Alexander II's reforms

• Personal: Alexander II recognized that reform was needed to protect autocracy and strengthen Russia

• Political: After the shock defeat at the Crimean war, it was accepted that the tsarist system needed reform since it was lagging behind it’s European neighbors

• Economic: serfdom was blamed for rising debt. By 1859 landlords had mortgaged 66% of their serfs as security for loans to finance their extravagant lifestyles

Emancipation of serfs 1861

Key aspects of the arrangements:

1. most peasants received slightly less land than they had worked before. The supply of good quality and affordable land available to peasants was limited so many received strips of land that were hard to maintain. As a result, most peasants had to work for much of the year as hired labour on the noble’s remaining land.

2. the landowners received above market value for the land they were handing over to the peasants. It’s estimated that the landlords retained 2/3 of the land while peasants only received 1/3

3. the powers of the Mir were strengthened for administrative reasons and as a mechanism for keeping order in the countryside. On one hand, the peasants were more self-governing but for the individual peasant it was renewed dependence