Emancipation of the Serfs

A detailed Summary of Emancipation of the Serfs

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 inevit

So why, if for such a long period Serfdom had been recognised as 'evil', did it not come sooner?

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.

Fear of change and vested interests are key factors. Real changes would have seen the loss of land and service for the nobility, and uncertainty over what, and should replace serfdom led to inaction. Even when Alexander announced his intentions the nobles attempted to delay his decisions, hoping that he would drop the idea as other monarchs before him had done so. There was an intense desire among the Russian elite to avoid 'weaknesses' and problems that freedom had brought in Western countries, and coupled with that was the very real fear of revolution, and the sweeping away from below of the autocracy. Indeed 80% of the population was made of peasants, and, as with George Orwell's novel '1984', if they had the intelligence and could be correlated, the masses could have easily risen against their masters and overturn centuries of totalitarianism. This brings up the point of the attitude of the peasants themselves, which has been described by historians as 'fatalistic.' Their horizons barely stretched beyond that of their own villages, comprehension of anything outside Russia was practically non-existent. They did not blame their problems on the Tsar or 'System' but rather with corrupt local officials and landlords, therefore their anger, when aroused, was directed at something they could comprehend. Peasants did not have the time, inclination or possibly the conceptual grasp to worry about 'rights,' starvation was a big enough worry, and ridding themselves of their landlords was sufficient insubordination.

In conclusi

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Approximate Word count = 1809
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History