Alexander II has been considered “a great historical figure without being a great man, that what he did was more important than what he was.” ( W.E Mosse) For 26 years, Czar Alexander II ruled russia. During his reign, he made his mark on history by stepping outside of the box and going to extreme measures to help his people. He has been labeled as the “Liberator of tsar” for the ending of serfdom. Czar Alexander II of Russia has made an impact on history because of his interesting background, fatal assassination, and the changes made after his assassination.
One of the main contributors to Alexander II intriguing assassination is his background. Alexander II was born in Moscow on April 29th, and became Tsar of Russia in 1855. “Educated by private tutors, he also had to endure rigorous military training that permanently damaged his health.” (Simkin) He became Czar because his father, Tsar Nicholas I, died of pneumonia and he refused to receive any medical treatment. After his father died and he took the throne, and married the daughter of a Grand Duke named Marie Alexandrovna. After they married, he signed the Treaty of Paris in 1856 and began proposing legislative acts. According to Russiapedia.rt.com, soon after Marie’s health began to go downhill and she passed away, he married his mistress. Her name was Princess Catherine Dolgorukova, and finally after hiding their relationship for 14 years they could be together without Alexander being unfaithful to Mary. After he remarried, Czar Alexander continued to make reforms, and many of his reforms included helping the serfs of Russia gain freedom. “Other reforms introduced by Alexander included improved municipal government and universal military training.” (Simkin) The exp...
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...e made his assassination stand out in history.
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After the assassination of Alexander the Great in 1881 by Russian socialist revolutionaries, Alexander III ascended to the throne and began to develop a reactionary policy that would be used to suppress the power of anti-tsarist rivals (Kort 23). In the late 1800s, Tsar Alexander III was faced with growing insurrection from the populist peasants, who were demanding more freedoms and land under the Tsarist regime. However, he was unwilling to give up his traditional centralized authority for a more democratic system of ruling. Instead, he sought political guidance from his advisor, Konstantin Pobedonostsev, an Orthodox religious conservative and loyal member of the Russian autocracy. Pobedonostsev was quick to hound revolutionaries by means
The first matter to consider is what constitutes “greatness”. There are no set standards no checklist, to apply to a person, to determine it they are “great.” The simplest way that I could conceive to decide whether this title should apply to Alexander was to determine if he was, in some way, superior to the rulers that came before or after his reign. The most obvious place for me to start my consideration is with Alexander’s vast accomplishments as a conquerer.
Nicholas II ruled Russia from 1894-1917 and was to be its final tsar. He ascended the throne under the impression that he would rule his whole life as it's undisputed leader. Accompanied by his wife, Alexandra, they lived a comfortable life of luxury while the country suffered around them. Nicholas was determined to rule as harshly as his father; however, he was a very weak and incompetent character who did not posses the qualities capable of guiding Russia through its time of turmoil.
Thirty years before the assassination, Alexander II drafted and successfully executed his reform plans in every aspect of the Russian Empire. Self-governing power was given to serfs, the cities became more independent, education system and access to education had been eased and improved and major overhaul of outdated military forces had been successfully executed. Russia is finally on her right path. After the assassination, Alexander III was crowned as Tsar Alexander III. One of the first projects Alexander III began his work on was Church of the Savior.
It is indisputable that Nicholas II had a substantial influence on the demise of the dynasty. He had an ardent devotion to his family, he was kind with only benevolent intentions towards his wife and children. It was this devotion that ultimately shifted Nicholas’s priorities, putting his role as a father and husband above his role as a Tsar.
One of Russia’s finest leaders was Catherine II. Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great was a leader who used her power to benefit Russia for advancement in the future and to lead Russia to be one of the most successful countries in Europe at that time. Catherine ruled the Russian Empire from 1762 until her death in 1796, she was very focused on the political and foreign advancements of the Russian Empire. Much of what she did during her rule in the late 1700’s has assisted Russia in the advancements that they have made as a country today. Catherine II was good to her people and also cared very much about their rights, she developed laws to assist the people and to further benefit Russia as a nation.
"Prominent Russians: Mikhail Gorbachev." Mikhail Gorbachev – Russiapedia Leaders Prominent Russians. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
The main challenge Alexander II faced in his projects towards modernization of Russia was a compromise between advancing his state thorough improving the lives of his subjects, without falling prey to the demand for further reforms he would be unable to satisfy. Westwood, revisiting Russian History in 1981 phrased the problem as follows: “how to advance the education of the state by educating the people, without educating the people to questions the state? ”.
Alexander was intreged with the devlopment of railways and headed the project himself. His interest lay within the notion, that a expansive railway sytem would lead to increased military proformence, as well as a more productive way to harvest the natural resources Russia has to offer. Inevidably this lead to the Chechnya, previously fought by Peter the Great and Cathirena ...
Have you heard of a man named Alexander the Great, the famous historical figure? There are many amazing stories about him explaining the courageous things he had accomplished. However, if you learn more about him and his accomplishments you will soon realized the real person Alexander was. Alexander the Great, ruler of his empire was in fact not great as his title states. The definition of great is a person who shows concern for others, has leadership and shows intelligence. Alexander didn’t show any of these characteristics therefore he doesn’t deserve the title of “great”.
Alexander the Great (July 356BC – June 323BC) was King of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon. By the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world. He remained undefeated in battle and is considered one of history’s most successful Military commanders. Historians’ have offered theories which could explain Alexander’s motivation to conquer so much of the known world. Some suggest that Alexander was an idealistic visionary who sought to unite the world, whereas others argued that he was a fascist whose hunger for power drove him. The Ancient Greeks were driven by love of honour (philotimaea) and their desire for greatness. They were competitive, always striving to better one another.
Alexander the Not so Great:history through Persian eyes by Prof Ali Ansari Paragraph 1 Page
Jarus, Owen. "Alexander the Great: Facts, Biography, and Accomplishments." 27 September 2013. livescience. Document. 27 October 2013.
The reign of Nicholas II catalysed the downfall of Tsardom. His lack of concern for civil liberties and political sternness directly lead to the revolutions. However, it was not just the weak leading of Tsar Nicholas II but rather the whole system of autocracy that was to blame for Russia’s misfortune, with its ideology fundamentally primitive and oppressive towards the greater population. The Russian society was formed around a hierarchy that was inefficient and degenerate to those below. This would lead to economic and social problems for the people of Russia, as well as a lack of progression and eventually, downfall.
"Alexander the Great - National Geographic." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Apr. 2012. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.