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History Essay - Great Plague

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History Essay:
How far was there political and economic reform during the period 1881-1914? (30 Marks)
The years in Russia between 1881 and 1914 were a time of great instability and unrest. Political assassinations were common place and military defeat was normal. Furthermore, Russia was an economically backward country – its industry was based solely around agriculture which itself was outdated and not modern. Russia wanted to become a great power like Britain, to do this it would have to be able to deal with these problems and would be essential for the survival of the Tsarist system.
In 1881 Russia was a very diverse country, there were many different cultures and languages spoken and 80% of the population were peasants. Alexander III unexpectedly came to the throne in 1881 on the assassination of Alexander II. Alexander III was under no illusion that he could suffer the same fate as his father. He introduced repression of opponents as the corner stone of his reign. Alexander had three main beliefs: Repression of opponents, undoing the reforms of his father and to restore Russia’s position internationally and also her national identity, which he believed had been diluted throughout the 19th century. These were labelled ‘Russification’ and they came into being immediately he was crowned tsar in 1881. The primary aspect of Russification was to rid Russia of western ideas that Alexander III believed had weakened the nation and reduced its national identity. So, there was some reform but it was soon removed and squashed by Russia’s new Tsar. Alexander’s eldest son Nicholas II came to power when he died in 1894. Nicholas II shared his father’s commitment to the preservation of the autocracy and continued many of his repressive policies. His wife Alexandra is quoted as saying “Russia needs and loves the feel of the whip”.
Nicholas's major reforms were as a direct

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