Russia From Alexander I to Nicholas II

Decembrist revolt 1825 Czar Alexander I died 1825 Alexander’s brother, Nicholas took the throne Liberal army officers stage revolt in St. Petersburg  Wanted Constantine  Liberal constitution  Abolish serfdom Nicholas I suppressed the revolt with little difficulty

Czar Nicholas I (r ) Orthodoxy  Increasing control of Orthodox Church over educational system and intellectual life Autocracy  Absolute political authority of the Czar Nationalism  Policy of Russification of non-Russian minority nationalities-designed to compel them to adopt Russian culture

Polish Revolt 1830 Revolt broke out in Warsaw Nicholas I sent troops to stop the revolution Suspended Polish constitution Made Poland part of the Russian empire Russification of Poland

Crimean War Russians occupied Moldavia and Wallachia 1853 Turkey declared war on Russia Great Britain, France, Piedmont joined Turkey Prussia and Austria remained neutral Following the death of Nick I, Alexander II sued for peace Treaty of Paris 1856-Russia could not have a navy on the Black Sea

Serf Essentially slavery Born into it Had to work the land for the landlord No freedom of movement Could be sold or sent into army

Reforms of Czar Alexander II (r ) Emancipation of the serfs 1861  Serfs acquired some land  State compensated landowners for lost land  Peasants required to reimburse state  Land was given to Mir (village communes) not to individual peasant

Rural Zemstvos Local government in the provinces Raise local taxes, operate elementary schools, build roads, etc. Elected by private landowners, townspeople and peasants Russia’s first experiment with representative government

Alexander II and Poland Polish revolt against Russia broke out in 1863 Russians crushed revolt-bringing outcry from most western European countries, except Prussia, who supported Russia. Bismarck bought Russian neutrality in his war with Austria 1866

Terrorism Reforms of Alex II increased demands for reform Some radicals turned to terrorism- “Peoples will” Terror would hopefully get gov’t change Led to increased gov’t repression March 13, 1881, Alex II agreed to establish representative council to consider reform Alex II was assassinated the same day

Czar Alexander III (r ) Autocrat, rejected all proposal for further reform Secret Police went after terrorists Censorship tightened Further Russification Pogroms-authorities often encouraged peasants to conduct anti-Jewish riots Also harrased Protestants in the Baltic and Catholics in Poland

Sergei Witte Finance Minister for Alexander III Follower of Frederich List  Economic nationalism Used foreign investment to create capital in Russia Creates an ever growing working class  Marxism begins spreading  Mensheviks and Bolsheviks Economy surges Trans Siberian Railway  Connects European Russia to the Pacific

Nicholas II ( ) Tried to be like his father Indecisive 1904 Russo-Japanese War  Argue over control of Manchuria and Korea  Japan surprise attacks  Complete victory for the Japanese  Nicholas II looks weak and indecisive

Trouble Brewing Middle class wants political change Working class wants change  Typical working conditions, hours, pay, etc. Peasants want change  Very little difference from serfdom Ethnic Minorities  Want nationalism  Poles and Ukrainians

Bloody Sunday 1905 Workers out to protest for change Supported the Czar but wanted assistance Czar out of town Czars troops come out and massacre hundreds, including women and children Riots, strikes and protests continue throughout the summer

October Manifesto (1905) Czar agrees to changes Civil Liberties Constitutional Monarchy  Duma Legislative Body Elected by the people Middle Class Liberals happy Workers basically get nothing

Fundamental Laws (1906) Czar changes his mind  Agrees to limited change Lower House elected by the people Upper House appointed by Czar  Czar gets final veto on everything  Czar can dismiss duma as he sees fit

Middle class complains  Nicholas II dismisses Duma #1 New elections  Duma #2 more radical – dismissed! Changes the voting laws to the landed aristocracy (1907)  Duma #3 his people do what he wants…kinda

Germany after 1871

Kulturkampf-early 1870’s Bismarck’s “struggle of civilization” Campaign against the Roman Catholics of Germany Bismarck believed Catholics could not be loyal to both Germany and the Pope 1872-Jesuits expelled from Germany 1873-Prussian placed the education of the clergy under the supervision of the state German Catholics voted for the Catholic Center Party Bismarck’s Kulturkampf failed

Bismarck’s anti-socialist campaign 1878 and on Social Democratic Party  Socialist groups including Marxists Bismarck: repression and social welfare Banned socialist meetings, suppressed newspapers Creation of the modern welfare state 1883/1884 National health/Accident insurance Old age pensions

William II William II fired Bismarck-he “dropped the Pilot” Stopped anti-socialist legislation Continued and expanded Social welfare Did not stop working class from voting for Social Democrats By 1912 Social Democrats were the largest Party in the Reichstag.

Compromise of 1867-Dual Monarchy Austria had been severely weakened by its losses in the Austro-sardinian war (1859) and the Austro- Prussian war (1866) The compromise of 1867divided the Hapsburg empire into two distinct units, the Austrian empire and the Kingdom of Hungary The two operated as if two independent countries, with the exception of foreign affairs