Alexander III 1881-1894
The Nature of Government
1. Type of rule
- Reversed reforms of Alexander II
- Autocracy repressive
- He was tutored by Kostantin Pobedonostev, he had been brought up with a very
strong sense of commitment and he believed that with God’s direction, he could alone
decide what was right for the country
- He began his reign with public hanging of the conspirators involved in his father’s
assassination and 1881 ‘Manifesto of Unshakable Autocracy’
- 1832 Fundamental Laws state ‘Emperor of all the Russia is an autocratic and
unlimited monarch’
- How tsar was God’s representative on earth, any challenge to the tsar was an insult to
God
2. Structure:
Local government
- New state-appointed office of ‘Land Captain’ was created July 1889, with power to
override elections to the zemstvo, and disregard their decisions
- Made responsible for law enforcement and government in the countryside
- They can also overturn court judgements
- 1890 changed election arrangements for the zemstvo to reduce peasants votes and
placed zemstvo under central government control
- 1892 June, similar arrangements was made for towns, the electorate was reduced to
owners of property above a certain value, and mayor and members of the town
councils became state employees subject to central government
central government
- Alexander III relied heavily on conservatives, such as nationalist Nikolai Ignatiev, his
first Internal Minister who was replaced by Dmitry Tolstoy in 1882
- Committee of Ministers Established 1861, ministers ( of interior, finance, war and
Holy Synod- religious affair) appointed by the Tsar, responsible for government
affairs
- The Imperial council of state, members appointed by Tsar and gave advice to Tsar on
legal and financial matters
- The Senate, supreme court, dealt with major legal matters
3. Repression
- Okhrana
, 4. Opposition
- People’s revolution
The Nature of Government
1. Type of rule
- Reversed reforms of Alexander II
- Autocracy repressive
- He was tutored by Kostantin Pobedonostev, he had been brought up with a very
strong sense of commitment and he believed that with God’s direction, he could alone
decide what was right for the country
- He began his reign with public hanging of the conspirators involved in his father’s
assassination and 1881 ‘Manifesto of Unshakable Autocracy’
- 1832 Fundamental Laws state ‘Emperor of all the Russia is an autocratic and
unlimited monarch’
- How tsar was God’s representative on earth, any challenge to the tsar was an insult to
God
2. Structure:
Local government
- New state-appointed office of ‘Land Captain’ was created July 1889, with power to
override elections to the zemstvo, and disregard their decisions
- Made responsible for law enforcement and government in the countryside
- They can also overturn court judgements
- 1890 changed election arrangements for the zemstvo to reduce peasants votes and
placed zemstvo under central government control
- 1892 June, similar arrangements was made for towns, the electorate was reduced to
owners of property above a certain value, and mayor and members of the town
councils became state employees subject to central government
central government
- Alexander III relied heavily on conservatives, such as nationalist Nikolai Ignatiev, his
first Internal Minister who was replaced by Dmitry Tolstoy in 1882
- Committee of Ministers Established 1861, ministers ( of interior, finance, war and
Holy Synod- religious affair) appointed by the Tsar, responsible for government
affairs
- The Imperial council of state, members appointed by Tsar and gave advice to Tsar on
legal and financial matters
- The Senate, supreme court, dealt with major legal matters
3. Repression
- Okhrana
, 4. Opposition
- People’s revolution
