
Solution
Results

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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)

22. 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?