Who benefited from Alexander II’s Reforms?
In this essay I will attempt to describe which social changes in Russia benefited from Alexander
II’s domestic reforms such as emancipation, legal, economical, educational, and censorship
reforms.
The emancipation can be seen as a half-filled promise by many and as a result only small groups
of people benefited. Most peasants had huge debts place upon them when they were forced to
buy their land from the nobility over 49 years, with overblown prices, and also with added
interest. However, in the Western Provinces, the authorities were much more Europeaninfluenced and took more compassionate measures with the freed serfs. While prices of land
almost doubled in the non-black soil provinces, prices in the Western Provinces even dropped
from an average of 184 to 183 million roubles. In these areas, the peasants seemed to profit from
the new freedom to travel, marry, trade, and live without having the crushing and repressing
debts that were found in other parts of Russia.
The nobles also had mixed fates after emancipation. Before, many were in large debts, and the
liberation meant that they could clear these debts and start fresh, but many failed to do so.
With their means of survival gone - the serfs – and now unable to finance their serfs for
additional funds, many nobles almost collapsed, but there were those whose lives took a turn for
the better. In the Ukraine and Georgia, many nobles entered the trade successfully and began
new, secure lives. The new found independence with steady profits was a welcome change for
those who industrial skills supplied with a source of income, independent of the peasantry.
However, the nobility still got redemption payments and it is calculated that between 1863 and
1872 they received 607 million roubles of compensation from the government and much of this
was invested in industry, which can only have contributed to the industrial boom of the 1870s,
benefiting the entire Russian population .
Alexander II also reformed the legal system in Russia. Before the reforms, there had been much
“corruption and bribery”. The nobles had a predilection in the previous system, but this new way
of delivering justice inclined towards equality, which did not favour the nobility but benefited the
peasants. For years, the peasantry had been cast aside as erratic and deceitful witnesses, but
with an attempt at equality, the peasants stated to find their voice. And their class also emerged
from these reforms that became well respected and reliable lawyers and judges. These, new,
often liberally minded people were experiencing the benefits of these reforms without a doubt.
The economical changes that Alexander II promoted were largely positive to all of Russia. It was
not so much as a change in law, but a renovation in outlook. Trade was promoted and pushed
forwards. Grain exports grew extremely during his reign, and Russian trade with other countries
expanded to a great extent. Domestically, things grew as well. In order to help assemble the
country and attempt to encourage trade, Russia lunged head first in the Industrial Revolution
and expanded her railway system from 7,000 to 140,000 miles. Not only did this benefit the
companies who contracted out to build the new system, but everyone in general felt the benefit
of the new railway system and the expansion of internal and external trade. The new supply of
Russian and foreign goods increased the standard of living in many areas; increase in good
variety of quantity is an economic definition of improved standards of living. The baking system
was improved, as now they were spread throughout Russia benefiting almost all of the
population. The Jews also benefited from these reforms as now they were allowed to live in the
reign and work there, not only on the outskirts of it.
The reform of 1863 increased the freedom of universities from government influence and yet
appointments to academic posts were still closely vetted by the government. The setting up of
large numbers of new secondary schools in 1864 can only have benefited the youth of Russia.
However these reforms were altered by the new minister of education, Dmitry Tolstoy, who split
the new schools in 1867 into 'classical' and 'realistic' categories. Tolstoy also ensured that the
fees were much higher for 'Classical' schools and this meant that only the sons of the wealthy
nobility could attend, thereby safeguarding against the perceived dangers of educating the lower
classes. Once again, although provision for education had been increased, it was the wealthy
nobility who benefited most. Women particularly benefited from these liberal Reforms as now
there were admitted in various Universities and had special courses created for them. The
government also became more unified and organized. The creation of a unified treasury and the
establishment of government budgets for the entire Russian nation had a beneficial impact on
the country, as an organized lead can control and direct the body with greater success and
reward.
Lastly, I think it is fair to say that Russia largely benefited from the reforms in censorship by
Alexander II. Under Nicholas I, the censorship laws were way tight and restricting. After the
assassination attempt on Alexander II, there were more restrictions, on the publishing
companies, and even one periodical was shut down and many were given warnings. Even though
this was happening, progressive laws were passed omitting academic and educational groups
from preliminary censorship. On the whole, books published expanded greatly, which benefited
all. The availability of books increased literary rates and life quality of most Russians increased.
Alexander II’s censorship reforms were greatly beneficial to all.
On the whole, peasants benefited more than the nobles. The economy, publishing companies,
and the legal system were improved, leading to benefits all around. Reforms in higher education,
relaxation of censorship regulations, new developments in finance, trade, communications, and
reform in the army were all towards the benefit of Russia as a whole, and aiding it to move away
from a feudal society into a modern capitalist society. These reforms benefited the revolutionary
minds of Russia in that they wanted to take things further, after all, autocracy still remained. This
was an era of rising, now more and more radical intelligentsia were becoming attracted to the
prospect of popular revolution as the only means to achieve proper 'great reform.'