Emancipation Of The Serfs Essay
While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (emancipation of the serfs)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!
History Essay
Why did emancipation take place in Russia in 1861?
The emancipation of the Serfs, the peasants owned by the nobility and the rich, was a question that plagued Tsars years before Alexander II granted the Emancipation Ukase in February 1861. In 1858 the serfs of private landowners comprised 22.8 million persons and for centuries had being providing, along with the state peasants, the backbone to Russia economy and comprised a large percentage of all the recruits in the Russian military. So why then, did both Alexander II and preceding him Nicholas I emphasise the need for reform and change to what was one of the longest running traditions, and would cause massive waves in an traditionally autocratic and reactionary kingdom?
In March 1855 Alexander II succeeded his father, Nicholas I, who died during the Crimean War. Within a year of the new Tsar s accession Russia had been ominously defeated by British and French troops and the Russian military was in ruins. Russia s failure to compete with the European powers prompted Alexander (and for the fist time, the majority of influential people) to recognise the real need for change. Alexander publicly stated that the emancipation of the serfs was inevitable and in the course of 1857 the political initiatives were taken that led to the Emancipation Ukase of 19th February 1861.
Various explanations have been put forward for Alexander s momentous decision to free the peasants. Some historians stress economic considerations, others emphasise the government s fear of unrest, the role of liberal and humanitarian ideas, or military and fiscal motives. What can be agreed upon however, is the Crimean effect, acting as the catalyst for change by shattering the image of a powerful Russia that not only Russians themselves believed, but also other European powers respected and feared. The internal crisis resulting from the war brought to a head within the government all the pre-existing pressures for reform. There is considerable indirect evidence that motives of military efficiency played a major part in the Tsars course of action. Russia s status as a great power rested entirely on the reputation of her army; Alexander s upbringing, and his fathers influence in particular had instilled in him a concern for military values, and throughout his reign he took a great personal interest in the reorganisation of the army.
The collapse of Russia s status as a great power exposed the backwardness of the Russian state, and the reasons and answers to Russia s failure lay with its Peasants and Farmers, for while Britain was undergoing industrialisation, peasants were still strip farming individual lands under the control of rich nobles. These medieval methods needed to be remedied, and the failure of Serfdom, not just for the Serfs but for the entire Russian economy was now finally recognised.
Serfdom was largely failing the Serfs because the system was unable to match the population growth with an increasing rate of productivity and as the population grew the serfs found themselves descending into intolerable poverty. Serfdom was failing the nobility because it failed to provide them with adequate income to meet their needs, which led to increasing debt on their part, and massive mortgaging of the serfs to the state. It was also the key factor behind the stagnation of the Russian economy, because it did not encourage experiment or innovation. However, the economic argument does not provide the whole answer to the Emancipation of the Serfs. Soviet historians, working within the conceptual framework of Marxism have naturally place much emphasis on economic reasons, however it can be argued the Serfdom was not the only barrier to the expansion of Russian industry. Undoubtedly without serfdom industrial growth might have been much greater and faster, yet other reasons like the Empire unfavourable climate; the uneven distribution of its natural resources; the inadequate development of a network of transport and communications have been seen as major obstacles to the growth of Russian industry.
With the rapid population growth, the limited amount of land for peasants to work on and the slow increase in productivity there often was not enough food, which led to a growing tide of unrest. Many historians believe that the fear of agrarian disturbances was a major reason for the reform policies. In his famous speech of 30th March 1856, Alexander II told the marshals of the nobility of Moscow province that it was better for emancipation of the peasants came from above rather than from below . In these words the Tsar appeared to clearly indicate that the governments main motive in considering emancipation was its concern with peasant unrest directed against serfowners. Yet, ironically, in previous reigns, the prospect of peasant unrest unleashed by expectation of reform had been adduced as a major argument against emancipation: this was the law and order justification for preserving the status quo. Undoubtedly ministers were concerned with serf unrest, yet it seems that Alexander may have tailored his argument to suit his audience, conjuring the spectre of Pugachev s revolt of 1773-5 in order to persuade the nobility to agree to reform. There was little danger of peasant revolution, as the peasants themselves had very narrow horizons, and only knew of their local surroundings and situation. They had no real wish to rise against the Tsar, as they still saw him as the divine representation on earth. They blamed local authorities...
MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 23 May, 2012 from
<http://essaymania.com/139568/emancipation-of-the-serfs>
More College Papers
Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy essay
Cognitive Behaviourial Therapy
Cognitive behaviourial therapy is used to treat and prevent depressive disorders. The title of this article is basically self explanatory, Cognitive Therapy with an Adolescent to Prevent Relapse of Psychotic Disorder. Writers Dr. Sally Beeken and Dr. Kedar Dwivedi us
The Advancement Of Technology essay
The Advance of Technology and Pollution
Here is a quote that I believe tells the entire story of mankind s existence: "Man's long adventure with knowledge has, to a very marked degree, been a climb up the heat ladder.... Today the flames grow hotter in the furnaces.... The creature that crept furr
A Woman Scorned essay
The Cook, the Thief, his Wife, and her Lover by Peter Greenway is an astounding tale of sex, deceit, corruption, and abuse. This movie is partial about a woman named Georgina and the relationship she holds between her and the two men in her life, Michael and Albert. Michael is her lover and Albert,