1. Who killed Tsar Alexander II?
Opposition to Alex II, Alex III and
Nicholas II

3. At which stage was Russia during the reign of Alexander II?

4. Why did opposition increase?
• The new openness encouraged by the
reforms aroused expectations that could
never be satisfied
• Demands for a constitution and a national
assembly were never granted

5. Intellectuals/Liberals
Were largely middle class poets and writers (Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy). Generally
each side could be classed as a Slavophil or a Westerniser.
Slavophil - did not like liberalism and democracy (conservative and
nationalist),
Westernisers - despised the Slavophils and their obsession with tradition
(attacked aristocracy and defended rule of law).
Both sides influenced revolutionary movements through their writings and
debates.
Dostoyevsky described the new freedoms in his novel, The Devils;
‘They talked of the abolition of censorship, of splitting Russia into nationalities,
united in a free federation, of the abolition of the army and navy, of the peasant
reforms’
Turgenev described the lead character in his 1862 novel, Fathers and Sons as a
nihilist;
‘A nihilist is a man who does not bow before any authorities, who does not accept
a single principle on trust.’
How might ‘nihilism’ pose a threat to the autocracy of the Tsars?

6. Populists
• They put their faith in ordinary people, the ‘population.’
• Believed in politicising the peasantry and turning them against
the regime. These were also known as Narodniks.
• Largely intelligentsia based and believed peasants should be
endowed with ‘land and freedom.’
• Some young people (students) attempted to become
missionaries to ‘awaken’ the peasantry but were met with
apathy and hostility.
• Groups included Land and Liberty.
• Had little organisation and co-ordination between groups.
• Police cracked down and widespread arrests were made – many
sentenced to hard-labour in Siberia.
• Ultimately failed in rousing the peasants and were not
considered a serious threat to the regime.

7. Anarchists
• They wanted a complete overturn of society.
Heavily associated with the ideas of the
writer Bakunin.
• They rejected western ideas and wanted to
create a new civilisation, built by ordinary
people.
• Did not have wide popular appeal and was
for the most part an intellectual movement.

8. Terrorists
• Land and Liberty developed into secret organisation in 1876.
• They printed leaflets and made appeals to urban workers as much as
peasants.
• Became engaged in ‘disorganisational activity.’
• Chief of Police, Trepov was assassinated in 1878.
• Land and Liberty split in two – Plekhanov wanted to concentrate on
winning over the workers with new Marxist ideas. Formed a group
called Black Repartition.
• A more extreme break-away group became known as People’s Will
concentrated on terrorist tactics.
• They demanded a constitution and believed you needed to fight the
autocratic state by violent means.
• In 1879 Alexander II appointed Temporary Governor Generals who
had sweeping powers. They could – deport suspects, suspend
newspapers, try people before military courts.
• 26 August 1879 – People’s Will sentenced Alexander II to death.
Eight attempts were made on his life before finally succeeding in 1881.
• The conspirators were either executed or imprisoned for life. They
became martyrs for the revolutionary cause.

9. Socialist Revolutionary Party
(SR’s)
• Seen as a reaction to a growing industrial
working class.
• Believed workers and peasants would work
together to overthrow Tsar.
• The group was largely formed out of the
remaining members of the People’s Will
who had escaped punishment.

10. Marxists – Social Democrats
• Based on the ideas of Karl Marx.
• Marxism –The new industrial working class would contain the seeds of
revolution, eventually overthrowing their capitalist masters.
• Some Populist revolutionaries had converted to Marxism in 1880s.
• Marxists formed the Russian Social Democratic Party to help working
classes and ultimately replace ruling elite.
• Was widely seen as movement for the future unlike populism.
• The party split early on to create two distinct camps Mensheviks and
Bolsheviks.
• Mensheviks – believed in a mass working class political party that
would form parliamentary opposition against the regime to push
through reforms.
• Bolsheviks – believed parliaments were a sham. They wanted a
political revolution to lead workers towards uprising. Bolsheviks also
had a Narodnik notion that peasants could be revolutionary. Lenin saw
the need to for a well organised, committed party focused on revolution.
• Both sides had little influence immediate, leaders arrested or exiled.

11. Conclusion
• Divisions were rife within the revolutionary
camp
• Regime had little difficulty with dealing with
opposition, save isolated incidents.
• The long-term threat was the growing
questioning of autocracy and the regime.
• Social groups were becoming more alienated.
Tsar could no longer call on support of
peasantry and nobility who had long been
loyal.

12.  Your task
• Opponents of the Tsars divided into four key
groups: the Populists, the Social
Revolutionaries, the Social Democrats and the
Liberals
• Explain who were members, what they hoped to
achieve and their methods.
• Complete the table using Lynch, p.36-44 and
PowerPoint notes.
• Highlight opposition groups as immediate
threats or long-term threats to the regime.

13. Historiography
• ‘Populism stressed the uniqueness of the Russian
experience and the ancient democratic institutions of the
peasantry, while Marxism stressed universality and
modernity, wishing to see Russia re-join the European
mainstream. By trying to synthesise the two visions in
1917, Bolshevism created an unstable amalgam of Russian
nationalism and internationalism, coloured with
messianic expectations of the revolution.’
Hosking, Russia, People and Empire 1552-1917.
What reasons does Hosking give for Marxism having a
more lasting impact than Populism?