Pesticide]
Dmitri Mendeleev married Anna Ivanovna Popova in April 1881, just a month after splitting after his first wife. This made Mendeleev controversial, because according to the traditions of the Orthodox church one needed seven years of waiting to remarry after a divorce.
Despite this controversy, Mendeleev would continue to work for the Russian state. In the 1880s Mendeleev wanted to continue to focus on the use of mineral fertilizers.
Yet Tsar Alexander III also turned Mendeleev's attention to pesticides. The use of pesticides for the defense of crops is quite old and known to mankind, for example in the use of poisonous plants to control pests or the use of sulfur.
The interest of the Russian government however was in defending the investment of rubber trees in Novo Alexandria, Brazil. The main problems for a rubber tree would actually be aphids, mites, scale, and thrips.
The investigation of how to deal with these pests (based on pesticide developments from more than 30 years ago, that is, 1850) would lead to the discovery that currently various vegetable and vegetable oils are efficient pesticides and little harmful to rubber trees.
These generally affect pests (by suffocation) without causing much damage to the rubber trees themselves.
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[Jewish businesses]
Members of various commercial businesses of Jewish origin (the Zaitzevs, Gintsburgs and Polyakovs mainly) met with Tsar Alexander III to express their concerns.
"The recent execution of the members of the Narodnaya Volya and the capture of some members is causing ... suspicions, towards the Jewish community." One of the Polyakov explained.
"It is an understandable concern, we will seek a solution." Tsar Alexander III replied.
In a sense anti-Semitism in Russia was still an internal crossroads of the Russian Empire, it was difficult to say whether anti-Semitism was reduced, maintained or increased. The presence of members of Jewish origin in revolutionary organizations caused distrust and concern regarding the huge Jewish community in Russia.
Of course there were also Orthodox and Catholics, and people of various social classes (lower, middle and upper class), but the mentality of the time was quite fixed on the Jews.
And there did not seem to be a clear solution for this, the Jews were now defended by the law but it did not mean that the general population of Russia could try something if they wanted.
One goal of Tsar Alexander III was to eventually abolish the Pale of Settlement, but it was a job that would take quite a long time (destroying an established institution in a historical and cultural sense is difficult without causing serious damage of some kind).
Faced with this, Tsar Alexander III came up with two strategies, one of public relations and the other of a (more or less) legal method.
On the one hand the conglomerates of Jewish origin sent generous donations to Russian institutions, more specifically the Okhrana and police services and the army (where before the military reform many Jews had been taken into service).
Obviously the Russian government uses this as propaganda about the struggle of all the populations of the Russian Empire against terrorism, plus a bit of 'the good Jew' in propaganda.
With the Narodnaya Volya without public sympathy, such a strategy worked, up to a point. In addition, Tsar Alexander III and the Russian judicial system influenced the institutions to effectively protect Jewish private property (and the peasantry to respect it), since now the law applied in the same way for everyone, any peasant who carried out a progrom it would be punished as such.
It was admitted that any Jew (of educated, noble or lower-middle class professions) who came out of the Pale of Settlement could also buy and work on lands in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Russian Far East as long as they had papers clarifying their Jewish origin or 'traditional Jewish clothes'.
This without officially abolishing the Pale of Settlement, with the excuse that there were already considerable populations of Jews in all the aforementioned regions: The Jews of the mountains (the Caucasus, such as Georgia or Armenia, etc.), the Jews of Central Asia ( Bukhara, Khiva and Kokand had Jewish populations) and the Far East (through some migration of educated personnel, workers, etc).
In essence, if the Jewish population (considerably educated and literate) and even those of low-peasant origin could leave the Pale of Settlement and live outside of it, such an institution was useless.
Now however the Tsar had to throw a bone at the nationalists and factions against such reform.
Despite everything, it is obvious that there was still a long way to go ...
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[Litvin?]
'Litvin' (in Belarusian and Russian, Litvyn in Ukrainian, Litwin in Polish and Litvinas in Lithuanian), was a word of Slavic origin for inhabitants of Lithuania and that later in the Russian Empire it would begin to be used more specifically for the Slavs within lands 'Lithuanians' (due to the great Slavic immigration to eastern territories and other parts of Lithuania, sponsored by the Russian state) although they were also a subgroup of Slavs within the lands of the little Russians.
Some of these Slavs were White Russians or Belarusians, who identified as such (a part of the triune nation according to state) but among Poles, Ukrainians and even some Russians (mainly Catholic Russians) they identified more with 'Litvin'.
The Russified Polish and Belarusian population (without much nationalism) of Lithuanian lands in Russia began to distance themselves from the Polish-Lithuanian political movements after the actions and reprisals against the Narodnaya Volya, forming a more Russian-Belarusian-Polish identity.
A group more oriented towards Russia than was Lithuania in the political and cultural sense. Many of the Litvin spoke their 'native language' (Polish, Belarusian, sometimes Lithuanian) and Russian fluently, focusing on Russian political issues rather than Lithuanian issues.
A similar effect that had occurred with Poles in Ukrainian lands such as Princess Catherine Radziwiłł (1858-1941) of the Polish-Lithuanian dynasty of the Rzewuski (and a descendant of the Russian Dashkov, Stroganov, Pashkov and Vasilchikov dynasties), daughter of General Adam Adamowicz Rzewusk.
A Polish dynasty that had strongly lost its attachment to Poland and some members considered themselves simply Russians, showing how encompassing Russia was as a concept.
Even Ignacy Hryniewiecki of the Narodnaya Volya had identified himself more as a Litvin than a Pole (feeling that the Polish movements were little partisan).
The growing 'Litvin' and the separation caused between Lithuanian nationalist movements was a useful tool for the Russian government to continue dividing and controlling the region.
The Lithuanian nationalists were against the Litvin because they saw them as Lithuanians in the wrong way, and the Litvin did not want to be Lithuanian so they were more loyal to the state.
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[Ministry of war]
General Iosif Vladimirovich Romeyko-Gurko and General Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev were now two of the highest authorities within the Ministry of War in the Russian Empire.
This was seen in a good light, as Romeyko-Gurko and Skobelev were two veterans and heroes (to the Russian public) of the Russo-Turkish war of 76.
However, not everyone felt the same way, on the one hand both were seen as too 'restless', and the court mainly disliked Skobelev. But Tsar Alexander III liked to have both men in his service, so they continued there.
There were also the soldiers themselves, Romeiko-Gurko put the Russian army on constant alert, under the new minister training and refinement were the daily bread for every soldier.
Some of the strategies of Milyutin and Tsar Alexander III continued of course, war games, reviews of training and education, etc.
Skobelev, on the other hand, although he was also a coach of the troops, put administrative tasks as a priority in his work as deputy minister. Making sure the geographic information of the terrain of Russia (and border areas) was present for the troops, that everyone had boots, weapons and rations, etc.
* Perspective of Aleksei Brusilov.
"For some it is difficult to sleep at night in the border guard, not for me but for some it is. The ministry made it clear that the army is the first line of defense of the Russian Empire.
Every day an instructor or our commanders put us on exercises, not always the same, when the ministry says it is the last time, it is the last time.
War games are one thing, but being sharp every day is also important apparently. "
-Letter from Brusilov.
* Perspective of Mikhail Skobelev.
"Russia has a sacred mission, but I don't know if I'm ready or the one to continue it. How many Russian lives are wasted in each conflict, and how many will be wasted in the future?
I have been working with Loris-Melikov to root out the greatest incompetencies in the army and administration, but my mind still wanders on our future enemies.
The Turks, the Germans, etc. I have been working on some papers about the future wars that the Empire will suffer.
And I think there is still a lot of work to do, the army and the administration must be governed firmly, but with heart. "
- Writings from Skobelev to Ivan Aksakov.
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[Aceh]
With a port and a naval station in the Sultanate of Aceh, the Russian Empire began its most serious investment in the region to fulfill the agreements between the Sultan of Aceh and the Russian Tsar.
On the one hand, a military academy was formed that would train all types of Acehnese in the type of Russian service (mainly for fighting in the army but also for the navy), although bringing Russian military education for instructors it was obvious that in the immediate moment the best possibility for Aceh was guerilla fighting so it was obvious that there was training in that aspect as well.
Russia also brought in more modern military equipment (by Aceh standards) for native Acehnese troops and militias.
The commercial port was also put into operation for the transport of resources between Russia, Aceh and other nations-states, while the Russians also began to inspect what resources they could develop in the Aceh region.
Tribal support would be extremely useful for surveying, population control, and also dealing with animals and disease in the non-coastal regions of Aceh, where the Russians would have to build a minimum of infrastructure (although most would be concentrated on the coast). for clear reasons).
It was clear that Aceh was rich in biodiversity and ecology, so initially its main economic resources would be fishing (where fish farming was introduced) and modern elements of agriculture.
Later, more progress would have to be made in manufacturing and the extractive sector of the economy (minerals and potentially oil).
The Russian Empire began plans for the construction of a civil school to begin educating the Acehnese in mathematics, engineering, and other factual sciences.
Where the Jawi alphabet would be used and there would be Russian and Cyrillic writing classes.
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[International]
July 1, the General Order of Bardo is given, in which French troops under the infantry director Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger disembark with French troops in Tunisia with the support of the Austro-Hungarian navy (a navy with its own problems .. .) with the intention of bringing a French protectorate over Tunisia.
The kingdom of Italy promptly calls against the violation of Tunisian territory, mobilizing its own detachment (from the Italian modernization attempt) to proclaim an Italian protectorate over Tunisia (led by Bey Muhammed as-Sadiq).
This promptly erupts into increased tensions between Italy, France, Austria-Hungary, and Germany due to the conflict. In the skirmishes on the territory of Tunisia, Boulanger defeats the Italian army (with heavy casualties, but he does so).
Soon the German Empire under Bismarck is seriously pushed to call against France for such action in the face of the possibility of an Italian-French war, which puts pressure on the French Emperor Napoleon IV. France was simply not ready for a new war with Germany and Italy over Tunisia even with Italian support.
Boulanger is ordered to withdraw, forcing Bey Muhammed as-Sadiq to sign a treaty between Italy, Tunisia, and Germany (which put Tunisia under an Italian protectorate, but where the Germans also obtained certain economic advantages).
A territory that is insecure whether Italy can maintain or not ...
Boulanger becomes a hero (tragic in a sense) for his victory over the Italians, and uses this fame to keep the population happy towards the Bonapartist government, stressing that it is all the fault of the Germans (and Umberto I for being a 'puppet '). Boulanger and his growing followers even believe they could return to Tunisia in the future to claim her for France.
A revanchist and irredentist strategy to be sure, but the rural and angry population of France takes the bait.
At the international level, the threat posed by a colonial war becomes clearer.
In addition, the government of William Ewart Gladstone and English capitalists send money to France, in part helping the French economic reactivation (although its greatest growth would occur at other times) to try to put a counterweight to Germany and other colonial powers with their interests in the Mediterranean.
Although at the moment that seems impossible. However the world is full of surprises around every corner.
*******
July 2, President Winfield Scott Hancock presents his income-based fee bill, which President Hancock says will be a regional issue (meaning it will affect different regions differently).
Something that the Republicans obviously oppose, trying to get the support of the railroad workers.
On July 7, the first episode of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi, is published.
On July 14 and July 20, the International Anarchist Congress is held, with delegates from different parts of the world such as Marie Le Compte (America), Peter Kropotkin (Russia), Errico Malatesta (Italy), Saverio Merlino (Italy), Louise Michel (France), Nicholas Tchaikovsky and Émile Gautier (France).
July 14, Billy the Kid escapes from Law Enforcement Officer Pat Garret.
July 23, a new border treaty enters into action between Argentina and Chile, signed in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires.
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[Russia and Spain]
The Emperor of Russia Alexander III and the Carlist King of Spain Carlos VII finally agree on August 27 a transaction between Russia and Spain, where Spain sells the territories of New Philippines (Marshall Islands, Carolines and Palaus) to Russia in exchange of a monetary sum and aid for the Spanish reconstruction.
However, the exchange will take until 1882-1883 to be completed due to administrative issues and Russian inspections in the area.
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[Vladivostok and the Far East]
In mid-September some of the cities of the Russian Far East become the first cities of the Russian Empire to be illuminated through hydroelectric resources.
A remarkable fact regionally speaking.
On the other hand, the Serbskaya Elektricheskaya i Proizvodstvennaya Kompaniya under Nikola Tesla began to plan some ideas for the improvement of the telegraph network as part of their proposal for the work of the trans-Bering telegraph line to Alyáska.