1. Alexander II- Emancipation of the Serfs

2. Overview
Crimean War consequences were profound- humiliation and loss of power
Social and economic backwardness had been exposed- folly of the reliance on serfs
Alexander II would face these issues head on and produce one of the most important reforms in Russia’s history
He allows the Tsarist autocracy to relax a little, in doing so he would unwittingly encourage opposition from those who wanted much more than “a little” of the relaxation

3. Who is depicted here?
Comment on the way the throne is illustrated
What is represented by the background (behind his head and shoulders)
How useful is this piece of historical evidence?
“The Young Czar coming into his property”- Punch (British Magazine) 1855

4. Overview
Alexander II accession coincides with the disastrous defeat in the Crimean War
Alexander II needed little persuasion that reforms were needed (military and administrative)
The most pressing issue- serfs- their bondage was an obstruction to economic progress and military efficiency
1861 serfs are emancipated- but it creates (or simply exasperates) problems that are unresolved

6. Alexander II 1818- 1881 (assassinated)
An enlightened thinker, raised by a liberal minded tutor, raised to be Tsar- very contrasting
Dostoevsky refers to him as the Great Liberator (Brothers Karamazov)
He is a liberator in label only- the autocracy is barely changed- periods of reaction
“No hard centre to the reign, no discernible pattern, in the end everything turned sour” or “no other Russian ruler did so much to reduce the suffering of the Russian people”

7. Alexander II
The truth is that his reign was full of violence, opposition, emancipation and reaction
Alexander was raised to be Tsar (different than Nicholas I)- travelled throughout Russia at 19
Married a lower German princess (Nicholas was NOT happy), became part of the machinery of the Tsarist state- was welcomed as a liberal when he ascended the throne

8. Early Changes
Retained the majority of his father’s ministers (conservatives), however he dismissed the ministers of Internal Affairs and Roads and Internal Affairs)
Allowed Catholic Church in Poland greater freedom, less censorship in universities in Russia
The day he became Tsar he freed political prisoners (Decembrists), cancelled taxes owed, halted any military recruitment for 3 years, and eased restrictions on travel outside of Russia
Sounds like a liberal...

9. Early Changes
“Jealous of his own power”- no intention of loosening his power surrounded himself with both conservatives and enlightened thinkers
March 1856, at the time, didn't appear to be much of a big event, pretty standard meeting of Russian nobility, however it is now looked at much differently
“It is better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait until the serfs begin to liberate themselves from below. I ask you gentlemen to think of ways of doing this.. Pass my words to the nobles for consideration”
Does Alexander proceed with emancipation because he felt he had to or because he was genuine lets committed to reform?

10. Motivations
“The Emancipation had to be, he knew, but he did not like it”- Crankshaw
“It was fear, not philanthropy, which forced him on a path that was essential for the economic and political survival of the empire”- Wood
“Since he was a child, Alexander believed that ownership of serfs was contrary to the teachings of the Bible and spoke of this idea to his father”- Graham
It takes until 1861 for the aspects of the emancipation to be worked out

11. The Serfs
53 million serfs- 90% of the Russian population- half were pomeshchik (privately owned serfs-), the rest were state serfs
Most serfs “worked the land” two different types- barschina (paid masters in labour) and obruk (paid masters in rent- could therefore practise a trade in addition to farming)
However for obruk, there is little motivation as a landlord will always increase rent in one of their serfs is doing well
1.4 million household serfs- paid masters in domestic duties
Serfs lives in rural communes, Mir, where elders controlled their lives in consultation with the lord

12. Why Emancipation and not Reform?
Interesting historical study- were Russian serfs better off than free peasants and labourers elsewhere in Europe? What's the difference?
Regardless all serfs were simply at the mercy of their stewards (not the landlord)
The serfs were the master’s property- could be separated from their families, sold like cattle, subject to severe corporal punishment, conscripted to the army for 25 years, couldn't marry without approval by the lord, rampant sexual abuse and exploitation
The only thing a lord was not legally entitled to do to their serfs was execute them

14. Living Conditions
Horrific poverty- Russia is big, it is never good to generalize in history, but…
1841 report on the condition of the serfs prepared for Nicholas I- the majority of all serfs throughout the year were on the verge of starvation
Alcoholism was rampant (probably makes sense)
“The peasant- always facing compulsion, desperate in his worries, on the edge of destitution- relies on cunning and deceit to see him through life’s difficulties. Without any education, they grow up like savages”

15. Early Attempts
1762 Nobles were no longer required to serve in the civil service (original justification for serfs)
A few regulatory changes occurred- serfdom was abolished in the Baltic states in (but serfs did not gain access to land there)
Serfdom became regulated in in Ukraine (land allotments and landlord obligations recorded)
Nicholas I- “serfdom is an evil palpable to all”- ten secret meetings about it
1847 Ukases- serfs could buy their freedom to pay for landlords debts when an estate was sold at auction

16. A thought of mine…
Can we know how Russian serfs themselves felt about their lives at this time?
Based on the characteristics of their lives- we make an assumption about how they felt-
Could our assumptions about the feelings of serfs actually be wrong?

17. “It is better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait until the serfs begin to liberate themselves from below. I ask you gentlemen to think of ways of doing this.. Pass my words to the nobles for consideration”
1856

18. Arguments in Favour of Emancipation
Economics
Military
Moral and Intellectual
Practical