How Did Alexander II Modernize Russia
Following Russia’s failure in the Crimean War, Alexander II saw the need to usher his country into the modern world through drastic measures, thus leading to his great reforms. The most significance changes were made between the years 1861-1871, in particularly, the social, political and military aspect of Tsarist Russia. The reforms implemented by the Tsar can be seen as Russia striving to emerge as a superpower amongst the West. There is historical controversy as the sources suggest that Alexander II used the reforms to strengthen autocracy and secure his position as Tsar; modernisation was merely a consequence to the events that took place within his regime. The interpretation that Alexander II’s reforms were for the benefit of the people
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One argument reveals that Alexander II used the emancipation of serfdom to restructure the military. It benefitted Russia in terms of attempting to regain it’s place as a great power. The short term significance to the abolition of serfdom in relation to the military was the social structure, which desperately needed to change in order to modernise, as western powers were propelling themselves into the era of modern warfare. In source seven, it supports the view that the Tsar’s military reform allowed Russia to take their first step in modernisation and establishing themselves as a great power, as it states: “the development of a more efficient and better-selected army and thus to allow Russia to regain her prestige as a European Great Power”. Although source seven agrees with the general view of positivity in the regime concerning modernisation, it also discusses the flaws - it shows the Minister of War criticising the size of the army, this is due to the large amount of peasants involuntarily being conscripted. Tsarist Russia had a dysfunctional army as the conscription of peasants, without their consent, created low morale and inefficiency within the army. One of the flaws concerning the army was the duration of a soldier’s service, this did not generate popularity for the Tsar. In source 3, the song ‘Soldiers had served the Czar’ provides an insight to the general spirit of a
One argument reveals that Alexander II used the emancipation of serfdom to restructure the military. It benefitted Russia in terms of attempting to regain it’s place as a great power. The short term significance to the abolition of serfdom in relation to the military was the social structure, which desperately needed to change in order to modernise, as western powers were propelling themselves into the era of modern warfare. In source seven, it supports the view that the Tsar’s military reform allowed Russia to take their first step in modernisation and establishing themselves as a great power, as it states: “the development of a more efficient and better-selected army and thus to allow Russia to regain her prestige as a European Great Power”. Although source seven agrees with the general view of positivity in the regime concerning modernisation, it also discusses the flaws - it shows the Minister of War criticising the size of the army, this is due to the large amount of peasants involuntarily being conscripted. Tsarist Russia had a dysfunctional army as the conscription of peasants, without their consent, created low morale and inefficiency within the army. One of the flaws concerning the army was the duration of a soldier’s service, this did not generate popularity for the Tsar. In source 3, the song ‘Soldiers had served the Czar’ provides an insight to the general spirit of a