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Preserving Autocracy: Russification and ethnic minorities - Coggle Diagram
- Preserving Autocracy: Russification and ethnic minorities
Alexander II
Ukraine
1863: Valuev of Circular was a decree which meant that many forms of literature, education and religion in the Ukrainian language were forbidden. There was an exception to belles- lettres works
Poland
1863: Polish rebellion broke out and he sent out his brother to deal with it. over 200,000 Poles had joined in creating an underground National Government for Poland. They waged a form of guerrilla warfare against the Imperial masters, although the were crushed after fighting in 1864.
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Finland
He gave the Finnish their own parliament called 'diet' and tried to maintain good relations with the finnish
Latvia and Estonia
1864, 1875: They were allowed to revert to Lutheranism where Orthodoxy had been demanded previously.
Intentions
He was more concerned with control rather than with matters of racial superiority. He wanted to appease the public to prevent threat to the autocracy.
Jews
Initially, there wee around 5million Jews within the Russian Empire. in 1736, most had been confined to an area of western Russia known as the Pale of Settlement .
Anti- Semitism had existed amongst the poorer elements in society who hated them due to the teachings of the Orthodox Church but also because of their money- lending and personal riches.
He had let the wealthier Jews settle elsewhere until the polish revolution had scared them into reducing the participation of Jews in the government, encouraging the growth of Anti- Semitism.
Alexander III
Finland
The Diet was reorganised in 1892 to weaken it's influence, the use of Russian language was increasingly demanded, Russian coinage was used.
Poland
1885: the Polish National Bank was closed and in schools, the use of the polish language was not to be used except for polish and religious lessons.
Baltic Germans
1885-89: measures introduced to enforce the use of Russian in all state offices, elementary and secondary school, the police force and judicial system.
Jews
Anti- Semitism was encouraged as ministers used slogans like 'Beat the Yids- Save Russia' and suggested that 'one third should emigrate, one third die and one third assimilate'
Alex III himself was anti- Semitic largely due to his religious beliefs.
He was also encouraged by right-winged Russian press that had led him to believe that they were responsible for Alex II's assassination and that there was growing Jewish involvement within opposition groups.
The Jewish pogroms (1881-84)
the high concentration of Jews in the Pale made them ready targets for anti Jewish pogroms which had broken out in April 1881 in the Ukraine.
the may have started due to business competition but it is more likely that they were encouraged by the Okhrana and the link to the assassination of Alex II.
The violence spread through towns and causing Jews to flee to western Europe. 16 towns had there properties burnt, shops and businesses destroyed and had many incidences of rape and murder.
1882 laws
- jews forbidden to settle outside of towns and cities where there are fewer than 10 thousand people.
- All contracts for the mortgaging or renting of properties outside of cities and towns were forbidden.
- Jews were not allowed to do business on Sundays or on Christian holidays.
these laws effectively condemned the Jews to living in ghettos
Intentions
A policy of 'cultural Russification' which sought to merge all he Tsar's subjects into a single nation with feeling of a shared identity.
He, like Alex II, wanted to preserve autocracy but had a more aggressive approach towards the process in which he didn't aim to appease as much as establish his authority.