Alexander the

Reactionary?
Firmly believed in autocracy
Firmly believed in divine-right
monarchy
Firmly believed that Russia was
unready for representative
government
Increasingly concerned about the
threat of the anarchist movement
Assassination attempt in 1866
caused a turn to conservatism and
an expanded role for the Okhrana
Appointed the highly reactionary
KP Pobedonostsev as Procurator of
the Holy Synod and tutor of the heir

A System of Self-Government
Alexander II hoped to win over liberals
and to give upper and middle classes
some public responsibility
Another edict of 1864 established a
system of provincial and district
councils (IE. Regional governments)
Called Zemstvos
Members were elected by peasants
and other elements
Took care of education, medical relief,
public welfare, food supply and road
maintenance
Developed a sense of civic
responsibility among its members
Some liberal members wanted a
Zemsky Sobor (a Duma)
A representative body for all Russia
Alexander II would not allow it
Rebellion in Poland led by liberals
caused Alexander II to pull in the

Zemstvo having a
dinner by
Grigoriy Myasoyedov.
1872

Revolutionism in Russia

Several assassination attempts were

made against Alexander II

1866, shot at in 1873, 1880 missed

explosion by hr
1881 Alexander was killed in a bombing
Revolutionaries were not pleased with the
reforms

Reforms only strengthened the existing

order
These dissatisfied intelligentsia began to
call themselves nihilists (said they
believed in nothing, except science
Took a cynical view of the reforms of
Alexander II
Peasants were saddled with heavy
redemption payments
Intellectuals fanned the peasant
discontent
They had a mystic belief in the role the
peasant would play in a future revolution
Socialists came to believe that the future
of socialism was with Russia

Weakness of capitalism in Russia

Bakunin and anarchism

Ultra radicals Bakunin and Nechaiev

Promoted terrorism (assassination) to remove
the existing government
Pamphlet called Peoples Justice called for
terrorism against tsarist officials and liberals
too!
Catechism of a Revolutionist stated

that true revolutionary is devoured by one

purpose, one thought, one passionthe
revolution.

Every that promotes the success of the

revolution is moral, everything which
hinders it is immoral.
Marxism rejects terrorism because socialism
needed no prodding (it was inevitable)
In order to stem the rise of radical socialist
the Czar turned to the liberalism 1880

Liberals demanded follow through with

earlier reforms
Czar abolished the secret police (Third
Section) of Nicholas I
Allowed more freedom of the press
Agreed to a pseudo-parliamentary system on
March 13, 1881

U-Turns
1879-80: series of nearly
successful assassination
attempts
Tsar appoints Count Melikov
to eradicate the Peoples Will
terrorist group
Public opinion was angered by
repressive policies since 1866
1880: Tsarina died and the
Alexander II planned to marry
his mistress
Public opinion would be firmly
opposed

Alexander II planned to
unveil the creation of two
legislative commissions
composed of elected
representatives
Loris-Melikov Constitution

Signed the decree on

March 1, 1881
Mortally wounded by an
attack by the Peoples Will
while departing the Winter
Palace

The Reaction
Alexander III
Immediately cancelled
plans for a national
Duma
Re-instituted censorship
Created govt-controlled
parallel court system
Liberal civil servants
fired
Expanded powers of the
Okhrana
Curtailed independence
of the zemstvas