Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
alexander iii 1881-94, alexander iii - Coggle Diagram
alexander iii 1881-94
counter reforms
JUDICAL SYSTEMS
- introduced court martials for sensitive cases to avoid publicity
- crimes against state could be held with no jury
- judges appointed directly from Minister of Justice
- 1887 it was passed that ministry could grant powers to hold closed court sessions
CENSORSHIP
- Tolstoy established government commitee in 1882 which allowed newspapers to be closed down
- censors became more active - all literary publications had to be officially approved
POLICING
- new secret police Okhrana & responsible for security and investigation (read mail, detain suspects)
- decree in march 1882 allowed police to declare any citizen to be under surveilance
- led by Plehve then Durnovo
- number of police increased with drive to recruit spies, counter spies
REPRESSION
- crack down on terrorist activities
- Okhrana recruited 1000s of informers to uncover terrorists
- many disguised as cab drivers to eavesdrop
- difficult to express opinion
- many revolutionary groups still formed but people's will never fully recovered
STATUE OF STATE SECURITY
- gave government emergency powers to :
prohibit gatherings larger than 12,closes schools, prosecute any individual for political crimes
- meant minister of interior and police chiefs more or less do anything they want
REPRESSION
- crackdown on terrorist activities
- Okhrana recruited 1000s of informers to uncover terrorists
- many disguised as cab drivers to eavesdrop
- difficult to express opinion
- many revolutionary groups still formed but people's will never really recovered
EDUCATION
- deans, professors subject to approval of education ministry
- Delyanov closed unis for women
- all uni life carefully observed and groups limited to 5 max
- children from lowest class were restricted to primary educatiob
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Land Captain created and responsible for law enforcement in countryside
- can override elections in zemstvo
1890, zemstva made an act reducing peasant vote but put under control of government which reduces independence
- similar arranngement made in 1892 for towns - Municipal Government Act where only owners of property of certain value can vote
attitude to role
background
- tutored by Pobedonostev & brought up with strong sense of commitment and believed he knew what was right for his country
- believed duty of of his subjects was to love and obey
- limited in intellect but was strong willed and determined
manifesto of unshakeable authority
- announced her would rule with truth of the autocratic power
- set about turning the clock backnand returning to an ideology that stressed Russian uniqueness
- following this, those involved with his fathers assassination died in a public hanging
- issued a law on Exceptional Measures daclaring that when necessary a commander in chief could be appointed to control localities
other immediate changes
- rejected his father's reforms as pushing russia on the wrong road
- wouldn't grant Russia a constitution
- Pobedonostev announced Chief Procurator of Holy Synod and he denounced Loris Melikov proposals as claimed it would lead them to Western style constitution
- Loris-Melikov replaced by Tolstoy, Delyanov was Minister of education
economy
BUNGE 1881-87
- aimed to modernise & intensified intervention in economy
- tax law estimated to reduce tax burden on peasantry by 1/4
-introduced factory insepctors
1882 Nobels' land banks introduced to provide cheap loands to landed nobility
peasants land bank opened 1885 to help purchase land
- abolished poll tax in 1886 to reduce financial burden
- conservatives opposed his policies as claimed it would incite the masses to demand more
VYSHNEGRADSKY 1887-92
- introduced 305 tariff on new materials to boost home prodution
had to balance budget to negotiate valuable loans & increased indirect taxes
- policy seemed successful since between 1881-91 grain exports went up by 18%
- peasants suffered most
- 1891-2 a bad harvest brought about widespread famine where 1000s died
- dismissed due to this disaster
witte
WITTE 1892-1903
- totally committed to economic modernisation as a means to curb revolutionary activity
- believed only way forward was to continue with protective tariffs, heavy taxation
- made programme great Spurt which was made up of six parts
great spurt
TATE SPONSERED DEVELOPMENT OF HEAVY INDUSTRY - believed iron, coal, steel industries would form basis for industrial developments like they did in west, railways would help reach more distant areas which could be opened up for food supply, most famous project was Trans-Siberian railway with a railway boom in 1890s (tracks nearly doubled)
FOREIGN LOANS - didn't have enough money to pay for this level of state expenditure so negotiated loans from France and drew in foreign investors (by 1900 1/3 of capitol invested by foreigners)
HIGH TARIFFS ON FOREIGN INDUSTRIAL GOODS - continued policy of high tariffs on foreign imports to protect domestic industries and meant companies in Russia could by home products so less money flowed out of Russia
STRONG ROUBLE - stable currency essential to attract caoital and so 1897 adopted gold standard four rouble which added security for foreign investors
RAISED TAX RATES - revenue for sate Witte raised indirect taxes on everyday items (matches, vodka etc) which hit peasants hard as had to sell more grain to pay taxes, workers wages kept low so money went to industrial development instead of wage bills
EXPORTS OF GRAIN - grain was essential in Witte's strategy as it was a means on how Russia could earn more foreign currency to pay high interests charges
CRITICISMS OF WITTE :
- interest rates of foreign debts very high
- prioritised heavy industry over light so that wasn;t developed properly
- neglected agriculture which suffered from under development
- prioritised industrial development over welfare of population - very rapid change meant working/living conditions for works appalling
POSITIVES :
- up to 1900 his plan was working with growth rate hitting 9%
- between 1890-1900 production of iron/steel rose from 9 to 76mill poods a year, coal output tripling
- Russia now major world producer of oil, steel & iron
- by 1900, Moscow one of 10 biggest cities in the world
NEGATIVES :
- international recession started in 1899 put sudden stop to expansion
- Russia fell into deep depression affecting all areas of economy
- railway industry badly hit & metal working industry suffered
- output in basic industries like iron, coal and oil fell
- by 1903 lost support of Tsar and was dismissed
-
alexander iii
social groups
landed elite
- small diverse gorup - mainly noble status
- after emancipation, personal landholdings declined due to having to pay off debts
- others quit farming to have more rewarding jobs
middle class
- began to grow as result of urban/industrial expansions
- bankers, doctors and teachers in great demand
- gov contracts to build railways made great opportunities
- 1890s non-nobles took up jobs as factory owners
urban working class
- expansion of industry accompanied by growth in urban population
- took up 2% of population
- common for peasants to move to towns to wrok temp
- 1882-90 series of reforms - working hours reduced
- didn't much improve their lives
peasantry
- at top was kulaks who bought land (sometimes acted as pawnbrokers by buying grain & selling it at inflated prices
- poorest peasants found life harsher
role of religion
church background
- 70% population under influence of orthodox church which was closely connected to tsar
- late 19th century church admin converted to Holy Synod and Tsar position moved away from religion
church under alexander iii
- alexander & ministers conscious of power church held
- church had strict censorship controls with their courts judging morals
- russification allowed the promotion of orthodoxy
- became offence to convert from orthodoxy to another religion
influence of orthodoxy
- despite dominance of Orthodox church evidence supports knowledge that its hold over the people was weakening
- churches held little relevance for workers who were more attracted to teachings of socialists