Alexander II, 1855–81

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ID: 323745
2026
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Abstract
This chapter examines Alexander II's reign and explains how pragmatic conservatism, shaped by crisis after the Crimean War, drove sweeping yet cautious reform across imperial Russia. It analyses the emancipation of the serfs, highlighting economic inefficiency, social unrest, and moral critique, while outlining land settlements, redemption payments, communal organization, and their unintended consequences. The chapter then presents the Great Reforms in local government, law, censorship, finance, and the military, emphasising their modernizing aims, administrative limits, and role in fostering limited civic participation. It further explores imperial expansion, national tensions, revolutionary movements, and foreign policy, showing how reform both stabilized and destabilized autocracy within a changing social and international context. Finally, the chapter evaluates the contradictions of reform, arguing that it advanced modernization while preserving elite interests, thereby intensifying discontent and revolutionary pressures.
Reference Key
openalex_W7172410839 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, Mark D. Steinberg
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/hepl/9780197875070.003.0027
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/hepl/9780197875070.003.0027
Keywords Keywords not found

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