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Rise of Opposition Across Tsarist Rule (What did the Groups Oppose?…
Rise of Opposition Across Tsarist Rule
1857
1963
1866
April
first attempt on Tsar's life
Dmitry Karakozov - a disgruntled noble student
put to death for this, his accomplices received light sentences
1873/4
1876
1879
1881
1886
1886
1 more item...
1 March
People's Will assassinated Tsar
1 more item...
1879
People's Will created as Land and Liberty began to break into different factions
another radical group set up - more extreme than Land and Liberty
1876
radical group, Land and Liberty set up by George Plekhanov
1873/4
Narodniks and Populists movement begin
1963
Nikoli Chernyshevsky releases the text titled,
What is to be done?
a socialist pamphlet that acts as a guide on revolutionary activism
1963
Polish armed revolt
1857
Alexander Herzen released the book,
The Bell
critical of Western developments and capitalism
What did the Groups Oppose?
Nationalist Issues
the Polish Revolt (1863)
caused by the Polish desire for land, and the re-establishment of Polish nationhood
caused 200 deaths
revolt spread further as Alexander II planned Polish conscription into the Russian army
revolt satisfied by a mix of force and concessions (in the form of land reforms)
Ideological Rejection of the Regime
Nihilists argued for a total rejections of existing institutions
Nihilists favoured complete freedom
students had learnt of better Western systems with the lax attitude Alexander II had taken at first to university censorship
Slavophile Argument Against Western Capitalism
left rejected the idea of industrialisation via Western capitalist methods
they supported the longevity of the Mir
Political Opposition
a written constitution and national parliament was a common demand
this would limit the autocracy and better represent the voice of the people
Emancipation of Serfs - Caused Oppoistion
nobles resented their loss of land and control
peasants resented their reduced areas of land and redemption payments
Nature of Opposition
intellectual, exclusive and secretive
educated and middle classes
not peasants or workers
Universities
students
idealistic youth
gentry and middle class formed the Narodniks in the 1870s
Unorganised, sporadic local uprisings of the peasantry
647 incidents in the first 4 months after the Emancipation Edict
Aims (and Actions) of Key Opposition Groups
Populists
leaders were drawn from middle and upper classes
disliked Tsarist autocracy
wanted to replace it with a local government based off the Mir
disagreement with the Populist group as to how to achieve revolution
Peter Lavrov - wanted gradual change through education the peasants
Chernsyhevsky - wanted direct/violent action to seize the revolution
Going to the People (1873-4)
intellectuals went to peasants to try and spread the idea of socialist revolution
little was achieved because:
as the movement lacked central organisation
peasantry was so large
Land and Liberty (1876)
failure of the 'going to the people' movement drove populist movement towards terrorism
Land and Liberty was formed
Vera Zasulich shot and wounded the governor of St Petersburg
not found guilty at her trial
this drove Alexander II to reform how political trials were held
The People's Will (1879)
developed after Land and Liberty - more extreme
political revolution needed before a social revolution
demanded:
a national constitution
universal suffrage
freedom of speech and press
local self-government
national self-determination
How Effective/Extensive was this Opposition?
opposition was secret therefore difficult to assess its extent
most of the above movement had a few hundred - a few thousand supporters
despite kill in gthe Tsar, there was little success amongst these groups in reducing the power of autocracy of rallying the peasants in a revolution
small terrorists achieved breakthroughs
but it would take more than a few small groups of individuals to revolutionised Russia (120 million population)
but they planted the seeds for Bolshevism
Why did it not Achieve Greater Success?
its secretive nature meant it was not well organised
no practical alternative to the existing regime
people were just being idealistic about some form of socialist utopia
no organised front of opposition - only differing and conflicting groups
wide parts of the nobility still liked Tsardom
annoyed at Alexander for emancipation, but the redemption payments and control in the Mir satisfied them enough to prevent revolt
assassination of Alexander II only led to more restrictions from his son