Alexander II: the Way into Power and Main Changes

It is important to note Alexander II came into power as the new Tsar at a critical and notable time following the slow pace and anti-climactic rule of his father Nicholas. In order to define him as ‘the tsar liberator’ is important to define the points that would make him deserving of this title in his reign such as: the emancipation of the surfs, with the correct and humane redemption payments and policies such as the emancipation edict.

Some historians believe that although Alexander legally freed these surfs the policies he put in place surrounding the emancipation meant that they were still ruled and controlled with an iron fist with a few elements of freedom which could easily be defined as mediocre. It's vital to remember that serfdom was an economic institution and a tool of social control that had become the norm, therefore Alexander II's decision to abolish it may be considered a liberal reform. When you look at the conditions of the emancipation edict closely, it appears to be less of freedom. This is because the peasants had to pay redemption fees for 49 years and never received enough land to meet their needs. With all the information provided it is clear to see this reform was simply to preserve power and preserve the peace rather than a sincere desire to liberate.

Alexander as a Tsar showed bravery in his quick reforms however on the flip side this also showed a lack of intuition and a lack of pragmaticism in his character. This is specifically shown in the reforms linked to the unintentional effects of the Zemstva. Moving away from his father's repressive policies, meant this was a significant stride that meant more people had access to information that allowed them to create a better educated public opinion. This demonstrates Alexander's lack of foresight, since with this newfound access came the potential to criticize the ruling government, resulting in tsarist criticism.

On the flip side the military reforms introduced by Alexander could be said to be a success or otherwise known as a greater success then his previous policies. His top aim was to create a smaller, better-trained army. Knowledge, rather than numbers, is the source of power. This reform was accepted with open arms by the peasants who were now only recruited for 6 years unlike the previous ‘life sentence’ in the army the endured. This made him popular among the many, who as we know the peasants took up the biggest population in societies hierarchy at this point. However, like all of Alexander's reforms the success was limited, specifically shown through their narrow and just about defeat of Turkey. As historian Virginia Aksan said the battle could be compared to ˜the one-eyed beating the blind.

In my opinion, Alexander could not be given the title as the Tsar liberator because the changes Alexander instituted did not achieve total peasant independence, and despite the obvious need to move Russia ahead socially and economically, the reforms never addressed the concerns in depth.