Russian Civ – 10/22/14 PDF

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These are class notes that I typed directly after class from hand written notes I wrote during class. I go through this two step process to ensure accuracy and enhance organization....

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Russian Civilization Notes – 10.22.14 War and Peace: Napoleon in Moscow  Tsar Paul o Son of Catherine the great Peter the III o Reigned 1796-1801  Paul Reinstates primogeniture o Tsesarevich: The son who will be the tsar o Tsarevich: Any son of the tsar  Paul has a happy marriage to Maria Fedorovna o They have several kids including 2 future tsars:  Alexander I  Nicholas I  “Mad Paul” (son of Catherine the Great) o Exhumes and coronates the corpse of his “father” Peter the Third o He violates Potemkin’s grave and dumps his corpse into the Neva River  Wouldn’t live in any of Catherine’s palaces so he built his own  Reorganized military along Prussian Lines  Reinstituted corporal punishment for troops  The rise of Napoleon, ruler of France, threatens all of Europe o Russia joins England, Prussia, and Austria against France o Russia General Suvorov helps Austrian and English troops fight Napoleon in central Europe  But Paul abruptly makes an alliance with Napoleon, breaking relations with England and Austria  Caught in the middle, Suvorov’s army must escape by crossing the alps o General Suvorov is the Russian hero of the early Napoleon era  Mad Paul even sends an Army to conquer British India o Paul gets paranoid that he is going to be killed  Count Pahlen, Paul’s chief bodyguard, becomes the main plotter to dethrone Paul o Pahlen and his henchmen enter Paul’s bedchamber and demand he sign an abdication paper o Paul is murdered in the ensuing fight  Paul’s eldest son Alexander is horrified by the murder but has no choice but to take the throne  Alexander the first o “Enlightened Tsar” (1801-1825) o Very well educated but superficial and indecisive  The first 15 years of Alexander’s reign is dominated by the Napoleonic Wars  Alexander I reverses Paul’s erratic policies o Renews Alliance with England, Austria, and Prussia against Napoleon’s France o Recalls the army sent to capture British India

Alexander leads troops into Austria to fight Nepoleon o He ignored the advice of General Kutuzov and the Russians and Austrians suffer a crushing defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz, 1805  Alexander then suffers an even more humiliating defeat in Prussia at the battle of Friedland, 1806  1807, Napoleon nearly controls all of Europe o Prussia and Austria are forced to conclude peace with France o Ottoman Turkey becomes his ally o Only England, Sweden and Russia are left outside his orbit o Napoleon amalgamates most of the ancient princedoms in Italy and Germany  Napoleon resurrects the kingdom of Poland, another humiliation for Russia o Poland is renamed the “Grand Duchy of Warsaw” o In 1807 Alexander meets Napoleon on a barge in the River Nemon, at Tilst 1807 Tilsit Agreement between France and Russia  Napoleon talks Alexander into becoming his ally o Russia breaks off trade with England and agrees to send troops into Europe to help Napoleon as needed o Russia gets Finland and also Bessarabia  The Tilsit agreement endures for the next 5 years o Only England continues to fight Napoleon o Russia’s economy is being undermined by lack of trade with England o When Austria revolts in 1810, Alexander sends his army but gives them secret orders to avoid fighting the Austrians  Fraying of the 1807 Tilsit agreement between France and Russia o Russia’s trade embargo against England is ruining Russian merchants, and the tsar turns a blind eye while they cheat on the tilsit agreement o Russia’s troops also avoid doing anything useful for Napoleon  Napoleon crushes Austria and resolves to invade his phony ally Russia 1812 is the peak of French Empire  Knowing war is coming, Alexander breaks the Tilsit agreement and resumes trade with England  Napoleon raises a grand army of 250,000 Soldiers to invade Russia  French engineers even invent the canning of food to help supply invasions of Russia o French don’t bring enough cans  In 1812 Napoleon crosses the Neman River from Poland into Russia and Starts the “Fatherland War” or “Patriotic war”  But Napoleon is not the valiant warrior of earlier battles o He’s gotten fat and is embarrassed to be seen by his troops  Alexander is indecisive and his Russian troops retreat o The French army is drawn into the vast spaces of Russia o Their supply lines are too long and there is not enough food to steal 

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Typhus, a contagious bacteria disease spread by the human body louse, is rampant in Russia and it decimates the French As Napoleon approaches Moscow, Alexander is forced to call back Kutuzov, the “Old Fox” Battle of Borodino, 1812 o Stalemate with 70,000 dead General Kutuzov falls back and napoleon marches unopposed to Moscow Napoleon enters Moscow unopposed in September 1812 o Nearly everyone has fled the city Napoleon in the Kremlin awaits Alexander’s surrender, while Moscow burns o Don’t know who burned the city o Moscow fire of 1812 Alexander refuses to act o Kutuzov decides to wait for the winter to take care of Napoleon’s army By late October 1812 the still undefeated Napoleon is forced to abandon Moscow Napoleon gets caught in Russia winter o They freeze and starve by the ten’s of thousands o Cossacks pick off the French stragglers By the time Napoleon crosses the Neman River back into French-controlled Poland, his half million strong army has been reduced to 30,000 starving men The disaster spells the beginning of the end for Napoleon and for France as a superpower o Austria and Prussia soon Rebel o English troops drive the French from Spain o Russian troops invade central Europe Battle of the Nations, 1813 near Leipzig Germany o Prussia, Russia, England defeat Napoleon o Orthodox church in Leipzig built as monument to the victory The indecisive Alexander becomes great hero who leads Russian troops into Paris o Russia’s “Fatherland War” is great national victory With France returned to her natural borders, Russia towers over the new Europe o Russia troops occupy Paris o Alexander built column on Palace square to honor war victory Alexander will reign for 13 more years after Napleon’s flight from Moscow o But little good will come of it

Reform and Reaction: Russia’s first Dissidents Appear  In Moscow near the Kremlin, the church of Christ the Redeemer is built to commemorate the victory o It’s Russia’s largest church and took 70 years to build, using money donated by the common people

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o Stalin blew it up with dynamite in 1937 o Build largest outdoor swimming pool in place of church  Useless because it is freezing in Moscow o Church was rebuilt in 1990s Alexander is super popular at home and abroad after the end of the “fatherland war” o Russia’s standing among European nations achieves new heights The concert of Europe: o Russia, Prussia, England, Austria dominate Europe o The goal is to make a balance of power and avoid future wars o Works for nearly 40 years Failure to deal with turkey “sick man of Europe” will later cause rivalry between Russia and Austria o Leads to WWI Napoleon’s Revolution of the number of Medieval states in central Europe paves the way for the future rise of Germany and Italy in the late 1800s o Upset balance of power Congress of Vienna 1814 o Russia, Austria, England, Prussia dominate Europe Finland becomes a relatively quiet part of the Russian Empire The grant duchy of Poland is constantly on the verge of revolt 1815 Alexander’s “holy Allience” between, Russia, Prussia, and Austria La Harpe, Alexander’s liberal swiss tutor/advisor European Monarchs had begun to lose their overseas possessions o England and Spain had lost their American Colonies Regionalism in Siberia o Russian’s born in asia begin to consider independence Mikhail Speransky, Russia’s first liberal reformer urged the tsar to: o Liberate the serfs o Enact constitutional monarchy o By 1822 he is ousted and becomes governor-general of Siberia Arakcheyev o Alexander’s conservative defense minister and most trusted advisor o Not a progressive or good advisor o Institutes peasant military colonies  Peasants born into life long military service Greek war of independence from turkey 1821 o Turks commit many atrocities and many in Russia and England want to help the Greeks Alexander refuses to act, angering many Russians o Greeks win anyway 1825 Alexander has failed to live up to his countrymen’s hopes in either domestic reform or in helping orthodox Christians free themselves from turkey o Suddenly dies while vacationing on black sea...