Effects of the Crimean War

• Russia vs Ottoman Turks (supported by Britain + France)

• Siege of Sevastopol - Russian troops surrendered

• Treaty of Paris (1856) - Russia conceded territory in Bessarabia

March 1856

• officers taken from nobility

• forced conscription of tax paying serfs, 25 year term of service

1,400,000

very serious + humiliating

The need to build railways and to get money to do that

• no recruitment or military colonies

• conscription for all men over 20 but for less time

• more humane and efficient training

the need for reforms

• led to a series of protests and riots against Russian rule in Poland and Lithuania

• Many believed that the Russian Empire had been seriously weakened and that a national uprising against it could now be a success

• revealed weaknesses in the way Nicholas I had ruled

• The army was recruited from serfs

• Soldiers had been poorly supplied; the production of armaments and uniforms was inadequate

the maintenance of serfdom under strict autocratic rule didn’t fit with staging modern warfare

• they weren’t trained to the same standard as the professional armies of Britain and France

• were inclined towards revolt, and given their other responsibilities, were probably not as committed

the way the economy was organised and how Russia had been slow to industrialise

• pressure to abolish serfdom, as it was seen as a form of slavery

• growing peasant unrest that could be traced back to the 1770s

• demands from some politicians and entrepreneurs for more labour to work on projects and railway routes

• population growth, which put pressure on a farming system that was geared up to provide subsistence, not surplus

Russia vs Ottoman empire (later supported by Fr + GB)

• Were upset with humiliating defeat + questioned how great Russia was

• thought Russia’s status as a great world power was severely damaged

• The poor showing of the Russian military

• the stipulations of the treaty of Paris

• 650,000 - 750,000

• far heavier casualties than any other EU war fought b/w 1814-1914

• Britain - 22,000

• France - 90,000

• Russia - 450,000

• Turkey - 150,000

• 1 in 5 lost their lives in battle, most died of disease

the weak position Russia found itself in

a number of significant economic, social, and political reforms

• revealed Russia, in comparison to the other powers, to be backward and underdeveloped

• This was especially true when it came to transport, communications and the use of technology in general

• industrialisation was way behind GB + Fr, many believed this is bcs of serfdom (no work force bcs they are farming/in the army for 25 years)

• not likely to be sole reason - EE was in 1861 (several years later), however probs a large contributing factor

• reason for time b/w end of war + edict could be bcs Russian society was structured on top of serfdom

over half

• Outdated technology eg: inferior muskets (1 per 2 soldiers), still used sails + wooden bottom ships (vs metal bottomed/steam powered)

• poor transport - took longer to equip front line

• inadequate leadership (bcs given jobs due to status not ability)

• Serfs - lacked training/skill

• increased

• 1840-44 = 30 uprisings per year

• 1845-60 = 60 uprisings per year

modernise

serfs

disease spread (killed more people than battle)

low moral in troops

1862-1874

• reduced service in the army to fifteen years

• modernised training and provided rigorous instruction for officers

• The result was a far more professional army and one that was more in line with that of Western rivals

• the army, in theory, could be relied on to help maintain civil order at home as well as fight wars overseas now

The Prussian military system

• Church reforms

• education reforms

Using foreign loans, nearly 2 billion roubles

20,000 km of track

from 1861 to 1878

• Realisation that Russia’s economic and social infrastructure was outdated - esp. serfdom

• EMANCIPATION OF THE SERFS (1861)

• Modernisation of the military

• MOST IMPORTANT - forced changes in local government!

• AII bridged the gap between the isolated newly-emancipated peasants and the rest of society with the zemstva

• Appeared to introduce some democracy to Russian government