1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 Breath Study: History AQA A level
Revision.
1. Who were the Russian emperors between 1855 and 1894?: Tsar Alexander
II Romanov (1818-1881) was the Tsar of Russia from 1855 until his death in 1881.
Tsar Alexander III (1845-1894) was the son of the previous Russian Tsar,
Alexander II, and was the Tsar of Russia from 1881 until his death in 1894.
2. Autocracy in Imperial Russia.: Autocracy is a form of political government in
which power is in the hands of a minority. In fact, power is held by a very small
number of people who are under the leader's control. However, this system of
government did not exist only in Russia but also in France and Britain.
In imperial Russia, the tsar has absolute power and uses the coercive apparatus to
force obedience from the citizens. The emperor controls all power and wealth in the
imperial autocracy.
3. Political, social, and economic conditions of Russia in 1855.: When Tsar
Alexander II inherited power when his father, Tsar Nicholas I, died, Russia was in a
horrible political, economic, and social situation. He took over a country in chaos,
at war with Britain and France, and having lost the Crimean War to the Western
powers.
Imperial Russia was unable to finance wars, and on the other hand, it was
threatened by peasant uprisings due to the dissatisfaction of more than 59 million
peasants.
4. Was Emperor Alexander II an autocrat?: Yes, he practiced autocracy, and
his power and political authority were unlimited.
It was based on the assumption that God predestined the emperor to rule over his
subjects.
5. What things were forbidden in Imperial Russia?: Freedom of speech and
press, international travel, strikes, etc.
6. Russian Orthodox Church I Tsar.: The emperor had absolute power over
church finances and appointments, while the church had a spiritual role among
Russian citizens and also legitimised the imperial regime.
In other words, the church supported the emperors and taught the subjects that God
chose them. Manipulating people was easy because only about 15 percent of the
population was literate.
7. In imperial Russia, were the rulers subject to the law as in Western
Europe?: No, Imperial Russia's laws were very different from Western Europe's,
where the monarch was subject to the same laws as the population. Russian
emperors were above the law.
8. Nobility in 1855.: When Emperor Alexander II took over the throne, the
nobility was solely responsible for managing the Russian administration. They
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Revision.
1. Who were the Russian emperors between 1855 and 1894?: Tsar Alexander
II Romanov (1818-1881) was the Tsar of Russia from 1855 until his death in 1881.
Tsar Alexander III (1845-1894) was the son of the previous Russian Tsar,
Alexander II, and was the Tsar of Russia from 1881 until his death in 1894.
2. Autocracy in Imperial Russia.: Autocracy is a form of political government in
which power is in the hands of a minority. In fact, power is held by a very small
number of people who are under the leader's control. However, this system of
government did not exist only in Russia but also in France and Britain.
In imperial Russia, the tsar has absolute power and uses the coercive apparatus to
force obedience from the citizens. The emperor controls all power and wealth in the
imperial autocracy.
3. Political, social, and economic conditions of Russia in 1855.: When Tsar
Alexander II inherited power when his father, Tsar Nicholas I, died, Russia was in a
horrible political, economic, and social situation. He took over a country in chaos,
at war with Britain and France, and having lost the Crimean War to the Western
powers.
Imperial Russia was unable to finance wars, and on the other hand, it was
threatened by peasant uprisings due to the dissatisfaction of more than 59 million
peasants.
4. Was Emperor Alexander II an autocrat?: Yes, he practiced autocracy, and
his power and political authority were unlimited.
It was based on the assumption that God predestined the emperor to rule over his
subjects.
5. What things were forbidden in Imperial Russia?: Freedom of speech and
press, international travel, strikes, etc.
6. Russian Orthodox Church I Tsar.: The emperor had absolute power over
church finances and appointments, while the church had a spiritual role among
Russian citizens and also legitimised the imperial regime.
In other words, the church supported the emperors and taught the subjects that God
chose them. Manipulating people was easy because only about 15 percent of the
population was literate.
7. In imperial Russia, were the rulers subject to the law as in Western
Europe?: No, Imperial Russia's laws were very different from Western Europe's,
where the monarch was subject to the same laws as the population. Russian
emperors were above the law.
8. Nobility in 1855.: When Emperor Alexander II took over the throne, the
nobility was solely responsible for managing the Russian administration. They
1/3
