Romanovs
18011801-1917
Setting the stage for
revolution(s)
revolution(s)….
Alexander Pavlovich—
Pavlovich—
Alexander I…
I…
Emperor 18011801-1825
– Son of Paul I
– Influenced by Gramma Catherine the Great
It is said he faked his own death and
entered a remote monastery. When his
tomb was opened by Soviet authorities
a few years ago, it was empty.
1
…Alexander I…
I…
Liberal—
Liberal—words
Conservation—
Conservation—action
Accomplishments
– No torture
– Freed political
prisoners
– Allowed more books
– Allowed serfs to buy
freedom (with
what??)
…Alexander I…
I…
International scene—
scene—Napoleon
1807—
1807—Treaty of Tilsit—
Tilsit—France &
Russia (did NOT trust each other)
Goal: France & Russia allies ÷
Europe between them ∴reducing
Austria & Prussia to helplessness
However…
However….
…Alexander I…
I…
Trade patterns (France’
(France’s
Continental System) hurt Russia
Secretly trade with Britain—
Britain—
opened ports to British ships
∴France (Napoleon) invaded
Russia
Consequences???
2
…Alexander I…
I…
Sent troops to meet Napoleon
– Remember geography!
Scorched earth policy
Russians attack supply lines
Defeated @ Moscow—
Moscow—burned city
Winter! French retreat—
retreat—showed
weakness
…Alexander I…
I…
PostPost-Napoleonic VIP—
VIP—leading
international figure—
figure—Russia on
scene!
Congress of Vienna—
Vienna—return to status
quo—
quo—monarchies & autocrats
Treat France well – restore Bourbons
What about the home front?
– Not much…
much…..
3
…Alexander I
Died
No heirs—
heirs—children
Brothers
– Constantine
– Nicholas
Who wants throne?
And the next czar is……
is……
Constantine—
Constantine—fell into disfavor w/ family
Went to Poland-♥ noble ♀
Poland--♥
Marry? Will disinherit—
disinherit—kept quiet—
quiet—didn’
didn’t
want job
Russians assumed when Alexander died—
died—
Constantine would take throne—
throne—hoping for
change
Wrong……
Wrong……
Nikolai Pavlovich—
Pavlovich—
Nicholas I
Emperor 18251825-1855
rd
3 son of Paul 1—
1—wasn’
wasn’t
supposed to train for emperor’
emperor’s
job—
job—went to college—
college—military
engineering hooah
4
…Nicholas I…
I…
Accomplishments
– Strengthened &
centralized
bureaucratic structure
to an unprecedented
degree
Little time for
abstract ideas
Little liberalism in
Russia
…Nicholas I…
I…
December 1825
Revolt by group of military officers
officers
staged a coup d’
d’etat (meaning?)
– Tasted liberty during Napoleonic wars
Abolish autocracy & serfdom
Introduce either a liberal constitution
or a centralized republican system of
government
Decembrist Revolt 1825
Wanted Constantine—
Constantine—associate
w/liberality—
w/liberality—Poland had constitution—
constitution—
Constantine’
Constantine’s role?
Decembrists—
Decembrists—secret societies—
societies—
Romantic revolutionaries—
revolutionaries—idealistic—
idealistic—
not unified & organized
5
Decembrists…
Decembrists…
2 societies
Northern @ St. Petersburg—
Petersburg—claimed Nicholas to
be ignorant –
“Constantine & Constitution”
Constitution”
Southern
method—
method—capture towns—
towns—provoked response
from troops—
troops—execute leaders if rope available
FIRST organized attempt for revolutionary
activity
…Decembrists
No support from masses
Poorly organized
Good idea…
idea…but…
but…
Nick—
Nick—reactionary (meaning?)
– harsh & despotic nature
– Ruthlessly put down revolt—
revolt— secret police
Censorship
Hunt
down “thoughts”
thoughts”
– 5 leaders hanged—
hanged—rest shipped to Siberia
…Nicholas I & dissidents
Literary censorship∴
censorship∴met as Petrachevsky
literary circle
Golden age for literature
– War & Peace
– Anna Karenina
– Crime & Punishment
Feodore Dostoevsky—
Dostoevsky—questioned existence
of God—
God—communists liked that!
Leo Tolstoy—
Tolstoy—mystical/philosophical—
mystical/philosophical—
passive/aggressive resistance to times
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Other resistors to “system”
system”
Ivan Turgenev—
Turgenev—”nihilism”
nihilism” Accept
nothing
Similar to anarchy—
anarchy—no govt is good
govt—
govt—don’
don’t trust anyone—
anyone—people need
to be “rere-educated”
educated” –assassinate bad
leaders ∴destroy government
Nikolai Gogol “Dead Souls”
Souls” satirical
writing
Dissidents sent to Siberia
…Nicholas I…
I…
Foreign policy
“Eastern Question”
Question” maintain proproRussian regimes in Black Sea straits
– Partition the Ottoman Empire
Empire
Crimean War 18531853-1856
Crimean War 18531853-1856…
1856…
Causes
“friends of Slavs everywhere”
everywhere”
Religion—
Religion—Russian Orthodox Christianity
Agitation in Holy Land—
Land—Catholic v
Orthodox
– Catholic factions—
factions—France
– Russia—
Russia—leader of Orthodox church
3rd
Rome
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…Crimean War…
War…
REAL CAUSE
Russians wanted access to Med
Opportunity
However—
However—France didn’
didn’t want Russia to
expand
Russia beaten BADLY (western nations
& Turkey—
Turkey—Nicholas I dead (suicide?)
…Crimean War
Russia forced to accept Treaty of Paris
1856 (Russia v. Fr, GB, SardiniaSardiniaPeidmont,
Peidmont, & Turkey)
– guaranteed independence and territorial
integrity of Turkey
– Russia surrendered Bessarabia to Moldavia,
Black Sea neutralized (no warships!),
Danube open to all nations’
nations’ shipping
– Russia lost monopoly on Danube
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Alexander Nikolaevich—
Nikolaevich—
Alexander II
Emperor 18551855-1881
“Czar Liberator”
Liberator”
Accomplishments
– Abolition of
serfdom
Catch—
Catch—had to pay
for land given to
them (how??)
…Alexander II…
II…
Important reforms
– Increased westernization—
westernization—technology
– Military service reduced from 25 yrs—
yrs—6
– Local government—
government—some selfself-govt @
local level –Zemstov (representative
govt)
– Trial by jury
…Alexander II…
II…
Foreign policy
Refrained from overseas expansion
Strengthen own borders
∴sold Alaska & Aleutian Islands to US
Successful war (1877(1877-78) v OE
Bulgaria's liberation & annulment of
Treaty of Paris 1856
9
Russia in
North
America
1784-1867
…Alexander II
Uh oh!
Nihilist group—
group— People’
People’s Will
Organization—
Organization—destroy by assassination of
leaders
– Many assassination attempts 18621862-1881—
1881—killed by
bomb
Irony: when Alexander died, he was signing
ukase (decree) allowing callcall-up of Zemskii
Sobor (representative assembly)
Alexander Alexandrovich—
Alexandrovich—
Alexander III…
III…
Emperor 18811881-1894
– Reactionary—
Reactionary—repressive
– Considered “peasant”
peasant” czar // mentality
Reign coincided with Russia’
Russia’s industrial
revolution* & strengthening of capitalism*
Domestic policies – harsh
– Pogroms 1881—
1881—persecution of Jews
(by
1914) 1,000,000 Russian Jews immigrated to
USA
“Fiddler on the Roof”
Roof”
Against all revolutionaries & all liberal
movements
10
…Alexander III…
III…
By 1890—
1890—strong need to industrialize
in order to modernize-modernize-- but no $$$
1890
1890 $$$ from France – alliance
Russian factory workers
– Worse off—
off—weak as “class”
class”
– Terrible working conditions—
conditions—little $
– Open to radicalism—
radicalism—collective audience
…Alexander III &
Industrialization…
Industrialization…
Unions—
Unions—subversive to interests of govt
Suspicious
Strikes illegal until 1905—
1905—only if not
against govt
Revolutionary groups “get to workers”
workers”
Bolsheviks--Socialists
Bolsheviks---Socialists
“the force of the working class can
overthrow capitalism…
capitalism….”
…Alexander III
Lessons learned:
REFORMS GET
CZARS KILLED
∴AVOID THEM
Constantly fearful
for his life…
life…
d1894
11
Nikolai Alexandrovich—
Alexandrovich—
Nicholas II …
Emperor 18941894-1917
the last one
Stubborn supporter
of the divine right of
emperor—
emperor—
2 revolutions
2 wars
Clueless?
…Nicholas II…
II….
RussoRusso-Japanese War 19041904-1905
Russia lost—
lost—
– 400,000 men
– 2.5 million rubles (material losses)
Japan emerged as world power
Disputed territory—
territory—Sakhalin Islands
12
RussoJapanese
War 1904-05
…Nicholas II…
II…
Revolt @ home
January 1905—
1905—workers in St. Petersburg
carrying banners, icons, & portraits of the
czar solemnly marched on the capital with
a petition stating their unbearable &
difficult life. 140,000 men, women,
children took part in the march. Upon the
order of the czar, the marchers were fired
upon—
upon—over 1,000 people were killed;
5,000 injured. Red (Bloody) Sunday
Considered the First Bolshevik Revolution…
Revolution…
…Nicholas II…
II…
1905 Revolution
Economic crisis
– General strike*
– Peasant uprising & revolts
– Police socialism—
socialism—control labor
∴October Manifesto—
Manifesto—granted
certain freedoms to people—
people—
meaningless
13
Europe
in 1915
…Nicholas II…
II…
World War I 19141914-1917
– Entered on Allied side against Germany
– Lots of problems @ home
– Lots of casualties, loss of territory,
confusion
Second Russian Revolution (February)
1917—
1917—the BIG one!
14
…Nicholas II…
II…
Abdicated March 2, 1917
Provisional govt sent family to Siberia
Transferred to Ekaterinburg in Urals
– Family executed July 17, 1918
– No going back to czarist dynasty
Basic problem:
1. need of reform v need to
control forces unleashed by
longlong-overdue reforms
2. advocates of reform v
advocates of repression
End of Romanov Dynasty
Beginning of Communism
15
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