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ALEXANDER II AND 1860S REFORM (REFORM (Zemstvo 1864 (rudimentary system of…
ALEXANDER II AND 1860S REFORM
EMANCIPATION OF SERFS
TECHNICALITIES
Organisation largely done in secret - avoid nobles rising up and peasants revolting
Numbers v rough guesses
Announced in churches across the country
landowners paid for land lost by government
peasants owe government mortgage for 49 years
landlords give land - give worst parts
in times of emergency e.g. pandemic, natural disaster - landlord provide relief - not anymore
still tied to communes, often given land in communes
new layer of authority to be under
BACKGROUND
Secret comission undertaken to look into possibility of emancipation
Nicholas I denounced as evil and allowed landowners to emancipate their own serfs
Serfs becoming more volatile, could not go on as before
Russia as weak - serfs not contributing to betterment of society
ALEXANDER II
Begins reign with widespread programme of reform, fizzles out towards the end of the reign
2nd half less progressive and liberal
Liberal
Relaxes cultural restrictions, results in blossoming of Russian high culture e.g. Tolstoy
releases last of Decemberists from exile
Pulls out of Crimean War
Losing badly - Russia clearly inefficient, behind and needs to modernise
REFORM
Russia exposed as weak and lacking modernisation
Zemstvo 1864
rudimentary system of local government
Taxation, postal service, road building, school building
kickstarts grass-roots political activity
Tendency to be dominated by well-meaning wealthy
Local and isolated - no national structure
Authorities in St Petersburg not fans
Legal
Overhauled to become more modern
More independent courts
Establishment of independent judiciary - can give verdict against tsar
doesn't always work, esp in cases of revolutionaries
Right to lawyer, evidence heard in court, right to appeal, trials by jury
Education
Education reform expanded network of schools
Control over universities and schools loosened
Philosophy and history taught again
schools for all classes began to expand
no. of students grows by 400%
Military
more of a meritocracy
Crimean - promotion via bloodline
more cost effective
massive army badly trained and led in Crimea - have smaller, better trained military
Conscription cut from 15 years to 6
BACKLASH
Nobles not business men - heavily reliant on free labour, don't know how to manage resources - slide into debt
1861/2 spike in uprisings - peasants unhappy about mortgage repayments
1905 govt drops debt
The People's Will
underground socialist group
spend last years of Alexander's reign trying to assassinate him
succeed in 1881
More educated society harder to govern - less naive monarchism