Alexander III • Was Alexander II’s son from his first marriage • Influences: Alexander III was influenced less by his father then by his tutor Konstantin Pobedonostsev Influenced his views on conservatism Konstantin Pobedonostsev • Was against democracy but supported autocracy • Democracy: a system of government in which people choose their rulers by voting for them in elections • Autocracy: a form of government which the ruler (the autocrat) exercises absolute political power, unlimited by other factors such as a parliament or a constitution. • Supporter of Orthodoxy and opposed other religions • Was against nationalities other than Russian within the Russian empire Universal Manhood Suffrage • The right that all males over the age of consent have to vote, in order to choose a government or national leader. • Pobedonostsev considered the UMS: • A ‘fatal error’ • ‘among the falsest of political principles’ • Parlimentarianism ‘triumph of egoism’ • Freedom of press- ‘one of the falsest institutions of our time’ Nikolai Denilyevski • Also influence Alexander II but not as much as Pobedonostsev • “‘Prophet’ of the new temper in Russian thought, and especially in Russian foreign policy.” – Europe 1870-1991 p 61 • In 1871 wrote the book Russia and Europe • Rejects the idea of westernization • Suggests focusing pan-Slavism • Pan-Slavism: A political doctrine which advocated the political union of all Slav peoples. This was widely viewed in other European states as a cover for the political ambitions of Russia • Less aggressive then old Slavism Conservative Legislation 1882-1892 • Assassination of previous tsar led to the replacement of some government officials • Example: Mikhail Loris-Melikov was replaced by Nikolai Ignatiev who was later replaced by Dmitri Tolstoy • The office of justice of peace was replaced by the Land Commandant (zemsky nachalnik) Qualifications included: • Being a noble • The person had to support the administrative and judicial authority in their local area • It had more power than the secret police • Laws restricted rights to vote • Rural and urban areas had laws that restricted who could vote • St. Petersburg- the amount of voters was reduced from from 21000 to 7000. Education during the reactionary period • Minister of Education was I.V. Delyanov • Opposed educational reforms of Alexander II Universities/ Schools: • Reduced autonomy • Raised tuition fees • Made sure that only the children of nobles would be able to attend school • Schools under the local cleregy: • Only schools that kept their autonomy and could continue to educate as they wished Consequences: • World-renowned elite that disguised illiteracy rates in Russia: • Pavlov, Mendeleiev, Chekhov, Tolstoy, Gorky, Klyuchevsky, and Tchaikovsky • 79% of the Russian population was illiterate o Russification • The attempting to suppress the local characteristics of various regions within the Empire, and spread Russian characteristics to all the Tsar’s subjects • Russians were a minority and made up only 45% of the population, the remaining 55% was other nationalities • This meant that in order for the Russians to have power they had to russify the other nations within the Empire People were separated into three groups by historian J.N. Westwood Disloyal • Poles • Ukrainians • Tartars • Georgians Loyal • Finland • Armenia • Baltic territories of Estonia • Latvia • Lithuania Jews • Conditions were worse under Alexander III • Was illegal to live in the pale • The pale was an area in western Russia to which Jewish settlement was legally restricted. It had been established in the 18th century by Catherine the Great. Also known as the Pale of Settlement • Anti-Semitism arose from the orthodox church • Anti-Semitism is the hostility of Jews or the Jewish religion (Judaism) Were blamed for • The polish rebellion • The assassination of Alexander III Government supported pogroms • Pogroms are violent attacks upon Jewish communities and upon their property • May 1881 215 disturbances occurs • 1905 in Odessa, Ukraine around 500 Jews were killed Restrictions • Were not allowed to trade during Christian holy days • This weakened merchants as they did not trade during their holy days • The 10% of Jew in education were given strict rules to follow Solutions There were two outlets to the abuse 1. Zionist movement A form of Jewish nationalism which advocated the establishment of a Jewish state 2. The Bund A Jewish socialist organization Was one of the factors in the development of revolutionary socialism. Russification was a ‘dissolving agent’ ironically it was supposed to reduce nationalism but it increased it. .