Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Alexander II, a Russian Tsar famous for his great reforms, contrasting his success at helping Russia to move forward in her time of crisis with his attempts at overcoming opposition to his rule. The writer describes how Alexander, inheriting a Russia in economic and social crisis, began an era of reform by emancipating the serfs, and then initiating naval and military reform as well as local government and municipal reform. However, as soon as he faced any kind of negativity from the opposition, Alexander quickly became brow-beaten and allowed himself to be bullied into decisions. This inability to deal with criticism was eventually to lead to his assassination.

From the Paper:

"The previous ruler of Russia, Tsar Nicholas I (Alexander's father), had imposed upon Russia rigid censorship and repression against the people after coming to the throne in a period of attempted revolution. This greatly displeased the Russian people, in particular the intellectuals who had seen the development of equality and general social-forwardness of the West. Of course, the peasants of Russia (who made up 94% of the entire Russian population) were also deeply dissatisfied. Of the peasantry, around 50% were serfs (workers bound to the land they worked on and owned by their landlords), and under Nicholas' rule they were treated extremely harshly by their landlords. When Alexander came to the throne, the unrest among the serfs had risen to a level that was threatening revolt."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org
• John Hite, Tsarist Russia 1801-1917, Causeway Press Ltd, 2004.
• Philip Cummins, Russia 1800 - 1914, Hodder & Stoughton, 1996.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica

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