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Russia 1825-1894. 1825. Tsar Alexander I dies and Russia enters a period of turmoil. Serfdom. Harsher than Western European Serfdom De facto slavery Backwards system- no incentive for change or increased production. Decembrists Revolt.
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1825 • Tsar Alexander I dies and Russia enters a period of turmoil.
Serfdom • Harsher than Western European Serfdom • De facto slavery • Backwards system- no incentive for change or increased production
Decembrists Revolt • Army officers returning from Western Europe fighting Napoleon had been exposed to Enlightenment ideas of the west. • Want a constitution for Russia • “Constantine and Constitution”
Nicholas I • Resists change- keeps absolutism • Keeps serfdom to ensure the loyalty of the Boyars (Russian Landlords) • Limits education to help control the upper class • Sets up secret police
Alexander II • “Frees” the serfs • Serfs own land communally in Mirs • Peasants still kept tied to the land • Sets up Zemstvos- Local councils with limited powers
Russians Want More Change! By the late 1800’s- • Many peasant riots • Educated Russians forced to meet and discuss politics in secret • Nihilism- complete destruction needed before rebuilding • Narodniki- narod (people)- students who worked with peasants. Schooling and medical services. Practical and revolutionary.
Alexander III • Believed in Autocracy • “Autocracy, Orthodoxy, Nationality” • Discrimination against non-Russians, non-Orthodox Christians • Pogroms