Russia: Reform and Revolution

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RussiaReform and Revolution
1815 to 1910
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I.) Background of Times

• Russia in mid-1800s large amount of land,
  natural resources, and population and had ideas
  of expansion!
• Problems
• 1. lacked industry
• 2. landlocked (no port on Mediterranean Sea)
• 3. wide range of ethnic peoples
• - Belorussians (west)
• - Ukranians (south)
• - Great Russians (north/central)

Slavic People
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• Politics
• 1. Czar (name given to Russian leader)
• 2. Autocratic Ruler (holds absolute power)
• - Alexander I (1801-1825)
• - Nicholas I (1825-1855)
• Domestic Policy
• 1. Censor speech/press
• 2. Russification program for non-Russians to
  adopt language, religion, customs

• Foreign Policy
• 1. Pan-Slavism unite all Slavic people
• 2. Expand into Asia toward Ottoman
• Empire (aide the Balkan People)

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II.) Reforms under Czar Alexander II

• In 1855 Alexander II becomes czar of Russia
• Liberal Reforms
• 1. Emancipation Edict 1861 all serfs living in
  Russia are free
• Result cheap source of labor for factories
• 2. 1864 Creates new local government
• Result Zemstvos councils at provincial
• 
  county levels
• 3. Other reforms
• - Reformed the courts,
• - limited powers of secret police
• - gave press greater freedom
• - reorganized military

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• Radical groups
• 1. Nihilists 1860s group of middle class
  intellectuals revolutionaries
• 2. Populists 1870s group of revolutionaries
• 3. Peoples Will radical group who carried out
  terrorism
• Outcome - Attempt to assassinate govt.
  official and czar
• - killed by terrorist bomb in 1881

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III.) The Czars of Russia

• In 1881 Alexander III becomes Czar
• Halts all reforms in Russia (180 turn)
• - strict censorship
• - secret police
• - oppressed nationalist groups
• - Pogroms (violence against Jews Muslims)
• - one language and one church
• In 1894 Nicholas II becomes Czar
• - Autocratic Rule
• - Higher taxes foreign investments
• Result rapid industrialization
• Example Trans-Siberian Railway worlds
• largest continuing railroad
  (1891-1904)

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IV.) Unrest Leads to Revolution

• Growth of industry creates larger gap between the
  rich poor
• Outcome
• - Russian Marxists lead by Karl Marx believe
  industrial
• workers can overthrow the czar
• Mensheviks (political overthrow)
• Bolsheviks (violent overthrow lead by
• Vladimir Ilyich
  Ulyanov Lenin)

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• Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
• Japan vs. Russia for control of
• Manchuria Korea
• Outcome -Russia defeated
• -govt. seen as weak corrupt

• Bloody Sunday (Jan. 22, 1905)
• 1. 200,000 protestors march w/
• petition of rights for workers for
• Czar Nicholas II to sign
• 2. Military fires upon crowd killing
• between 500-1,000
• 3. Provokes waves of strikes
• violence around the country
• Revolution of 1905

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• Results
• - the Duma created (Russias first parliament)
• - Czar is NOT overthrown.......

YET!