Alexander II1855-81

19th centuryRussia

Population and

National Groups

Autocracy and

serfdomWealth and

poverty

Imperial

Expansion

The Crimean War

• Despite being fought on her doorstep this was a heavy defeat

• Bravery of the Russian troops was no match for technological superiority of the allies

• Something had to change!

SERFDOM

FEUDALISM – system whereby peasants rented land through their labour

Peasants owned body & soul by their landlords – could be bought & sold like cattle

Lives of the serfs were harsh – problem of land shortage

Many tales of brutal treatment of serfs by their masters

There were 50 million serfs in 1855

Between 1845 and 1860 there were over 800 instances of violent peasant unrest & between 1835 and 1861 over 250 serf owners or bailiffs killed

“It is better to begin abolishing serfdom from above than to

wait for it to begin to abolish itself from

below.”

Alexander II’s objective in introducing reforms was to streamline the autocracy in order to make it more efficient in order to ensure its survival.

Edict of Emancipation 1861

Peasants now became free citizens with right to:

•Marry without landlord’s permission

•Own property

•Take legal action

•Engage in trade or business

•No longer be bought and sold

•Women free to chose their own husbands

Landowners to sell land to their former serfs

20% price to be paid directly by peasants, 80% by government through treasury bonds

Peasants paid remaining 80% in annual instalments over 49 years – Redemption Payments

And I can change my job

and maybe start a

business!

Well I still don’t have enough land to make a decent living and those

redemption payments are crippling me!

Hey! I’m free at last! My own woman! I can marry who I

want!

The Downside of Emancipation

• The MIR controlled the peasants and the land

• The strip farming system remained• Individuals not given title deeds until land

was paid for• Some peasants received less land than

before, some given none at all• Redemption costs too high, peasants also

now paying taxes!

What about the landowners?“I have lost land and the labour of my serfs. “

“My compensation payments have been swallowed up by debts”

“The government bonds are losing value. I will have to sell more land to maintain my lifestyle.”

“The Edict has damaged my economic fortunes and has signalled a decline in my political & social status.”

And there’s more!Landowner now nolonger could claimto be dominantin local admin & to dispense justice

Reform of local government

Conscription systemwhich relied totallyon the peasantsnow obsolete.

Reform of the legal system

Reform of the Army

Local Government Reform

• Zemstva (local councils) set up to be responsible for local affairs

• Zemstva elected directly by local people – all classes voted & sat on councils

• Zemstva had wide range of responsibilities

• In 1870 urban equivalents set up in – municipal councils or dumas

Reform of legal system

• Introduced the idea of a judiciary independent of the government

• Equality before law for all citizens

• Trial by jury introduced

• Courts open to public

• Judges now to be well paid

• Judges to have professional qualifications

Army Reforms

• Most of most barbaric forms of punishment abolished

• Educational programmes to raise literacy levels

• All males subject to conscription• Recruits chosen by ballot• Length of service reduced from 25 to 16

years• More officers from outside nobility

Reactions to the Reforms

• Much peasant unrest because dissatisfied• A lot of criticism of the Edict, legal and political

reforms• Growth in revolutionary activity with groups like

the Populists and Narodniks• Criticism and attempt on Tsar’s lead to

repression• 1881 Alexander planning more reforms – setting

Russia on path of constitutional government?