OCR A-Level History, Russia and Its Rulers - Breadth Study, The Nature of Government - includes, changes in local and central government, ideologies, the role of the secret police, the role of the army, and opposition
• Due to the loss in the Crimean War, the Tsar realised he needed to reform Russia –
however, reform needed to happen from above, so the people did not revolt (e.g. France)
• Emancipation of the Serfs (1861) – nobles were losing influence – peasants still had to pay
redemption taxes to appease the nobles and an interest rate
• Legal reforms introduced
Local Zemstva
• Zemstva – elected rural councils
• Peasants were able to sit next to clergy and land-owning nobility – they have some
political representation, and given a voice for the first time
• They were able to levy taxes, builds roads and schools, set up health clinics, able to hire
experts to modernise agriculture, influence the development of civil society in Russia,
could elect own representative
• They were shown to capable, would clash with government administrators
Alex II • By 1917, only 17/43 provinces had a zemstvo
(1855 – • Limitation – not every region of the empire had zemstva (e.g. polish provinces - nobility
1881) wouldn’t allow), Siberia, northern Russia (nobility too weak), not very democratic,
different classes given different number of seats
Local Duma
• Duma – elected city councils – different to Duma under NII
• Able to construct sewers, public transport systems, improvements to economic
development in towns, road, healthcare
• However – unlimited rule of the Tsar was never threatened – he refused any elected
advisory body from his subjects and was not prepared to have a national assembly
• Councils were not allowed to mix or work with each other
The Mir
• Mir – village commune (led by elders)
• They organised the collection of redemption payments, army conscription, systems and
production of agriculture and produce
5
, Land Captains
Alex III • Introduced Land Captains (1889 – 1917)
(1881 – • Function was to be the Tsar’s spies in local areas – elected by the ministry of the interior –
1894) had the power to exile people, flog people, remove people from zemstvas and dumas
• Additionally, peasant representation in the zemstvo was reduced and the peasant
representatives were appointed and no longer elected
• Peasants were appeased with the promise that redemption dues would be immediately
Nicholas II
halved and the abolished in 1907
(1894 –
• An All-Russian Peasants Union was also formed which demanded greater equality and the
1917)
convening of a Constituent Assembly
• At a district level, the local communist party organisations took control of Soviets across
Russia – Party officials ran the Soviets and obeyed party orders above all else
• 1919 – the central committee began to appoint its own trusted nominees to key positions in
Lenin
Soviets – this was done to increase central control over local party apparatus and local
(1917 –
government
1924)
• Due to size of Russia, not all local governments were monitored – a culture of lying to the
centre from far away towns and cities rose
• Removed the duma and zemstva – Tsarist concept
Collectivisation
Stalin
(1928 – • Collectivisation – peasants could no longer own land and were transferred to collective
1953) farms – a command economy – communal living run by elected committees
• Local party organisations set up to use necessary measures against Kulaks and opposition
• Kept collective farming – however, allowed the managers of collective farms to have more
Khrushchev autonomy and make their own economic decisions
(1953 – • This was largely unsuccessful as it led to confusion and inefficient productions
1964) • Some legal reforms – labour camps abolished, got rid of the death penalty, released
prisoners from the gulag
6
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