Eastern European Empires Prussia, Austria, Russia

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Eastern European EmpiresPrussia, Austria, Russia

• Regional distinctives
• Agrariantrade with West
• Persistent medieval social structure
• Ethnic diversity (Austrian empire)
• Enlightened despotism
• Joseph II of Austria (r. 1780-90)
• Frederick II of Prussia (r. 1740-86)
• Peter the Great of Russia (r. 1682-1724)
• Reaction in RussiaThe Romanovs

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Reaction in Russia

• The Rise of the Romanovs

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Why was Russia slow to modernize/westernize?

• Orthodox Christianity
• Ancient anti-Western Christian tradition
• No experience of Protestantism
• Orthodox church upheld Divine Right
• Slavs descendents of the Vikings
• Rude and barbarous kingdom

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The Romanovs

• Ivan IV No Law of Succession
• Mikhail Romanov
• Alexis Romanov
• Code of 1649
• Regent Sophia

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Peter the Great
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Peter the Great

• Learned carpentry, ship building, sailing, and
  dentistry.
• Grand Embassy (1697-1698)
• Travels Western Europe incognito (Peter
  Mikalof)the distinguished person living
  incognito in England
• Learns about modernization for Russia

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• He is mechanically turned, and seems designed by
  nature rather to be a ship carpenter than a great
  prince. This was his chief study and exercise
  while he stayed here. He wrought much with his
  own hands and made all about him work at the
  models of his ships. He told me he designed a
  great fleet at Azov and with it to attack the
  Turkish empire. But he did not seem capable of
  conducting so great a design, though his conduct
  in his wars since this has discovered a greater
  genius in him than appeared at this time.
• Bishop Burnet, Peter the Great 1698

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Making Russia Western

• Shaves beards first day back (tax)
• Changed calendar to fit Europe
• Traditional clothing changed
• Books translated into Russia
• 1st Newspaper
• Had manners taught to nobles
• St. Petersburg Window to the West

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Military

• Army
• Size, length of service, method of recruitment
• Draft outnumber volunteers
• 200,000 man military
• Navy
• Useful to Russia Royal Obsession
• Would become useful against Ottomans

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Catherine the Great

• Era of Enlightened Absolutism
• Charter of Nobility (1785)
• Enjoyed liberal thought
• Reality Liberal Thought
• Catalyst Pugachevs Rebellion (1771-1775)

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• Paul I
• Serf Labor Laws
• Peasants cannot work more than 3 days/week for
  landlord
• No work on Sundays
• Large number moved to private hands
• Alexander I Myth vs. Man
• Napoleon Wars
• The Unofficial Committee

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Nicholas I

• Decembrist Conspiracy
• Autocracy, Orthodoxy, Nationality
• Police State
• His Majestys Own Chancellery
• Removal of religious dissenters
• Slav Culture

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Alexander II

• Father-Son
• Actual love
• Finished dreams
• Only violence was the Crimean War
• Why Reform?
• Crimean War
• Moral Opinions of Serfdom
• Knew the people

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Reforms

• Zemstvo
• Local Governments become reality
• Larger suffrage
• Legal
• Courts opened to public
• Jury of representation of all estates
• Communal Judge
• Military
• Abolished corporal punishment
• Cut years of draft

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Emancipation Manifesto February 19, 1861

• Tenets
• Free Rural Denizens
• Land remained property of landlord
• Peasants retained right to permanent use of land
• Ability to purchase land
• Two year Transition
• Basic Rights
• Marry without landlords permission
• Engage in trade
• Property
• No corporal punishment

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Summary

• Emancipation Manifesto
• Most debated legislation in history
• Change in estate system, but not social change
• Still absolute government
• Reforms for the top, never the bottom.
• Russias past is admirable her present more
  than magnificent as to her future, it is beyond
  the grasp of the most daring imagination.
• Count Benckendroff
• It is oppressive and vile to live in Russia.
  That is the truth.
• Alexander Herzen