706 



KUSSIA. 



and Vienna were a counter-check to the Pan- 

 slavistic agitations and warlike preparations in 

 Eussia. The only advantage in the Orient 

 gained by Russia during the year was the 

 recognition of her sovereignty over the Kilia 

 branch of the Danube at the London Confer- 

 ence, which point was gained through the sup- 

 port afforded by the English Government. 



Asiatic Expansion. Checked on the European 

 side, the Eussians showed the more activity in 

 Asia. The new commercial route across the 

 Hyrcanian steppe from the Caspian to Kun- 

 grad, is still more important as a military route. 

 The preoccupation of England with Egypt 

 offered the opportunity for the annexation of 

 the oasis of Merv, an act which was only de- 

 layed because the late British Government 

 was prepared to make it a casus ~belli. The 

 way was made smooth by the Merv Turkomans 

 themselves, who were prompted to send a 

 deputation to Gen. Tchernaieff, begging that 

 a Eussian governor be appointed over them, as 

 the only way to put an end to constant quar- 

 rels between factions among the tribes. 



Internal Politics. The coronation was looked 

 forward to by the upholders of the autocratic 

 principle as a token of the resurgent power 

 and glory of the czardom a signal for a 

 triumphant outburst of loyalty, temporarily 

 eclipsed by revolutionary delusions. Not less 

 disappointed than they were the party, com- 

 posed of the bulk of the educated class, who 

 long for the beginning of constitutional life in 

 Eussia. The most ominous and disturbing 

 sign in the Nihilistic developments is the ma- 

 licious satisfaction with which the majority 

 of the middle and upper classes regard the 

 acts of the terrorists. It was confidently ex- 

 pected that the Emperor would signalize the 

 formal inauguration of his reign by proclaim- 

 ing the liberties which his father had made up 

 his mind to grant. Even in Moscow, the 

 stronghold of autocracy, the Czar was greeted 

 with an expression of the universal desire in 

 the address of the mayor, Prof. Tchicherin, 

 who boldly called upon him to admit the 

 people to participation in the work of govern- 

 ment. A manifesto was issued granting am- 

 nesty to criminals of various classes, but not 

 to Nihilist convicts. Polish exiles who had 

 not seen their homes for twenty years were 

 given permission to return under police sur- 

 veillance. Taxes which people were unable 

 to pay were remitted. But in the manifesto 

 there was no inkling or promise of a charter 

 of political liberties. The peasantry, who have 

 been encouraged to expect special favor and 

 protection, were also grievously disappointed 

 when the Czar, in answer to a deputation, de- 

 clared that there would be no further derange- 

 ment of the vested rights of property for the 

 benefit of the peasant. The fate of the Kacanoff 

 Commission, appointed to consider the question 

 of local self-government and other important 

 reforms, indicates the reluctance of Alexander 

 III to inaugurate political reforms. Their re- 



port was met by a reactionary project from 

 Count Tolstoy, and then the whole subject was 

 suffered to drop. One of the few progressive 

 measures of the year was the introduction in 

 the northwest provinces of the new judicial 

 system, which has been in operation in the 

 rest of Russia for twenty years. 



The Eussian press was shackled in 1883 as 

 it never had been before. The papers were 

 allowed to publish neither information nor 

 comments on important events, several in- 

 fluential papers were suppressed, and others 

 ceased their issues. Political thought and 

 party life were thus crushed out to a great 

 extent, and society was pervaded by dread, 

 gloom, and uncertainty. The Liberal party, 

 which is far more numerous than the Con- 

 servative, is divided into two sections. The 

 more numerous one demands simply politi- 

 cal freedom and the introduction of repre- 

 sentative institutions. The other group, called 

 Friends of the People, think that education 

 and the improvement of the economical 

 condition of the people should go before. 

 The Conservatives are also divided. The 

 bulk of the party follow Katkoff as their 

 journalistic exponent, and have for political 

 leaders Count Tolstoy, the Ministers of In- 

 struction and Justice, and Procurator Pobo- 

 donostzeff, and thus control the policy of the 

 Government. The other group is the Slavo- 

 phile party, led by Aksakoff, which has a 

 strong democratic tendency, and wishes to re- 

 turn to the conditions existing before Peter 

 the Great, and extirpate European " civiliza- 

 tion " and liberalism. 



Agrarian Measures. Many concluded from 

 words uttered by the Czar at Moscow that the 

 noble class would be taken into special favor, 

 a policy advocated by the Minister of the In- 

 terior. Yet the predilection of the Czar for 

 the peasant class was evinced by fresh enact- 

 ments for their benefit. The fidelity of the 

 peasantry is the surest prop of the autocracy, 

 while the revolutionary and opposition parties 

 are recruited exclusively from the nobility and 

 other educated classes. The redemption pay- 

 ments which have weighed down the liberated 

 peasants since the abolition of serfage were 

 reduced. The poll-tax was partially removed. 

 Another measure intended for the improve- 

 ment of their circumstances was the creation 

 of a state land-bank. 



Commercial Policy. Schemes of ambition or 

 improvement are a necessity to the enthusias- 

 tic and visionary Eussian mind. Since the 

 extension of Eussian influence and power to 

 the southwest was effectually resisted by the 

 German powers, attention was directed to ex- 

 pansion in Asia, to which the present English 

 Government opposes no decided objections. 

 The extension of Eussian manufactures is a 

 correlative of Asiatic conquest. The Govern- 

 ment was the more inclined to favor the idea 

 of encouraging industry and commerce, because 

 the promises held out to the peasantry of im- 



