What Were the Main Internal Problems In the Russian Empire In the Period 1881-1917 and Why Were They So Difficult To Resolve?

Authors Avatar

WHAT WERE THE MAIN INTERNAL PROBLEMS IN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE PERIOD 1881-1917 AND WHY WERE THEY SO DIFFICULT TO RESOLVE?

In appearance, Russia in 1881 was a great empire. It covered over 8 million square miles. At its widest points from west to east, it stretched for 5000 miles, at its longest points, north to south, it measured 2000 miles. It covered a large part of two continents. European Russia extended eastward from the borders of Poland to the Urals mountain range. Asiatic Russia extended eastward from the Urals to the Pacific Ocean.

The greater part of the population was concentrated in European Russia. It was in that part of the empire that the major historical developments had occurred and it was here that Russia’s major cities, Moscow and St Petersburg, the capital, was situated.

One person, the tsar, governed the peoples of the Russian empire. Tsar Alexander 111 ruled late imperial Russia from 1881 to 1884, and then by his son Tsar Nicholas 11 from 1894 to 1917. Both were members of the Romanov family, which in 1913 celebrated 300 years as Russia’s ruling dynasty.

The notion of an absolute, divinely-appointed monarch still prevailed in Russia in the late nineteenth Century is a clear indication of how politically backward the country was in relation to the other major powers in Europe. It is true that many other states were monarchies but in each of them their had been significant moves towards parliamentary or representative government. Although Russia had been frequently and closely involved in European diplomatic and military affairs, she had remained outside the mainstream of European political thought.

Progressive Tsars such as Peter 1 (1688-1725), Catherine 11 (1762-1796) and Alexander 11(1855-1881) had taken daring steps to modernise the country, but their reforms had not included the extension of political rights or freedoms. In Russia in 1881 it was still a criminal offence to oppose the Tsar or his government. There was no parliament, and political parties were not officially tolerated. State censorship was imposed on the press and on published books. Although this did not prevent liberal ideas from seeping into Russia, it did mean that they could not be openly allowed. The result was that supporters of reform or change had to go underground. In the nineteenth Century there had developed in Russia a wide variety of secret societies committed to political reform or revolution. But agents of the Okhrana, the Tsars secret police, frequently infiltrated these groups. As a result, raids, arrests, imprisonment and general harassment were regular occurrences.

A few progressive tsars recognised the need for reform, but no matter how enlightened the views of the individual tsars, none would go so far as to introduce measures that might weaken his authority. The tendency was therefore, for reform to be sporadic.

One problem faced by the Russian people under the autocratic regime of the Romanov dynasty was the lack of freedom of speech. ‘Many of the laws enacted during the first decade of Alexander 111 reign were aimed at what he and most of his advisors regarded as the forces of weakness, disloyalty and cowardice’. The main targets predictably were conspirators and propagandists who were engaged in unlawful political activities, outspoken newspaper editors, university professors and students. From the point of view of the ministry of the interior, who was charged with maintaining the internal security of the state, not only did such people often assume the right to discuss and make recommendations on matters of state policy, but they also but they also encouraged the lower orders of society to criticise the government, and sometimes even to defy it.

This inability or unwillingness to reform by the government was a significant problem for the Russian people. This problem was very difficult to resolve, as the bureaucracy within Russia at this time was a significant obstacle in having grievances addressed.

The empire was over governed at the centre and under governed at local level.  Too many matters required reference to St Petersburg, where the decision-making process was plagued by delay, and a lack of coordinated policy. The bureaucracy that existed in the government ensured that the people found it virtually impossible to have their issues addressed in a fair and organised way.

Join now!

Another area of Russian life, which was extremely problematic, was agriculture. Indeed it is accurate to say that the land in Russia was a source of national weakness rather then strength. The empires vast acres were not all-good farming country. Much of Russia lay too far north to enjoy a climate or a soil conducive to crop growing or cattle grazing.

The 1897 census confirmed what foreign visitors had already observed, Russia was an overwhelmingly rural country. The majority of the population, 86.6 %, lived in the countryside, most of them in small villages. Although Moscow had a ...

This is a preview of the whole essay