To what extent was the Russian state more stable in 1881 than in 1855?
To what extent was the Russian state more stable in 1881 than in 1855?
By 1881, Russia had greatly changed. Reforms had been carried out, creating less of a gap between the social classes, and making society a fairer place. There were also developments in industry, helping Russia catch up with the western world. However, the country was still ruled in a way that out pleasing the autocracy over helping the peasants, and there was still not total freedom for everyone.
The first way the Russian state was more stable in 1881 was the increased freedom of the serfs. Serfdom was abolished in 1861, and although the serfs were not completely free, this was a major step for Russia, and helped them catch up to the western countries. This made the state more stable, because it briefly caused a decrease in the number of occasions of peasant unrest, which had been increasing before the decree was passed. It was hoped that the emancipation of the serfs would mean the peasants were free to leave the land they had been previously bound to, but there were many rules that came with the emancipation decree, which made it hard for the peasants to leave, and also to increase their wealth, due to one rule saying they must pay the landlords labour service of two years before they were truly free.
Despite being emancipated, the serfs were still not completely free citizens, which is one of the ways that the Russian state had not improved. It was made difficult for the peasants to get passports, restricting movement around the country. This was done as an attempt to keep the peasants tied to the land, so that Russia’s main industry, agriculture, wouldn’t suffer. Also, it was to keep the nobility happy, because they thought they would lose their workforce, and it was their support that kept the tsar in power.
Another way the state was more stable by 1881 was because judicial reforms made in 1864 resulted in Russia becoming a fairer country, and also made it easier for the newly
By 1881, Russia had greatly changed. Reforms had been carried out, creating less of a gap between the social classes, and making society a fairer place. There were also developments in industry, helping Russia catch up with the western world. However, the country was still ruled in a way that out pleasing the autocracy over helping the peasants, and there was still not total freedom for everyone.
The first way the Russian state was more stable in 1881 was the increased freedom of the serfs. Serfdom was abolished in 1861, and although the serfs were not completely free, this was a major step for Russia, and helped them catch up to the western countries. This made the state more stable, because it briefly caused a decrease in the number of occasions of peasant unrest, which had been increasing before the decree was passed. It was hoped that the emancipation of the serfs would mean the peasants were free to leave the land they had been previously bound to, but there were many rules that came with the emancipation decree, which made it hard for the peasants to leave, and also to increase their wealth, due to one rule saying they must pay the landlords labour service of two years before they were truly free.
Despite being emancipated, the serfs were still not completely free citizens, which is one of the ways that the Russian state had not improved. It was made difficult for the peasants to get passports, restricting movement around the country. This was done as an attempt to keep the peasants tied to the land, so that Russia’s main industry, agriculture, wouldn’t suffer. Also, it was to keep the nobility happy, because they thought they would lose their workforce, and it was their support that kept the tsar in power.
Another way the state was more stable by 1881 was because judicial reforms made in 1864 resulted in Russia becoming a fairer country, and also made it easier for the newly