Russia Change over Time

With many new factors making the world globalized and as steps were taken toward modernization in the 1700s, the world underwent many changes, however still keeping some of its initial traditions. From 1700-1900 in Eastern Europe, the economy had switched from agricultural to manufacturing due to the growth of factories and industry in the 1800s and serfdom was abolished, however the tsars still remained the center of authority. In 1700, the world was becoming globalized as the New World was brought into the world economy. Most nations were ruled by absolute monarchies with divine right. This was true in Eastern Europe, where the tsars of Russia had complete control. Society had a rigid social structure based on serfdom and there was very limited social mobility. The economy was based upon that of agriculture and crops such as wheat and barley and labor was done by hand, as was rest of the world since industrialization had not occurred yet. Russia was expanding its borders under powerful tsars and was a great world power. In 1700, serfdom had been what Eastern European society was based on in Russia. Serfs were tied to the land as a limited form of slavery. While forms of democracy was spreading across the globe in the late 1700s, Russia was behind and barely affected by the new ways of nationalism inspired by the French Revolution. However, Alexander II had serfdom abolished in the 1861 because he did not believe a country could compete in the modern world if it was based on slavery. However, although serfdom had ended, the status of the peasants did not as remnants of the class structure remained and the liberated serfs remained at the bottom of the social ladder. By the 1860s, when Russia was industrializing, the role the lower class played in society would shift as the liberated serfs moved to the cities to seek work in the factories. This change exists because of the severe hardships in the rural population due to increased taxes on the land. The