In what ways, and with what success, did Alexander II attempt to modernize Russia and preserve imperial power?
Tsar Alexander II started was coroneted in 1855, during the Crimean War. He ended the war and negotiate the peace, which was a failure for state and shock for society. That made an atmosphere in which he could introduce required reforms. In years from 1855 to around 1870 he tried to change the Russian backward Russia into powerful European country, which could be compared to the West. THE first crucial reform he tried to implement was abolishing of serfdom. In the second year of his regime he signalized that necessity. He implemented liberal changes in universities, an in legal area. He gave bigger autonomy for Finland and Poland. What’s more, his reform from the beginning seem to be liberal but indeed there didn’t change anything radically. Even if they had some liberal elements it was minority. At the same time, he enforced both types of reform, which took effect that both conservatism and liberals were against him. Son of Nicholas I saw the Russian difficulties and he wanted to improve Russia functioning, however he had any intention in limitation of his power.
Alexander II was prepared for doing his duties. He had a governmental
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He made the trials public, judges started to be nominated by Tsar for their life and create the appeal courts. He formed the Justice of Peace, which take care of local troubles. On the local level he formed the local governments -zemstvas, elected by residents. Operated under strict supervision of stat administrations they took care of non-political issues which impacted the people. In that way Alexander II highly improved the local administration. They were democratic to some extend (quotas to number of nobility, peasants and clergy in one zamstva) and Tsar remodelled the system in democratic, modern way and in the same time he had the whole control over