Russia in the 1800s
Key Terms
Romanov Family
Despot
Industrialization in
Russia
Alex II
Emancipation
Infrastructure
Alexander III
Russification
Pogroms
Tsar Nicholas II
Bloody Sunday
Revolution of 1905
October Manifesto
Duma
Romanov Family Tree
Notable Romanovs
Peter the Great
Westernized Russia
Catherine the Great
Enlightened Despot
Alexander II the Liberator
Freed the Serfs
Nicholas II
Last Czar
Anastasia
Disney Movie
Catherine the Great
(1762-1796)
Notice the dates
Referred to as an “Enlightened
Despot”
Despot – a ruler with absolute
power, often using it cruelly
Student of the Enlightenment
Education for girls
Correspondence with Voltaire
Ruled over what is known as the
Golden Age of Russia
Continued the westernization of
Russia, started by…?
Russia in 1800s
Feudalism still in place
Serfs tied to the land
Rich landowning nobles dominate the
country
Stronghold of Absolutism
Tsardom
Far behind the rest of Europe in
Industrialization
Industrialization in Russia
Czar Alexander II
(1855-1881)
Under Pressure
Russia just lost the Crimean War
Showed backwardness of Russia’s economy
Liberals pushing for reform
Students protesting
… the old system was broken
1861 – Alex II decreed emancipation for serfs
Serfs became legally free from the land
Alex II became known as “Alex the Liberator”
Other Reforms
Set up local governments to maintain Infrastructure
Trial by Jury
Easing of Censorship
Alex II - Nationalism Rising
Despite his reforms, the wave of nationalism and
liberalism spread throughout Russia
Socialist radicals demanded more changes
Not enough
Socialist terrorists assassinated Alex II in 1881
Tsar Alexander III, angered and spooked by his father’s
assassination dropped the iron fist
Increased secret police
Strict censorship
Exiled critics to Siberia
Russification & Pogroms
The Dark Side of Nationalism
Russification
Those not ethnically Russian were forced to give up culture,
language, etc.
Nationalism = “Us vs. Them”
Pogroms
Violent mob attacks on Jewish people
Blamed the Jewish people for Alex II’s assassination, simply because
they were the “others”
Czar Alex III secretly approved of the mobs
Jewish people forced to live in restricted areas, limited to
certain careers
Nicholas II
Last Czar of Russia
Would later be overthrown
(and executed) during the
Russian Revolution of 1917
Inflation adjusted personal
wealth makes him one of
world history’s richest men
$300 billion
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article2218025/Meet-14th-Century-African-king-richestman-world-time-adjusted-inflation.html
Bloody Sunday
January 22, 1905
Nationalists, Socialists, Liberals all protest outside of
the Tsar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
Tsar flees to another location, for safety
Protests were peaceful
Had a petition signed to deliver
Singing songs “God save the Tsar
Moderate reforms requested
What happened next? Any guesses?
Bloody Sunday
(cont’d)
Troops open fire
Hundreds die
Who do the people
blame?
Tsar Nicholas II
Bloody Sunday forever
changed the relationship
between Tsar Nicholas II
and his people
Revolution of 1905
Revolution of 1905
In reaction to Bloody Sunday, workers went on strike,
peasants began to revolt, etc…
Nicholas II capitulated, and passed the October Manifesto
granted certain reforms in an attempt to appease the people.
Freedom of speech, assembly, and union
Created a Duma
national elected legislature in Russia, sole ability to pass laws.
Would the October Manifesto last????