1. History 440: Alexander II, “Tsar Liberator”

2. Alexander II, r. 1855-1881 Born April 1818 Eldest son of Nicholas I Tutor: Vasily Zhukovsky – founder of Russian Romanticism Kindness, warmth, humane Toured Europe and 20 provinces Potential not anticipated. Adhered to no particular set of ideas, neither a radical or a reactionary

3. Coronation 26 August/7 September 1856 Ended the war, then celebration. Count von Moltke’s account: ritual, riches, ceremony. “Behind the troops stood the bearded populace, with heads uncovered, close together, but without crowding.” Queen mother Church’s role

4. Causes of the Great Reforms Crimean War, 1853-1856 – Humiliating defeat on “Russian” soil – Defeat greatly undermined Romanovs’ legitimacy. – Exposed army’s problems, especially recruitment “non-system” and poor quality of soldiers. – technological inadequacies: Railroad telegraph (dispatches took 7.5 days to Piter) Symptoms of a larger, key problem: serfdom Emergence of “enlightened” bureaucracy Earlier reform attempts

5. Emancipation of serfs, 1861 1857: Polish nobles of Lithuania complained. 1858: Alexander called for committees to “improve the condition of peasants.” Two proposals: with or without land 3 March 1861: Emancipation Manifesto – 23 million serfs emancipated – Got the worse half of the land – Had to pay for it over 49 years – Strengthened and empowered the village commune “mir” or “obshchina” – in charge of land redistribution.

6. 1861 manifesto proclaimed Bezdna uprising, April 1861: Kazan province 5000 peasants Up to 91 killed 350 wounded Black Repartition (Chornyi peredel)

7. Other Great Reforms 1864: Judicial reform New penal code Simplified and liberalized court system: – Equality before the law – Public hearings – Trial by jury – Professional legal advocate for all parties Abolished death penalty

8. Other Great Reforms 1864: Local Government reform Zemstvo: local self-government, five curia: – large landed proprietors – small landowners, clergy in their capacity of landed proprietors – wealthier townsmen – less wealthy urban classes; – delegates of the peasants, elected by the volosts Not democracy (nobles were 74% of members, but 1.3% of population) But greater representation.

9. Other Great Reforms 1874: Military reform: universal military conscription army reserve military district system building of strategic railways Better military education of officer corps