1. Russia 1855 to 1917 Reform and reaction

2. Russia in 1855 TTTTsar – autocracy BBBBackward country and very large PPPPeasants, serfdom and aristocracy

3. The Crimean war and reform  Crimean war disaster  Treaty of Paris humiliating  Alexander II saw Russia in crisis and believed that reforms would avoid a revolution

4. Emancipation of the serfs  Give serfs freedom and give compensation to landowners  Landowners against it but they were greatly in debt and most govt compensation money sued for the debts

5. Why was emancipation unpopular?  Peasants got small plots of land  Peasants had to repay govt the costs of the landlords compensation over 49 years  Mir to collect dues, taxes etc, crop rotation etc, movement of people.  Landlords still very powerful

6. Reform of local and central govt  1854 Zemstva set up  Law courts – trial by jury, judges paid  1870 town councils reformed  1874 Army reform  BUT…..  Power remained with Tsar

7. Alex’s II policies change 1870 - 81  As he got older, less interested in reforms  For ordinary people, little actually changed  Alex became more interested in Pan- Slavism  Threats from revolutionary groups increased – Okhrana more important

8. Alexander III  Abolished many of the earlier reforms  Repression  Russification  Rejected Westernisers

9. Attempts at reform 1906 - 14  Nicholas II weak willed, ruled as autocrat  Ignored the zemstva  1904 Union of Liberation set up – Nicholas ignored it

10. 1905 Revolution  Protest against autocracy – by TUs, middle class, zemstva, workers in cities  Nicholas survived because the army stayed loyal  October 1905 – OCTOBER MANIFESTO  Duma met – but ignored by Nicholas

11. Changes 1906 - 1914  Stolypin PM  Abolished Mir control of land  1911 end of reforms  Unrest grew in Russia  Influence of Rasputin made Nicholas unpopular  1915 Tsar leaves for the front and never returned.

12. reaction

13. Why did opposition develop to tsarist rule in 1870s and 80s? NNNNo legal ways of complaining PPPPeople’s hopes raised by Alex II reforms – and then disapponted 1111876 – Land and Liberty set up PPPPeople’s will – terror group RRRRepression used by Tsar

14. The Marxists  1898 Social Democratic Party – Marxist -  1901 Socialist Revolutionaries – marxist but work with peasants

15. Why did opposition become more important? 1111903 SDs met in London – split PPPPlekhanov – use peaceful methods LLLLenin – use revolution – bolsheviks GGGGrowth of WC in cities – eg St Petersburg

16. Russia under Nicholas II  Backward, 80% pop in agric, extremes of wealth  Massive growth of cities – terrible conditions, growth of working class  Strikes!  Nicholas II weak willed

17. Revolution 1905 - causes  Humiliating defeats in Japanese war  Protests – “Bloody Sunday”  Strikes and protests across the country

18. Revolution 1905  Union of Unions demanded parliament and universal suffrage  Unrest across the country  October – general strike began, St Petersburg soviet formed  October Manifesto issued

19. What was the October Manifesto?  Civil liberties granted  State Duma created  Nicholas had no intention of sharing power really  Three more Dumas met - powerless

20. Impact of WWI AAAArmy poorly equiped and old fashioned- machine guns, rifles, trains RRRRadio messages not in code! IIIIndustry and transport system can’t keep army supplied, FFFFood shortages in the cities iiiinflation

21. NNNNicholas takes over as C in C RRRRasputin left with Tsarina in Petrograd PPPPetrograd in real distress – prices, winter conditions etc.

22. Revolution breaks out Feb / March 1917