Any essay to do with Imperial Russia, include autocrat and autocracy.
Terms: Autocrat –
Autocracy – Government in which one person has uncontrolled or unlimited authority over others.
Domestic – At home, inside the state Foreign – Outside the state Geopolitics – How the geography influences the politics
Geography, meaning land, soil, resources.
Hegemony – Leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others. U.S.S.R – Union of Soviet Socialist Republics People to Know: Alexander II Alexander III Nicholas II
Lenin Stalin
Information:
Why did Alexander the II emancipation of the serfs?
Cities: St. Petersburg (Capital): Was Capital during the time, named after St. Peters. Designed a city so it was made to look very European, the name was changed very frequently. Urbanization increased after the emancipations of the serfs. Alexander the II was assassinated in the city. Yalta (Summer Residence of Tsar): Very wealthy area, aristocratic area, important port because of access of sea and trade. Moscow (Industrial): Was a very Eastern City, was moved because of the Bolsheviks. City was modernized during Alexander III, planning the city, building railways; Modern industry, moving coal & steel; Moscow centre of railways. Baku (Industrial): Located in today’s Azerbaijan. Major oil port, supplied the majority of the world’s oil. Tsaritsyn (Industrial): Situated on the Lower Volga, it was a key supply route for oil and a grain from the North Caucasus. - There was a battle for the city, named the Battle for Tsaritsyn Vladivostok (Port): A port and a city that was ceded by China until the Treaty of Aigun in 1858. During Stalin’s rule many ethnic groups were deported to the bay. Home to the military ship, the Manchur. Archangelsk (Port): Founded by the Vikings, this is a port located near Norway and several conflicts took place. One of the coldest cities/ports in the world sent Timber to Moscow through a direct railway. Port Arthur (Port): An important navy military base, near the border of Japan. Build submarines at the port but was heavily attacked by the Japanese.
Climate Siberia: Made up of Western and Eastern regions in Russia. The people living there saw themselves as Siberians not Russians. “Regionalism” occurred. The Tsar exiled people to Siberia. Steppes: Flat area
Mountain Ranges: Ural Mountains: Europe begins and ends. Caucasus Mountains: Caucasus region separates Russia from Georgia and has a very ethnic group. Access too many natural resources, Caucasus region located near Georgia
Water: Black Sea: Where the Crimean bay, access through Istanbul; a major shipping route, money. Caspian Sea: Rich in oil despite not being connected through any other sea. River Volga: Longest River in Europe, located in Russia. River Lena: Lake Baikal: Deepest Lake in the world Georgia: Stalin’s from there Kazakhstan: Turks, Islam Republic Turkmenistan: Central Asia Republic Uzbekistan: Central Asia Republic Ukraine: Most important agricultural area of the Russian Empire. Bread basket Baltic Region: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania
Important Regions: - Balkan region, near the Baltic Sea. - Caucus region, very ethnic and a lot of minorities. - Kurds
Alexander II HW Worksheet: - Russia was falling behind the industrializing countries of the west, seen in result of Crimean war, Russia was defeated on own territory. - the first step towards modernization was through the emancipation of the serfs(1861). - the serfs became peasants, they had individual rights, the state alloted land to peasent communities, though eventually required peasents to acqure allotmants through 49- year mortages. - Alexander the seconds reasonsing behind the emancipation: " It is better to abolish serfdom form a above than to await th time when it will begin to abolish itself from below." - problems occured because the nobles kept the best land to themselves, the less valuable land went to the serfs at too high prices, far above the actual worth, disabling the peasents to pay back the state. - laws imposed on the peasents additionally hindered them from leaving the commune in which they lived before their share of the communes total payment had been collected. - between 1861-1917 the population of the russian empire more than doubled, creating immense pressure on the farmable land in russia to provide food for the entire population. - many of the landlords weren't prepared to make changes to their lifestyle, resulting in continued spending of the same magnitude as before the emancipation, thereby they accumulated large debts, forcing them to sell even more of their land. - Alexander II introduced more reforms: jury trials, relaxed censorship laws, the creation of Zemstovs( local elected assemblies, their purpose ws to adress issues such as: road maintenance, irrigation, primary education, and taxation.). - in addition to the reforms the russian government welcomed foreign and domestic entrepeneurs, to build factories, the labour force was cheep for them, because of the popualtion explosion leaving millions of former serfs without out land, and therefore without means to provide for themselves. - Alexander II expanded the railroad system, so that the russian railroads made up about 15,500 miles in 1880. - the so called "populists" did not agree with the industrialization, they object to capitalism, seeing that they thought it to destroy the rural peasant communities.
Themes - Ethnic Minorities
Nationalist
- Will Russia ever become a liberal (European) state? - Russia was a backwards agrarian state
What does it mean to be western:
what does it mean to be Slavic:
Politically
democracy
autocracy
Economically
free market
agrarian way
Socially
rights and liberties
class division, the church
After the edict of emancipation nobility was in a great pain caused by the looses of land and working power. Nobility could not adjust to new circumstances where they had to work on their own and so their position moved a bit to the side of peasants. Many of them kept living their usual lives, spending the money despite their new income. So, many of them were immersed in debts they couldn't pay back.
For some more information about Alexander II, tsar of Russia:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/14059/Alexander-II
Focus Sheet
Worksheet: (P&C Section 66)
Imperial Russia
Russia was a backwards agrarian state.
Tips:
- Any essay to do with Imperial Russia, include autocrat and autocracy.
Terms:Autocrat –
Autocracy – Government in which one person has uncontrolled or unlimited authority over others.
Domestic – At home, inside the state
Foreign – Outside the state
Geopolitics – How the geography influences the politics
- Geography, meaning land, soil, resources.
Hegemony – Leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others.U.S.S.R – Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
People to Know:
Alexander II
Alexander III
Nicholas II
Lenin
Stalin
Information:
Geopolitics Worksheet (Geopolitics WS):
Cities:
St. Petersburg (Capital): Was Capital during the time, named after St. Peters. Designed a city so it was made to look very European, the name was changed very frequently. Urbanization increased after the emancipations of the serfs. Alexander the II was assassinated in the city.
Yalta (Summer Residence of Tsar): Very wealthy area, aristocratic area, important port because of access of sea and trade.
Moscow (Industrial): Was a very Eastern City, was moved because of the Bolsheviks. City was modernized during Alexander III, planning the city, building railways; Modern industry, moving coal & steel; Moscow centre of railways.
Baku (Industrial): Located in today’s Azerbaijan. Major oil port, supplied the majority of the world’s oil.
Tsaritsyn (Industrial): Situated on the Lower Volga, it was a key supply route for oil and a grain from the North Caucasus.
- There was a battle for the city, named the Battle for Tsaritsyn
Vladivostok (Port): A port and a city that was ceded by China until the Treaty of Aigun in 1858. During Stalin’s rule many ethnic groups were deported to the bay. Home to the military ship, the Manchur.
Archangelsk (Port): Founded by the Vikings, this is a port located near Norway and several conflicts took place. One of the coldest cities/ports in the world sent Timber to Moscow through a direct railway.
Port Arthur (Port): An important navy military base, near the border of Japan. Build submarines at the port but was heavily attacked by the Japanese.
Climate
Siberia: Made up of Western and Eastern regions in Russia. The people living there saw themselves as Siberians not Russians. “Regionalism” occurred. The Tsar exiled people to Siberia.
Steppes: Flat area
Mountain Ranges:
Ural Mountains: Europe begins and ends.
Caucasus Mountains: Caucasus region separates Russia from Georgia and has a very ethnic group. Access too many natural resources, Caucasus region located near Georgia
Water:
Black Sea: Where the Crimean bay, access through Istanbul; a major shipping route, money.
Caspian Sea: Rich in oil despite not being connected through any other sea.
River Volga: Longest River in Europe, located in Russia.
River Lena:
Lake Baikal: Deepest Lake in the world
Georgia: Stalin’s from there
Kazakhstan: Turks, Islam Republic
Turkmenistan: Central Asia Republic
Uzbekistan: Central Asia Republic
Ukraine: Most important agricultural area of the Russian Empire. Bread basket
Baltic Region: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania
Important Regions:
- Balkan region, near the Baltic Sea.
- Caucus region, very ethnic and a lot of minorities.
- Kurds
Alexander II HW Worksheet:
- Russia was falling behind the industrializing countries of the west, seen in result of Crimean war, Russia was defeated on own territory.
- the first step towards modernization was through the emancipation of the serfs(1861).
- the serfs became peasants, they had individual rights, the state alloted land to peasent communities, though eventually required peasents to acqure allotmants through 49- year mortages.
- Alexander the seconds reasonsing behind the emancipation: " It is better to abolish serfdom form a above than to await th time when it will begin to abolish itself from below."
- problems occured because the nobles kept the best land to themselves, the less valuable land went to the serfs at too high prices, far above the actual worth, disabling the peasents to pay back the state.
- laws imposed on the peasents additionally hindered them from leaving the commune in which they lived before their share of the communes total payment had been collected.
- between 1861-1917 the population of the russian empire more than doubled, creating immense pressure on the farmable land in russia to provide food for the entire population.
- many of the landlords weren't prepared to make changes to their lifestyle, resulting in continued spending of the same magnitude as before the emancipation, thereby they accumulated large debts, forcing them to sell even more of their land.
- Alexander II introduced more reforms: jury trials, relaxed censorship laws, the creation of Zemstovs( local elected assemblies, their purpose ws to adress issues such as: road maintenance, irrigation, primary education, and taxation.).
- in addition to the reforms the russian government welcomed foreign and domestic entrepeneurs, to build factories, the labour force was cheep for them, because of the popualtion explosion leaving millions of former serfs without out land, and therefore without means to provide for themselves.
- Alexander II expanded the railroad system, so that the russian railroads made up about 15,500 miles in 1880.
- the so called "populists" did not agree with the industrialization, they object to capitalism, seeing that they thought it to destroy the rural peasant communities.
Themes
- Ethnic Minorities
- Nationalist
- Will Russia ever become a liberal (European) state?- Russia was a backwards agrarian state
After the edict of emancipation nobility was in a great pain caused by the looses of land and working power. Nobility could not adjust to new circumstances where they had to work on their own and so their position moved a bit to the side of peasants. Many of them kept living their usual lives, spending the money despite their new income. So, many of them were immersed in debts they couldn't pay back.
Citations for the pictures:
Alexander II. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Web. 12 Sep. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/155551/Alexander-II-colour-printed-wood-engraving>.
Alexander II. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Web. 12 Sep. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/8279/Alexander-II-detail-of-a-portrait-by-an-unknown-artist>.