Guiding Questions for Notes: How might some of the characters in the play respond to Imperial Russia? How might some characters in the play respond to the industrialization of Russia? Which main character most represents Chekhov’s personal upbringing and life? Why was the MAT necessary for plays like The Cherry Orchard to become popular?

Imperial Russia Russian Imperialism was a foundation of the country until Russia was the last European country to abolish imperial order.

Imperial Russia (cont.) Nobility: the ruling class of Russia. Position was determined by birth. Gentry: Just below the nobility, of high social order, determined by birth. Clergy: church officials and priesthood. Fluctuation in power and influence with Tsars.

Imperial Russia (cont.) Peasants: Agricultural workers/hands – State Peasants: bound to farm labor, but had more autonomy and prosperity than serfs. – Serfs: slaves of the land; bound to the land they worked.

Abolishing of Serfdom/Imperialism Alexander II felt the political and social strains of serf oppression. Serfs were demanding freedom after being told they would be free if they joined the military during the Crimean War. Alexander II ended the war, and freed the serfs with the Edict of Emancipation in 1861.

Abolishing of Serfdom/Imperialism (cont.) Serfs were freed from lands but had no jobs and no where to go. They were offered property but at ridiculously inflated prices. There was no economic assistance for them, either.

Abolishing of Serfdom/Imperialism (cont.) Many serfs went into debt because of the new freedom. Many peasants and serfs (80% of the population at the time) became ignorant, lazy, and often drunks. More unrest developed amongst this population

Alexander III and Nicholas II: “Counterreformers” Alexander II was assassinated, and his two successors (above), were harsh rulers. Their goal was to counter any reforms that had begun and to crush revolt or revolution. They opposed industrial revolution and social progress. Wanted to restore imperialism.

Alexander III and Nicholas II: “Counterreformers” (cont.) Nicholas II proved to be a weak, inconsistent ruler, having his council make his decisions. A mixed, confused reaction occurred from the public. This confusion would lead to the Russian Revolution.

Industrialization of 1880s and 1890s Capitalism led to the growth of the bourgeoisie (middle class) and the proletariat (working class). There was much social upheaval amongst classes, but many peasants who lived in the cities were living in horrible and desperate situations at the bottom.

Industrialization of 1880s and 1890s (cont.) Many people benefited from the reforms that led to social change, and many argued that “counterreforms” were impossible with industrialization. Those of the old nobility often went into debt and were out of place because of their lack of knowledge of the business world and capitalism.

Anton Chekhov ( ) Chekhov’s grandfather was a serf, and his father opened a shop in a very small Russian town. His father was a tyrant, often whipping his boys and throwing tantrums, trying always to climb socially. When his father’s store failed, all the family moved to Moscow except Anton, who attended medical school on a loan from a family friend.

Anton Chekhov ( ) (cont.) Chekhov began to write comic stories strictly to pay for school tuition. He received his M.D. in 1879, the same year his first stories are published. He would send money or return to his family to try to help his family’s destitute situation.

Anton Chekhov ( ) (cont.) Chekhov’s stories and plays usually included some interest in nature, whether in setting or in symbolism. His works also tracked the political and social developments that lead to the Russian Revolution.

The Moscow Art Theater (MAT) The theater company was founded in 1898 by Kenstantin Stanishviski and Vladamir Nemirovich-Danchenko. The focus of the theater company would change theater forever, for they practically invented modern theater.

The Moscow Art Theater (MAT) (cont.) Their focus was on the psychological and emotional aspects of acting and of characters. They emphasized the motivations behind a character and the impulse behind speech and action. Chekhov’s plays did not become successful until they were performed by the MAT.