Persia Chart 19 Russia 1750-1914 1

Political Catherine the Great continues legacy of past Czars through
expansion; sends explorers out to Alaska and as far Hawaii.

After Napoleons invasions in 1812, Russian leaders sought to protect
their power from Enlightenment ideals.
Tsars were conservative however, intellectuals remained connected
with Western trends.
After the Decembrist uprising, Nicholas I turned to more repressive
conservatism. Conservatism and the lack of a middle class helped
Russia avoid the revolutions in European in 1830 and 1848.
Russia continued territorial expansion. Polish nationalism in 1831 was
suppressed. Russia supported Balkan nationalism to weaken the
Turks.
The Emancipation of the Serfs did not give the serfs any political
freedom and peasant uprisings continued due to harsh conditions. In
the 1860s and 1870s Alexander II began military reforms, improved
law codes, and created zemstoves, local political councils. Zemstoves
had no influence on national policies.
After the 1860s, ethnic minorities began demand for national
recognition. Peasant unrest was increased by taxes, population
pressure, and recurrent famines. Business and professional people
wanted more personal and political rights, while the intelligentsia
wanted radical political and social reform while preserving Russian
culture. Some tried to gain peasant support. When that failed, some
turned to terrorism.
The government reacted by stopping reform, starting censorship, and
exiling dissidents to Siberia. After Alexander II was assassinated in
1881, his successors opposed reform and imposed repressive
policies. Marxism spread among the intelligentsia.
Lenin adapted Marxism to fit the Russian situation. Urban workers
formed unions and went on strikes. Russian military expansion ended
with the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, a conflict over expansion in
Manchuria and in which Japan defeated Russia

Economy Russias economy remained agrarian, falling behind the industrialized
west. Stricter labor obligations were imposed on the serfs as to
increase production.
Their defeat in the Crimean War (1854-1856) reflected how far
Russia had fallen behind the west even after defeat of Napoleons
forces. Convinced by the Crimean war that reform was needed,
Alexander II emancipated the serfs in 1861.
The serfs however, were tied to their villages until they paid for the
land they received. This, along with high taxes kept former serfs poor.
While the emancipation created a larger workforce, it did not
encourage agricultural productivity.
Industrialization was part of the pattern of reform. The state played an
important role in capital formation and investment, since Russia
lacked a middle class. In the 1870s, a railway system was created.
This allowed for more efficient use of Russias natural resources and
shipped grain to the west, helping to finance industrialization.
By the 1880s factories were developing in major cities. These
factories were protected by the government. Nearly one half of
Russias industry was foreign-owned.
Russia was inferior to the west technologically and in agricultural
productivity. The Stolypin reforms after the revolution of 1905 aimed
to create a market-oriented peasantry. Kulaks, peasant entrepreneurs
did increase production.
Religion Eastern Orthodox still remained as major branch, but some other
forms of Christianity became present.
Social During Alexander IIs reforms in the 1860s and 1870s some women
gained access to higher education and professions.
The masses of Russian citizens were only slightly affected by
industrialization and a middle class was not significant. Russia
remained a traditional peasant society.
Many of the new nations that were emerging in the Balkans copied
Russian political autocracy though many created parliaments. Most
eastern European nations abolished serfdom. Landlords continued
hold economic and political power. Western Europe was still superior
to Russia and Eastern Europe.
There was a Slavic connection with Russia in the Balkans that would
contribute to WWI
Influence of German born Karl Marx helped to influence the
November Revolution and Lenin
WWI was a defeat to the Germans; signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
1460s-1917 rule under the czars would be replaced by Communism
(1917-1991)
The loss of the Russo-Japanese war sparked the Russian Revolution
of 1905 in which urban workers and peasants protested. The
government reaction was to create the Duma, a national parliament
and enact the Stolypin reforms. These reforms were soon undone as
the tsar (Nicolas II) took away rights and took away the Dumas
authority.
Russian Rev of 1917 deposed the czarist autocracy
Innovations During Alexander IIs reforms in the 1860s and 1870s literacy
increased and a market for popular reading material developed.
During the late 19
th
century scientists such as Mendel and Pavlov
advanced in genetics and physiology.
Arts During the late 19
th
century eastern Europe and Russia had a period
of cultural productivity. Russian novelists and music composers
gained fame.
eNvironment Located in eastern Europe and covering over 6.5 million sq miles,
Russia stretches from the arctic islands in the Barents Sea Caucasus
Mountains in the southern border.
Russia consists of vast plains in the west and north and mountains in
the south and east.
Russia is rich in natural resources and has a harsh climate. By late
1800s, 1/6
th
of Earths surface

Persia Chart 19 Russia 1750-1914 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Persia Chart 19 Russia 1750-1914 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Persia Chart 19 Russia 1750-1914 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Political Catherine the Great continues legacy of past Czars through

expansion; sends explorers out to Alaska and as far Hawaii.

You might also like