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the nature of government - Coggle Diagram
the nature of government
Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964
Alexander II
domestic policies
he implemented a package of reforms
changes were made to local govt, the military, the legal system, education and the economy
but this did not prevent AII from resorting to repression
people became more liberated
challenges
serious social unrest overlaying & working conditions
the effect of the crimean war added to the discontent
there was also concern that Russia was falling behind Western Europe
they would soon become a second-rate power
Alexander III
challenges
a degree of opposition that had mounted afterAlexander II's assasination, during his reign and that threatened autocracy
he had to deal with land ownership issues
resulted from emancipation of the serfs and clamours for rapid industrialisation
domestic policies
many reforms prior to 1881 were reversed or altered- of particular was the 1881 statute of state security
russification was also introduced
he appointed Sergei witte as finance minister
Nicholas II
challenges
opposition to his rule proliferated and became more organised in the form of the radicals and the liberals
the Bolsheviks went on to sieze power from the provisional government and to murder him and his family
there was growing economic problems to distract from this he engaged in a distasterous war with Japan
domestic policies
encourages Witte to continue his plan to modernise the Russian economy
he ordered the setting up of the representative political chamber called the Duma
there was some reversion to the ideas espoused by Alexander II. education was expanded
Karensky
challenges
provisional government was only supposed to be temporary. couldn't disguise the fact that it was unelected and unrepresented
it was pushed into accepting a power share with the pentograted soviet
the two biggest issues were demands for fairer land distribution and Russian war perfomance
domestic policies
the police department was disbanded
political prisoners were released
newspapers, books and pamphlets increased in circulation
did little to appease agitators and the new liberal climate simply allowed dissent to mount
lenin
challenges
he had to confront opposition
he needed to tackle Russian involvement in WW1
Consolidate Bolshevik power
win global acceptance to the new regime
domestic policies
he solved the war problem by authorising the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litvosk in March 1918
Bolshevik authority was quickly established
through the setting up of the Soviet of peoples commissars or sounarkom
set out its stall by issuing a number of decrees
Stalin
challenges
Lenin's legacy and those who mistrust his aims
agriculture, industry, minorities
involvement in WW1
the first years of the Cold War
domestic policies
he used the secret police to arrest people to deal with opposition
show trials and other forms of propaganda were used to control the behaviour of the people
the scale of repression was far greater than any other leader- people feared the Stalinist regime
Khrushchev
challenges
had to put own personality on Russian government and change the violent image Stalinist had left
improvement of Agriculture and living conditions to prevent mass social unrest
the Cold War
domestic policies
Khrushchev denounced the rule of his predecessor
he carried on with the centralised planning of the economy
A number of social improvement programmes were put into operation
the Khrushchev era continued to witness the use of repression to maintain law and order
Political prisoners were released
continuity and change
Tsars
continuity
all face opposition
issued with power
all used repression
all upheld autocracy
change
Ncholas faced organised opposition- political opposition- Duma
Alexander III used repression the most - Russification, statute of state security
Nicholas introduced there Duma which diluted autocracy
autocracy
between 1855-1917, Russia was governed by a system of government called autocracy
Tsars had absolute power which was ordained by God
All Russians had to obey the Tsar
the Romanov dynasty had been founded on Article 1 of the Fundamental laws
Tsardom was based on 3 strands
Autocracy
tsars had no limits of their power
orthodoxy
the church supported the Russian monarchy
Nationality
the promotion and protection of Russian culture against foreign influence
therefore
the tsars were moral judges and had a paternalistic duty of care
they expected submission. they were not accountable to any form of constitutional government
autocracy was a practical necessity given Russia's geographical size
liberal democracy would weaken Russia. too many people would demand too many politics. Government could not function
change and continuity in autocracy
continuity
Alexander II
After 1866 he enforced repression and adhered strongly to the concept
1866 saw a return of repression and the 'Shuvalov era' which saw greater use of military courts , cemsorship, greater suppression of revolutionary groups
Alexander III
He blamed the move towards liberalism on his fathers death
brought in a very repressive form of autocracy
Nicholas II
Introduced another set of Fundamental Laws 1906 which reiterated autocracy
therefore
All Tsars consistently promoted autocracy ruthlessly to justify their views
Even when reforms were introduced, it was clear that ultimate power still lay with the Tsar
change
Alexander II
he reformed to enhance Russia's world status
he was better to 'reform from above than below'
he opted for a string of reforms that appeared to dilute autocracy- Zemstva Act, set up town councils
he even considered a form of constitution suggested by Loris- Melikov
Did this make Alex II a reluctant reformer or a weak Tsar
Alexander III
His rule was heavily repressive punctuated with some milder reforms
Nicholas II
He introduced constitutional reforms in 1905- Duma (October Manifesto)
the need to do this had been forced on him by Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese war
Communist ideology