The extent of change in Russia, 1881-1894

Alexander III and his policies
1. Repression
  1. Loris - Melikov (reforming minister)was forced to resign
  2. Manifesto introduced to emphasise political power of the Tsar
  3. 'Statute of State Security' passed establishing government controlled courts. Suspects could be put on trial without a jury.
  4. Press freedoms were restricted. 14 major newspapers were banned by 1889.
  5. Okhrana became feared
  6. Uni fees were increased
Russification
1. In 1885, Russian became the official language of the Empire
2. Jews were heavily persecuted and experienced pogroms
Economy and Modernisation
1. Purpose: to compete with international rivals
2. Nickolai Bunge was finance minister in 1881 and 1882
  1. Reduced the amount of tax paid by peasants
  2. Established peasants Land Bank to provide financial support
  3. In 1887, Vyshnegradsky became Finance minister
    1. He introduced incentives for peasants to move to Siberia
    2. Encouraged foreign countries to loan Russia money for industrialisation
      1. However severe famines still occurred in 1891-92 where 1.5 and 2 million people died

Resource summary

	Created by katherine_bridges over 13 years ago