The Russian regime also seeks to reform…
1864 CE to 1875 CE
One of the chief reasons for the emancipation of the serfs had been to facilitate the transition from a large standing army to a reserve army by instituting territorial levies and mobilization in times of need.
Before emancipation, serfs could not be given military training and then returned to their owners.
Bureaucratic inertia, however, obstructs military reform until the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) demonstrates the necessity of building a modern army.
The levy system introduced in 1874 gives the army a role in teaching many peasants to read and in pioneering medical education for women, but despite these military reforms, the army remains backward.
Officers often prefer bayonets to bullets and fear that long-range sights on rifles will induce cowardice.
In spite of some notable achievements, Russia does not keep pace with Western technological developments in the construction of rifles, machine guns, artillery, ships, and naval ordnance.
Also, naval modernization in the 1860s fails to spur broad development of Russia's industrial base.
Groups
Topics
Commodities
Regions
Northeastern Eurasia
View →Subregions
