Nicholas I
• Was the third son of Czar Paul I, he had few chances of ever gaining the throne. o Not seen as a possible heir, thus was educated accordingly. o His upbringing was strict, flogging was common and few efforts were made to motivate the young student.
• Was attracted to engineering and military affairs, especially enjoying the drills and luster of parades.
• His eldest brother, Czar Alexander I, was childless. o Paul’s second son and next in line for succession, Constantine, renounced the throne. o Left Nicholas an apparent heir.
• Didn’t feel ready to rule, realizing he lacked necessary skills & knowledge. o His lifestyle didn’t change. o Wasn’t taking part in state affairs & was unpopular among soldiers; was disliked for his ruthlessness and fault-finding.
• The sudden death of Alexander I, in November 1825 plunged Russia’s monarchy into turmoil. o Army swore allegiance to Constantine. o Having no support, Nicholas was prepared to give up power.
• After Constantine confirmed his refusal, Nicholas declared himself emperor o A plot was hatched by the military to overthrow Nicholas and to usurp power.
 Led to the Decembrist Revolt on 26 December 1825
 Nicholas was successful in suppressing the uprising.
• Fighting revolutionary ideas & dissent became Nicholas’ obsession o In the early 1830s, he brutally crushed a Polish rebellion, reducing Poland to the status of a Russian province. o In 1848 he sent troops to suppress a Hungarian uprising against Austrian control.
• Back in Russia: o Tried to strengthen stability, streamlining Russia’s code of laws and its financial and education systems.
 Dreamt of an ideal society where people show loyalty to the unlimited authority of the Czar.
• Motto of his regime was proclaimed to be “autocracy, Orthodoxy and nationality”. o Used to promote traditional Russian values and culture, suppress non-Russian nationalities and religions other than Orthodox Christianity.
• Saw himself accomplishing a divine mission o eagerly took part in every aspect of governing the country o But valued discipline and swift execution of orders more than skills and knowledge.
• Civil institutions were reshaped according to military tradition. o Bureaucracy flourished while Russia’s cultural and spiritual life was strictly controlled. o Special secret police were set up and censorship tightened
• Nicholas expanded Russia’s territory like never before, o Gained control of the Far East
• His reign ended in a massive military disaster. o Attempted to take on the Ottoman Empire and establish a protectorate over the Orthodox population of the Balkans in the Crimean War of 1853-56. o Saw Russia suffer a bitter defeat at the hands of Britain, France and Turkey. o The war showed that Russia’s backward economy was unable to compete with other powers. o Nicholas was left severely shaken by huge military losses.
• His health weakened and after catching a cold he died in 1855.
Alexander II the Liberator:
• Tutored by a poet and literary critic Vasily Zhukovsky, o Received a broad and thorough education from arts and languages to sciences and rigorous military training.
• Became Czar on the death of Nicholas I in 1855, at aged 36 o Inherited the Crimean War with a coalition of the Turkey-led Ottoman Empire, Britain and France. o Russia’s serf-based economy couldn’t support the cost of warfare& the loss of life was tremendous o A year on the Czar began peace talks. o The Treaty of Paris ended the war but Russia lost its dominance in the Balkans and its warships were banned from the Black Sea.
• Felt the time was ripe for reforms. o Censorship was relaxed, new education programs drafted, independent press flourished.
• The Czar realized he had to go far beyond that. The war proved Russia was no longer a great military power and couldn’t compete with industrialized European nations.
• Began to think of bringing an end to serfdom o An immense task advocated by many liberal intellectuals but fiercely opposed by landowners. o He pushed ahead with the reform &in 1861 Russia became one of the last countries in Europe to stop serfdom
• Emancipation law stated that Russia’s 22 million serfs were now free but didn’t make them land owners. o They had to buy or rent the land from their former masters. o Few were pleased.
 For the nobles, the step was unwelcome,
 For the peasants the long-awaited freedom brought disappointment.
• The land was often priced higher than its real value and millions found themselves in hopeless poverty and debt. o Education and judicial reforms followed, an elaborate scheme of local self-government in large towns and rural districts was set up. o The economy was boosted, railway construction boomed, trade soared, banks and factories sprang up across the country.
• In 1863 the January Uprising flared up in Poland. o Was suppressed after eighteen months of fighting o Thousands of Poles were executed or deported to Siberia, many estates were confiscated o A much tighter Russian control over Poland was imposed.
• Dreamt of restoring his country’s status and influence. o Military spending sky-rocketed; the army was restructured and rearmed to fit European standards o In 1876 a Bulgarian revolt against the Turks was brutally crushed causing a public outcry in Russia. o Alexander saw himself as champion of the oppressed Orthodox Christians and declared the war the next year.
 Took him another year to win – 200,000 Russian soldiers were killed
 After 500 years of Turkish rule Bulgaria was back on the map.
• In February 1880 Alexander announced that he was considering granting the Russian people a constitution. o On March 13, 1881 the Czar’s carriage was bombed in the streets of St. Petersburg by members of a revolutionary organization: People’s Will. o Emerged unhurt; wanted to see the site of the explosion and check on the wounded Cossacks that accompanied him.
 As he made his way over, another terrorist threw a bomb.
 Fatally wounded, Alexander died an hour later.
Alexander III the Peacemaker:
• During all the years of his rule, Russia was not involved in a single major war.
• Was the second son of Alexander II o Brought up as a Grand Prince, he was destined for a military career. o His elder brother Nicholas suddenly died, Alexander was proclaimed the heir to the Russian throne.
 While on his deathbed, Nicholas insisted that he also take his fiancé.
• Abandoned his father’s plans of granting the constitution and declared that only “absolute autocracy” could fight the revolutionary movement. o Executed all those responsible for his father’s death, direct leaders of terrorist revolutionary groups; o Tightened police oppression and increased censorship of the press. o Was determined to strengthen autocratic rule and quickly dismissed any liberal proposals in government. o Sacredly believed in a special destiny for Russia, void of Western reforms. o Encouraged the development of trade and industry and imposed customs duties on imported goods to recover Russia's economy, which had suffered from the deficit created by the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878.
 Also introduced a higher degree of frugality and accounting in state finances
 During his rule, industrial development increased and the construction of the Trans Siberian Railway began. o Worked on strengthening Russia’s military power. Russia was always ready to fight any foreign aggression.
• The Czar had suffered a severe bruise to his kidney in train crash that would later contribute to his death in 1894. o Died ruling for only 13 years.