Russia Struggles with Reforms
Russia in the 19th CenturyNicholas IAlexander IIAlexander IIINicholas II
Background to the Russian RevolutionRussia under the Romanovs
At the beginning of the 19th century, Russia was overwhelmingly rural, agricultural and autocratic. The Russian tsar, Nicholas I, maintained complete
authority and claimed the divine-right to rule. As such, he had unlimited power over his country during a time when the monarchs of western Europe were experiencing a reduction in power through the introduction of liberal
reforms. The Russian imperial autocracy built its power upon the loyalty of its soldiers, the public’s fear of the secret police, and the repression of ideas
through censorship and imprisonment. Through these means, the Romanov Dynasty managed to withstand the revolutionary fervor that had swept
through western Europe during the first half of the century. However, by mid-19th century, it became clear to Alexander II that Russia needed to make serious reforms if it was going to “catch up” to nations of western Europe—economically, politically, and militaristically. If Russia was to become a major player in the new world order (imperial conquests of industrialized nations),
it needed to make serious reforms.
Nicholas I: “The Gendarme of Europe”
Autocrat and Emperor
“Conservative Gendarme”Crimean War
(1853)Above: Tsar Nicholas I
Decrembrist Revolt (1825)a group of liberal military officials
staged a revolt against conservative Tsar but were brutally defeated.
(temporarily halted liberalism in Russia)
Russian troops crush European revolts
politics was illegal and underground (no pol. parties, free speech or press)
elites humiliated (aristocrats, intelligencia, entrepreneurs) by
backwardness b/c didn’t have same pol. rights of upper classes in GB & F
Thought he deserved a reward for helping to
save European
monarchiesrude
awakening that military
was no longer
invincible
Between 1853-56, Russia was in direct conflict France, England and Sardinia
over controlling influence of territories in the failing Ottoman Empire.
needed warm water ports
economic competition
championed pan-Slavism
regional political hegemony
Our army had defeated Napoleon,
gosh darn it!GB & F = industrialized
weaponsR = pre-industrial
warfare
War was a bloodbath for Russia
Aggressive Reforms to Please the Peasants
emancipation Land reforms
Above: Tsar Alexander II was convinced that the tragedy and humiliation of the war meant Russia needed to “catch up” to
the WestBelow Left: Russian Peasants in the 19th
century.
Was the last European country to free the
serfs
Govt provided land for the peasants by buying it from the
aristocratic landlordsFree to own
property
Free to marry as they chose
Alexander II: “The Tsar Liberator”
To ensure that the peasants paid their installments, they were placed in village communes, called mirs.
Above: Russian Peasants on a 19th century Russian mir.
Landlords kept best lands
Peasants couldn’t grow enough to
support themselves
Peasants expect to pay the govt back in
long-term installments
Weren’t allowed to leave communes to ensure installments
were paid
Result of “reforms”: unhappy, impoverished, hungry, discontented, no means to improve
farming methods
Alexander III returns Russia to repression and autocracy
“autocracy, orthodoxy and nationality”
Political repression of revolutionary ideasReactionary end to all political and reforms resulted in
underground revolutionary movements that were hunted down and eliminated
Oppression of Jews:pogroms
Rapid economic expansion
Above: Vladimr LeninLeft: Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Below: Russian Industrialization.
Alexander III: Increased violence against Russian Jews
Derived from the Russian word meaning “to wreak havoc”, a pogrom is an
organized attack, often a massacre, against Jewish
peoples , particularly in the Pale region of western
Russia.
Pogroms:In the Russian
Empire the Jews had been
subject to persecutions for centuries, often at the
instigation of local
government officials.
Between 1881 and the Russian Revolution, pogroms
were especially violent.
Reasons:Rapid economic expansion did not parallel an equal increase in opportunity and security for peasants
-freeing of the serfs in 1861 meant that uneducated peasants flooded the cities looking for work-peasants began to organize and riot against the better-educated, wealthier Jews they encountered
Long standing anti-Semitism -many published books and revered Russian writers/poets were publically anti-Semitic
-Alexander III blamed his father’s assassination on the Jews, even though he knew it was not true
Early 20th Century: Russian Social
HierarchyIdentify and describe the
social pyramid.
What is the message behind those cartoon?
In what level of society do you think revolution will
ferment? Why?
The Last Tsar of Russia
Alexie&
Rasputin
Anastasia
Tsar Nicholas Romanov II and His Family
"The Czar can change
his mind from one minute to the next; he’s a sad man; he
lacks guts.”
“His character is the source
of all our misfortunes.
His outstanding
weakness is a lack of
willpower.”
“It was not a weakness of will
that was the undoing of the
last Czar but… a willful
determination to rule from the
throne, despite the fact that he clearly lacked the necessary qualities to do
so.”
Sergei Witte, Russian Count who negotiated peace with Japan
Rasputin, Supposed holy man and advisor to tsarina
Orlando Figes,
Russian Historian
Reforms Demanded Because…
Economic
Political
Extensive Foreign Investments & Influence
HUGE gap between rich and poor b/c of:
-entrenched aristocracy -ineffective land reform
-rapid industrialization-unequal development
throughout country
Social
Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
Right: “Running
away? Not a bit of it. I’m luring ‘em
on.”Left: The
Trans-Siberian Railroad
Nicholas II: Troubled, Charmed Family, Troubled, Desperate Country
Russia’s Bloody Sunday: January 22, 1905
Unrest Among the Peasants & Urban Working Poor
Above: Father Georgi Gapon Right:
Armed Russian troops poised
against demonstrators.
Conservative reports calculated 1,000
deaths at the end of the massacre.
Fr. Gapon & the Petition:concerned about the conditions experienced by the working/lower classes and headed
"The Association of Russian Factory and Plant Workers" The Massacre in St. Petersburg:
Tsar wasn’t at Winter Palace b/c hoped his absence would prevent march on palaceMilitary opened fire on peaceful demonstration
Tsar didn’t give order, but his absence showed disregard for ordinary people’s needs
The Tsar’s October Manifesto: October 30, 1905
Lodz Uprising:-uprising by Polish
workers in Lodz against the Russian Empire
-major center of revolutionary fighting in
the Russian Empire in 1905–1907
-months of unrest, strikes, & clashes with
the military led to workers spontaneously
barricading buildings and assaulting police and military patrols
-uprising was crushed-several hundred dead
and wounded-made international
headlines and attracted the attention of socialist and communist activists
worldwide
The October Manifesto: Superficial Reform1914: Outbreak of WWI puts political strife temporarily on hold1916: Russia is cold, starving, angry, and ready for revolution
The first two dumas were too radical for tsar’s
taste.
The third duma was elected by the richest people in Russia in
1907 :. much more
conservative
Fundamental Laws (1906):
-Declared tsar supreme over the law, the
church, and the Duma.
-Confirmed basic human rights as granted by the
October Manifesto
BUT did not make
them unalienable,
universal rights protected by law
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