|
19th Century
Russia I. Russia’s Peculiar and Persistent Dilemma: What is to
be done? The West a) long historical movement away from dogma and authority toward increasing individual autonomy (Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, Liberalism) b) results in a dynamic society, economic expansion and powerful states Russian Handicaps Tartar Yoke 12th to 16th centuries and The problem of size and The problem of defense Results in a society in which dogma and authority are essential 1. Forms: Political-autocracy, Social-feudalism, Economic-manorialism, Religious-orthodoxy 2. The Russian “Social Contract” tsar/nobility/peasants The Dilemma Western Style Change will lead to a) chaos and or b) invasion No Western style change will lead to more backwardness II. Dealing with the Dilemma—Part I A. Peter the Great 1689-1725 Military necessity drove Peter to adopt some Western techniques BUT military necessity also required that Peter increase authority of the state Table of Ranks Serfdom B. Catherine the Great 1762-1796 New “Social Contract” liberates the nobility from mandatory state service Impact of the Enlightenment BUT Pugachev Revolt 1773-1774 And French Revolution Serfdom tightened C. Alexander I 1801-1825 Liberal tutors and advisors BUT French Rev and Napoleon Conservatism III. Dealing with the Dilemma – Part 2 the intelligentsia: - Peculiar situation of reformists: they are
from the noble class, yet they agitate for reform of serfdom: against their interests Nicholas I 1825-1855 Decembrist Revolt 1825 - An amateurish farce, a little tiny blip, but the first
attempt at revolution. Every revolutionary afterwards looked to their
forefathers Official Response Conservatism - Nicholas’ goal is to preserve the Russia
that he inherited in 1825 (which defeated Napoleon). The Slavophiles
think that this bureaucracy that has been imposed on them was imported from
the West. “Autocracy, Orthodoxy and Nationalism”: new emphasis on being Russian, so the huge numbers of ethnic minorities went through Russification. “Third Section”Censorship
Opposition Decembrist Inspired Westernizers
v Slavophils These people are not really radical: they
are mostly debating. Their actions have little effect on Russia as a whole. Moderate in Method “Fathers” Pushkin 1799-1837 Which ideology should be embraced? Gogol 1809-1852 Belinsky 1811-1848
Alexander II 1855-1881
Crimean War 1853-1856 War is lost to Britian and the Ottomans, and public opinion has begin to change towards belief that something must be done.
Autocratic
Liberalism
Emancipation of Serfs Has he set the serfs free? No. He can’t do
that because, first, the nobles will be upset even though they are becoming
more and more anachronistic. Second, the country needs peasant labor and they
fear that the peasants will revolt if they are totally free. The peasants
therefore remain tied to their communes. Freedom and Chaos vs. Maintain as
much Control as You Can so that the country can retain its place as a great
power in its contest with powerful enemies.
Zemstvo
Reforms, etc Liberals believe that this is a very good thing. They want the end
of autocracy and the creation of a constitutional government of laws,
institutions to create economic development in Russia More Radical Nihilists
v Populists- Nihilists believed that no order would
ever work. They do not believe in theories. They reject generalizations. They
think that everything that had been created to that point was bogus nad needed to be overturned. The populists (descendants
of the Slavophiles) believe that the peasants are the noblest and best aspect
of Russia. (anarchist) Power needs to be local. (socialist) They like
the peasant communes. As the century progressed, they became more and more
violent. 1848: All the liberal revolutions in Europe were squelched. What
is to be done? Not liberalism anymore! Many members of the intelligentsia
became more skeptical about the liberal position. “Sons” writers who pick up the question of
what is to be done? Turgenev 1818-1883 Dostoevsky 1821-1881
Alexander III 1881-1894 Assassination of the Tsar Liberator- killed by populist terrorists, members of the People’s Will. Industrialization Under Alexander III industrialization begins to take place
in Russia, which changes the social structure which used to be composed of nobles
and peasants, with a few goofy intelligentsia. Under
the leadership of Sergi Witte, the Minister of
Communications, a project to link Russia with railways commenced. Witte
oversaw the development of heavy metal industries which began to tap the
enormous wealth locked in Russian mineral resources. Workers began moving to
the cities to work in the new factories. A whole new class of people arises: the
workers. Because they are located in the cities, this group will play a more
prominent role (because governments are located in the cities.) We also have
the beginnings of a middle class start to emerge. Conservatism Alexander III set
out to complete the Russification of the empire:
forcing all citizens to learn the language and adopt Russian manners. He
persecuted minorities, particularly the Jews. He supported ultra-conservative
political organizations, such as the anti-Semitic Black Hundreds to fight the
revolutionary movement and foment nationalism. He weakened the power of the zemstvos and appointed land captains beholden only to the
crown to administer the lands. Alexander III encouraged the secret police to
hunt down radicals, particularly the People’s Will. In 1888 the secret police
captured and executed five members of the group, including Alexander Ulyanov, the older brother of Lenin.
Populists
v Liberals & Radicals “Grandsons”
Tolstoy 1828-1910 Chekhov 1860-1904
Nicholas II 1894-1917 Major changes take place in Russia. Two ministers Count
Witte: father of major industrialization in Russia and the construction of
railroads, which begins to tie together the state in ways that had never been
done before. After 1905, Stolypin introduces
change in agricultural: western style agriculture. Breaks up communes and
makes peasants individual landowners. The Russian peasant is finally free but
he is tied by debt, tradition and vodka. The problem for the Russian peasant though is that their
numbers are growing dramatically due to population explosion which makes it
more difficult to make a living as a farmer. Liberal dream of ownership
stymied by overpopulation. Conservatism
Industrialization
Freeing the Peasants (2) Populists v Liberals & Marxists 1905 Revolution Liberal Constitution is subverted by the tsar.
Disingenuous
Liberalism
Duma Era Populists v Liberals & Marxists World War I 1914-1918 Russian Revolution 1917 Tsar is overthrown after the disaster of World War I February Revolution
Liberalism
Political spectrum: Liberal gentry Peasant activists with slavophile scent Nihilists and anarchists have become marxists. October Revolution
Communism
Monarchism v Populists & Liberals |