Tsar Alexander Ii Essay examples

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Question: “His measures of reform did not disguise his belief in the need to maintain autocratic rule.” To what extent do you agree with this point of view?

Tsar Alexander II had many reforms. He was an autocratic ruler who began his reforms in Russia in 1855. Some claim that his reforms were proof of his liberal attitude and others argue that he was primarily a traditionalist, this essay will explore to what extent both of arguments are accurate depictions of “The last great tsar.”
When Alexander II came to power he was already faced with a series of problems, the Crimean war (1854-56) being a key one. Russia’s defeat in the Crimean war resulted in the realization that Russia was in fact a backward nation, and in need of …show more content…
The serfs were also economic slaves because of redemption payments which had to be paid for 49 years, these redemption payments in turn had a big impact on Russia because Alexander II failed to realize that to advance industrially he needed a middle class; and this would not be possible seeing as most of the peasants still lived in poverty due to redemption costs, which were just to unrealistic for the peasants to be able to pay off. Alexander II also said “It is better to emancipate the serfs from above than to wait until it abolishes itself from below.” This quote could serve to say that he was somewhat conservative; he initiated a little change in order to keep things the same. One could also contribute to this idea by stating that serfdom was abolished due to Alexander’s desire to be in control of the matter, he wanted to have complete regulation and maintain his rule as an autocrat.
The Judicial reforms although even Lenin agreed they were impressive are still questionable seeing as there was still a third section, which could arrest people on demand, again this reflects a visage of control created by the Tsar. An example of Alexander’s traditionalist ways is the dismissal of the Duma (a Russian parliament). Alexander II was particularly clear about him not wanting a
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