Key Debate 3 - How far were Alexander II's reforms due to the Crimean War?

Question 1

How far were Alexander II’s reforms due to the Crimean War?

3 Crimean, 7 Other

Answer 1

Crimean War

• The loss revealed weaknesses w serfdom and its usefulness for warfare. They were poorly trained and uncommitted
• Soldiers were poorly equipped due to an inefficient economy due to feudalism and no industrialisation.
• Lack of infrastructure to supply the army was evident, AII addressed this by increased railways from 3k km to 22k km.

Other reasons for the reforms -

• Heavy unrest (712 uprisings between 1826-54), 50 strikes a year in the early 1850’s, 70 a year in the late 1850’s
• Demands from politicians and entrepreneurs for more labour to work on things such as railways
• Population growth in a country that was geared for subsistence rather than surplus. Famines were very frequent
• Poor productivity. Production per hectare was less than 50% of Britian’s
• The serfs were not inspired to work particularly hard on producing more food due to the fact that any profit was often taken by the landowner - they would receive the same earnings and amount of food regardless of the success of their production
• 90% of Russians worked in agriculture so a deficit was disastrous, unable to compete in their prices with the mechanized and efficient farming methods of the Western nations
• ‘Better to destroy serfdom from above than wait until that time when it begins to destroy itself from below’ - Alexander II to Russian nobles. Suggests that he thought unrest would destroy it sooner or later

Question 2

Crimean War being the cause Eval.

Answer 2

Crimean War may have been the catalyst for change, bringing issues with serfdom to the forefront and how Russia could not compete with the West both economically or in combat, essentially the issues were exigent (unignorable). However, an end to serfdom was largely due to other issues, such as the poor productivity and need for vast industrialisation & modernisation