Flowchart
Timeline 1855-1881 (Tsar Nicholas II)
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2nd March 1855
Alexander II becomes Tsar
1st Februrary 1856
Russia defeated in the Crimean War
(1853-1856)
1860
State Bank established
3rd March 1861
Alexander II signs the emancipation edict abolishing serfdom
January 1863
January uprising. Poles refused conscription and were dissatisfied because they weren't emancipated.
1863
Universities allowed to be self-governing bodies
1863
The novel 'what is to be done' by Nikolai Chernyshevsky, an imprisoned revolutionary who was smuggled out. Book greatly affected Lenin
1864
Zemstva formed with responsibility for providing local services including health & education.
1865
Censorship reforms introduced with more relaxed guidelines
1864
Judicial reforms introduced
1865
Alexander II's heir Nicholas died of meningitis, making Alexander III heir.
April 1866
Alexander II's attempted assassination attempt failed
July 1886
Alexander II took a mistress, Catherine Dolgorukov
1886 (after July)
Alexander III married Princess Dagmar of Denmark. She converted to Orthodoxy and took the name Maria Feodorovna. She was highly influential on Alexander III
1866
Many nobles & ministers felt that the reforms had gone too far, by allowing an influx of Western ideas. They persuaded Alexander to replace liberal ministers with more conservative ones.
1869
Trial by Jury removed for political crimes
1869
Catechism of a Revolutionary by Mikhail Bakunin and Sergei Nechaev was published. It argued for opponents of autocracy to keep up the struggle and press for revolution
1869
Karl Marx's 'communist manifesto' translated into Russian.
1870
(Elected town councils) Duma's were introduced to urban areas.
1870-1873
Railway mania saw substantial Gov. investment in railway construction.
1871
Dimitri Tolstoy, minister for education, insisted on a return to a classical curriculum. Universities were forbidden from including any subjects that encouraged critical thinking
1871
Oil was pumped from sea port Baku
1872
The Donetsk iron works was established
1872
Karl Marx’s Das Kapital was published
1874- Military reform
military service extended to all classes, inhumane punishments abolished, military colleges set up and modern weapons introduced.
1874
Populist ‘Go to the People’ campaign spread by nihilists and narodniks. Their aim was to persuade peasants to rise up against the regime by stirring up resentment at their lack of land and the taxes they had to pay.
Autumn 1874
More than 1,500 exponents of the Populist Movement had been arrested.
1874
Another Populist ‘Go to the People’ campaign failed.
1877
Trial of the 193 – populists were put on trial as populist revolutionaries who spread propaganda against the Russian government
1877
A number of Populists that had evaded capture set up ‘Land and Liberty’ but it soon became clear that the peasants were not interested in joining a full scale revolution.
April 1877
Russo-Turkish War began. Russia declared war on Turkey in support of the Balkan States who were fighting against Turkish rule.
1878
General Mezemtsev, head of the Third Section and Prince Kropotkin were assassinated by members of the ‘Land and Liberty’ group. The assassins escaped amid a wave of popular support.
March 1878 The war with Turkey ended with the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano. The Russians had secured autonomy for the Balkan States and created Bulgaria under Russian protection. However, Britain and Austro-Hungary protested against this and Bulgaria was split under the Treaty of Berlin.
1879
‘Land and Liberty’ split into two groups – Black Partition and The People’s Will
1879
The People’s Will declared that the Tsar had to be removed.
1879-1880
A poor harvest in 1879 led to the 1880 famine
1880
Alexander II married his mistress Catherine, 40 days after his wife's death.
1880
Numerous arrests weekend the black partition group
13th March 1881
Alexander II assassinated by the 'people's will' group
He was succeeded by his son, Alexander III who was much more conservative than his father.