For what Reasons, and with what Results, Did Alexander III (Alexander Alexandrovitch) Try to Reform Russian Institutions?

In the Russia of the second half of the 19th century, millions of peasants lived in serfdom, a political system that had been present in Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Many viewed Russia as a barbarian, uncivilized land. The Tsar at the time, Alexander II, tried to reform the system, while maintaining a state of autocracy, a sort of political evolution which the royal family believed would help them maintain power. The serfs, peasants who were neither educated, landowners or wealthy, were treated as slaves. …