1 00:00:07,830 --> 00:00:11,230 1825. 2 00:00:11,230 --> 00:00:17,080 Victory over Napoleon had confirmed Russia's status as a world power. 3 00:00:17,080 --> 00:00:22,860 But there was discontent within Russia amongst intellectuals and army officers, some of whom 4 00:00:22,860 --> 00:00:30,220 had formed secret societies, to plot the overthrow of Russia's autocratic system. 5 00:00:30,220 --> 00:00:36,710 When Emperor Alexander was succeeded not, as expected, by his brother Constantine, but 6 00:00:36,710 --> 00:00:43,070 by a younger brother, Nicholas, one of these secret societies used the confusion to launch 7 00:00:43,070 --> 00:00:44,610 a military coup. 8 00:00:44,610 --> 00:00:52,650 But the Decembrist Revolt, as it became known, was defeated by loyalist troops, and the ringleaders 9 00:00:52,650 --> 00:00:53,970 were hanged. 10 00:00:53,970 --> 00:00:58,920 Others were sent into 'internal exile' in Siberia. 11 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:07,310 This was to become a common sentence for criminals and political prisoners in Tsarist Russia. 12 00:01:07,310 --> 00:01:13,040 Nicholas went on to adopt an official doctrine of 'Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality' 13 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:21,500 – the state was to rest on the pillars of church, Tsar, and the Russian national spirit 14 00:01:21,500 --> 00:01:28,090 - a clear rejection of the values of European liberalism. 15 00:01:28,090 --> 00:01:34,660 In the Caucasus, border clashes with Persia led to a war which ended in complete Russian 16 00:01:34,660 --> 00:01:35,660 victory. 17 00:01:35,660 --> 00:01:41,910 The Treaty of Turkmenchay forced Persia to cede all its territories in the region to 18 00:01:41,910 --> 00:01:47,290 Russia, and pay a large indemnity. 19 00:01:47,290 --> 00:01:54,220 Russian support for Greece in its War of Independence against the Ottomans, led to war between Russia 20 00:01:54,220 --> 00:01:56,890 and the Ottoman Empire. 21 00:01:56,890 --> 00:02:01,310 Russian victory brought further gains in the Black Sea region. 22 00:02:01,310 --> 00:02:10,450 A Polish revolt, led by young army officers, was crushed by Russian troops. 23 00:02:10,450 --> 00:02:17,010 Alexander Pushkin, Russia's greatest poet, was shot in a duel, and two days later died 24 00:02:17,010 --> 00:02:19,590 from his wounds. 25 00:02:19,590 --> 00:02:25,150 Nicholas sent troops to help put down a Hungarian revolt against Austrian rule. 26 00:02:25,150 --> 00:02:30,920 The Emperor's willingness to help suppress liberal revolts won him the nickname, 'the 27 00:02:30,920 --> 00:02:35,660 Gendarme', or policeman, of Europe. 28 00:02:35,660 --> 00:02:44,300 Russia's first major railway was opened, connecting St.Petersburg and Moscow. 29 00:02:44,300 --> 00:02:50,490 Alexander Herzen, a leading intellectual critic of Russia's autocracy, emigrated to London, 30 00:02:50,490 --> 00:02:54,450 where he continued to call for reform in his homeland. 31 00:02:54,450 --> 00:02:59,790 He'd later be described as 'the father of Russian socialism'. 32 00:02:59,790 --> 00:03:05,540 The Ottoman Empire, now known as 'the sick man of Europe', reacted to further Russian 33 00:03:05,540 --> 00:03:08,560 provocations by declaring war. 34 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:15,760 The Russian Black Sea Fleet inflicted a crushing defeat on the Turks at the Battle of Sinope. 35 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:22,099 But Britain and France - alarmed at Russia's southern expansion, and potential control 36 00:03:22,099 --> 00:03:26,680 of Constantinople – declared war on Russia. 37 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:34,700 The Allies landed troops in Crimea and besieged the naval base of Sevastopol, which fell after 38 00:03:34,700 --> 00:03:38,300 a gruelling, year-long siege. 39 00:03:38,300 --> 00:03:48,020 In the Baltic, British and French warships blockaded the Russian capital, St.Petersburg. 40 00:03:48,020 --> 00:03:54,570 Russia was forced to sign a humiliating peace, withdraw its forces from the Black Sea, and 41 00:03:54,570 --> 00:04:05,810 put on hold plans for further southern expansion. 42 00:04:05,810 --> 00:04:12,489 Nicholas I was succeeded by his son, Alexander II. 43 00:04:12,489 --> 00:04:18,959 The Crimean War had exposed Russia's weakness – the country lagged far behind its European 44 00:04:18,959 --> 00:04:24,189 rivals in industry, infrastructure and military power. 45 00:04:24,189 --> 00:04:31,650 So Alexander, unlike his father, decided to embrace reform. 46 00:04:31,650 --> 00:04:37,090 The most obvious sign of Russia's backwardness was serfdom. 47 00:04:37,090 --> 00:04:44,050 According to the 1857 census, more than a third of Russians were serfs, forced to work 48 00:04:44,050 --> 00:04:50,889 their masters' land, with few rights, restrictions on movement, and their status passed down 49 00:04:50,889 --> 00:04:51,990 to their children. 50 00:04:51,990 --> 00:04:57,110 They were slaves in all but name. 51 00:04:57,110 --> 00:05:02,340 In 1861, Alexander II abolished serfdom in Russia. 52 00:05:02,340 --> 00:05:05,210 He was hailed as 'The Liberator'. 53 00:05:05,210 --> 00:05:12,930 But in reality, most former-serfs remained trapped in servitude and poverty. 54 00:05:12,930 --> 00:05:18,430 Alexander's reforms would continue, with the creation of the zemstva - provincial assemblies 55 00:05:18,430 --> 00:05:25,279 with authority over local affairs, including education and social welfare. 56 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:30,900 In the Far East, Russia forced territorial concessions from a weakened China, leading 57 00:05:30,900 --> 00:05:37,949 to the founding of Vladivostok, Russia's major Pacific port. 58 00:05:37,949 --> 00:05:44,039 Another uprising by Poles and Lithuanians against Russian rule was once more crushed 59 00:05:44,039 --> 00:05:46,830 by the Russian army. 60 00:05:46,830 --> 00:05:53,340 In the Caucasus, Russia's long and brutal war against local tribes came to an end, with 61 00:05:53,340 --> 00:05:59,210 their leaders swearing oaths of loyalty to the Tsar. 62 00:05:59,210 --> 00:06:05,059 In Central Asia, the Russian Empire was gradually expanding southwards. 63 00:06:05,059 --> 00:06:12,610 Russian armies defeated the Emirate of Bukhara, and the Khanate of Khiva, and by the 1880s, 64 00:06:12,610 --> 00:06:17,059 Russia had conquered most of what was then called Turkestan – today, the countries 65 00:06:17,059 --> 00:06:25,639 of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. 66 00:06:25,639 --> 00:06:32,610 Imperial rivalry in Central Asia between Russia and Britain led to 'the Great Game' – a 67 00:06:32,610 --> 00:06:36,180 19th century version of the Cold War. 68 00:06:36,180 --> 00:06:42,689 Centred on Afghanistan, diplomats and spies on both sides tried to win local support, 69 00:06:42,689 --> 00:06:47,649 extend their own influence, and limit the expansion of their rival - while avoiding 70 00:06:47,649 --> 00:06:52,059 direct military confrontation. 71 00:06:52,059 --> 00:06:58,419 Russia decided to sell Alaska to America for 7.2 million dollars. 72 00:06:58,419 --> 00:07:04,039 Many Americans thought it was a waste of money – gold and oil were only discovered there 73 00:07:04,039 --> 00:07:06,389 much later. 74 00:07:06,389 --> 00:07:12,259 Leo Tolstoy's 'War & Peace' was published, still regarded as one of the world's greatest 75 00:07:12,259 --> 00:07:14,240 works of literature. 76 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:21,059 The late 19th century was a cultural golden age for Russia: a period of literary greats, 77 00:07:21,059 --> 00:07:23,800 and outstanding composers. 78 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:30,899 Russia, in support of nationalist revolts in the Balkans against Ottoman rule, went 79 00:07:30,899 --> 00:07:34,580 to war with the Ottoman Empire once more. 80 00:07:34,580 --> 00:07:41,460 Russian troops crossed the Danube... then, with Bulgarian help, fought to secure the 81 00:07:41,460 --> 00:07:44,819 vital Shipka Pass. 82 00:07:44,819 --> 00:07:50,979 Then they launched a bloody, five-month siege of Plevna, in Bulgaria. 83 00:07:50,979 --> 00:07:56,729 Russia and her allies finally won victory, with their troops threatening Constantinople 84 00:07:56,729 --> 00:07:59,029 itself. 85 00:07:59,029 --> 00:08:05,110 But at the Congress of Berlin, Russia bowed to international pressure, and accepted limited 86 00:08:05,110 --> 00:08:13,539 gains, in a settlement that also led to independence for Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and later, 87 00:08:13,539 --> 00:08:14,939 Bulgaria. 88 00:08:14,939 --> 00:08:21,969 Meanwhile, within Russia, radical political groups were increasingly frustrated by Alexander 89 00:08:21,969 --> 00:08:24,159 II's limited reforms. 90 00:08:24,159 --> 00:08:28,580 There were several failed attempts to assassinate the Emperor. 91 00:08:28,580 --> 00:08:35,849 But as he prepared to approve new constitutional reforms, he was killed in St.Petersburg by 92 00:08:35,849 --> 00:08:41,820 a bomb thrown by members of the People's Will – one of the world's first modern terrorist 93 00:08:41,820 --> 00:08:43,950 groups. 94 00:08:43,950 --> 00:08:50,500 This act of violence would lead only to a new era of repression. 95 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:59,900 Did you know all Epic History TV videos are made by just one person? 96 00:08:59,900 --> 00:09:02,350 With a little help from me, Charles Nove. 97 00:09:02,350 --> 00:09:07,660 We'd sincerely appreciate your support at our Patreon page, to help us keep making history 98 00:09:07,660 --> 00:09:08,660 videos. 99 00:09:08,660 --> 00:09:13,220 Please click the link to find out how you can become an Epic History TV patron.