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