Russian Reforms In The 19th Century

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In the 19th century, Tsarist Russia was in need of various significant reforms and changes. Westernizers and Slavophiles had varied points of view about how Russia should be governed and what to be done with the crumbling country. Slavophiles believed in conserving traditional Russian autocracy and Russian culture and tradition, while Westernizers sought to modernize and adopt western beliefs and systems. These two viewpoints can be generalized into two main categories; liberal and conservative. From the years 1855-1881, Alexander II led the autocracy. He was known to by many as the “great reformer”, because he emancipated the serfs and put in place many other radical reforms. After the assassination of Alexander II, his son, Alexander …show more content…

Although many policies were tweaked and changed, the extensive power of the autocracy was not affected by the reforms. The government reform that Alexander II established was made up of local governments that divided the country into provinces and districts, which each province and district was then put under the control of government systems referred to as zemstvas and dumas. This strengthened the autocracy by allowing Russia to have a more organized control over the country. Although this reform, and many others, improved not only public health, but literacy rates, and mortality rates as well. Nonetheless, because of the overwhelming power within the autocracy, the reforms do not change the simple fact that the tsar can overrule any decisions made anywhere within government. The Orthodox church during both the rule of Alexander II and Alexander III, had a special relationship with the autocracy, allowing it to use the church to manipulate and influence the public. The Orthodox church acted as a process used by the Tsar to influence loyalty to the tsar through preaching. Alexander II, in one way or another had to put in place some reforms, his reforms were ultimately to modernize the least he had to. Alexander II realized that some reform was necessary to enhance nationalism, and to keep all groups in the population in some way satisfied, all

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