☰ Contents · World history

Russia (1800–1870)

Lessons 24 · 1 lessons · R. Farmonov, U. Jo‘rayev, Sh. Ergashev. Jahon tarixi (XVI–XIX asrning 60-yillari) (World history, 16th century – 1860s), Grade 8. Cho‘lpon Publishing House, Tashkent, 2019 (revised and expanded 4th edition)
24

Russia in 1800–1870

Textbook: pp. 110–114
GoalDescribe Russia’s policy in the first half of the 19th century, the Decembrists, the Crimean War and the 1861 reform.
New words
Decembrists · dekabristlarserfdom · krepostnoylikgovernor-generalship · general-gubernatorlikCrimean War · Qrim urushi
Explanation

At the start of the 19th century Russia defeated Napoleon and became a great power in European politics. On 14 December 1825 officers known as the Decembrists rose in St Petersburg; they wanted serfdom abolished and a constitution introduced, and the revolt was crushed. Russia expanded in the Caucasus and towards Central Asia: the Caucasian war ended in 1864 and the Turkestan governor-generalship was created in 1867. In the Crimean War of 1853–1856 Russia fought the Ottomans, Britain, France and Sardinia and lost, which showed how far it had fallen behind. On 19 February 1861 Alexander II abolished serfdom, and in 1867 he sold Alaska to the USA. In this period great creators such as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Glinka and Tchaikovsky made Russian culture known to the world.

Worked examples
Serfs belonged to a landowner and could not leave his land; from 1861 they became personally free.
In the Crimean War Sevastopol was besieged for a long time; the war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1856.
Class activity

“Discussion”: with the class, list in a table the reasons why serfdom was abolished.

Practice
1
When was the Decembrist revolt?
2
In which years was the Crimean War?
3
When was serfdom abolished?
4
When was the Turkestan governor-generalship created?