Tsar Alexander III's Reign
The reign of Tsar Alexander II was one that demonstrated a great
change in action, attitude and policy to that of his father, Tsar
Alexander II, 'The Tsar Liberator.' Historians have long labelled Tsar
Alexander II as a Liberal, reforming ruler and his son as a
reactionary, oppressive heir to his legacy. Hingley argues that his
thirteen years of reign were spent '...systematically destroying all
of his father's work. The choice facing Tsar Alexander III when he
ascended to the throne was a difficult one. There were two routes that
he could follow: to continue the tentative steps that his father had
made into reform or to back track into Conservatism in an attempt to
strengthen the autocracy.
By the time of his accession the Tsarevich had already been heavily
influenced by his tutor, the ultra - conservative, Pobedonestov, and
was thus firmly set against his father's policies concerning reform.
This influence that Pobedonestov held continued into Tsar Alexander
III's reign. Hite describes Pobedonestov; 'He believed that autocracy
was the only possible basis of government for Russia and that Tsar
Alexander II's reforms were criminal acts.' Van der Kiste describes
Tsar Alexander III as '...never the most original of thinkers...' who
was incredibly influenced by his mother's confessor Father Bashanov
and the '...arch conservative...' Pobedonestov. It was Pobedonestov
who impressed, so vigorously, upon the Tsarevich that reform was
dangerous and should be prevented at all costs. It was with this
attitude that Tsar Alexander II had allowed his son to grow up, an
ideology and attitude that was almost the opp...
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...that they
were polarised in the methods of reign. Tsar Alexander III embarked
upon industrialisation, which, though he never meant it to be, can be
seen as a reforming action. His father, had toyed with the idea of
reform but had drawn back, appalled at what he had unleashed,
desperately back tracking most of the reforms. His son finished this
off for him. Yet, there is distinctive evidence to suggest that, just
before his death he had planned a far-reaching reform. Melilikov was
unable to persuade Tsar Alexander III of this though, and that
legislation proved to be defunct. However, much as t is possible to
draw some vague, if not tenuous comparisons between the two tsars it
must be acknowledged that the reign of Tsar Alexander III marked a
great change and movement away from that of his father, Tsar Alexander
II.
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
Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him.
However, the political system also changed because there was an addition to the local villages. This was the zemstva and to a more national degree, the duma. However, the tsar still had supreme power over these structures. Despite Alexander II’s reforms, Russia still faced a number of problems. Alexander II’s
The Romanov Empire had reign the Russian Empire for about 300 years before Nicholas II became the monarch. Unfortunately, the new Tsar of Russia was also advised by Konstantin Pobedonostsev, who promoted autocracy, condemned elections, representation and democracy, the jury system, the press, free education, charities, and social reforms; an outdated ideology by the turn of the twentieth century. Although Nicholas II possessed some skills that would have been advantageous as the leader but, overall he was not suitable to be the Tsar of Russia. Even though Czar Nicholas II implemented limited reform that were beneficial for the empire; there were more fiascos during his reign thus lies the collapse of the Romanov Empire on his political skill,
After the crippling defeat in the Crimean War, Alexander II knew that Russia could not be allowed to lag behind the Western world any longer if it was to maintain its independence. The reform of the state had been advisable for a long time, but for Alexander III it was necessary. He knew that before any real changes could be achieved, the main problem had to be solved: the problem of serfdom. However many limits and imperfections his edict of Emancipation carried with it, most importantly it allowed for further modernizing reforms in the legal, government, education and military spheres.
Nicholas 2's firm and obstinant belief of his commitment to autocracy can be clearly seen in a letter of reply he sent to a liberal zemstvo head before his coronation. "I shall maintain the principal of autocracy just as firmly and unflinchingly as it was preserved by my unforgettable dead father (Alexandra 3)"(Nicholas & Alexandra, Robert K. Massie). His ultra-conservative political outlook was influenced greatly when a child Tsar Nicholas was educated by the reactionary tutor Konstantin Pobenonstev, enemy of all reform. If there were any doubts about Nicholas' belief in autocracy they would have been put to rest. Pobenonstev was once called "The Highest Priest of Social Stagnation". He once declared, "Among the falsest of political principles is the principle of sovereignty of the people".
Alexander II used very little. He had emancipated the serfs, created the zemstva and allowed freedom of religion. Alexander III most resembled Stalin by using the most central controls. He also increased the power of his Predecessors secret police, renaming them the Okrana. The Okrana were similar to Stalin’s secret police (NKVD.) Both were violent against minority groups and Russian’s opposing the state.
The conquests of Alexander the Great spread Hellenism immediately over the Middle East and far into Asia. After his death in 323 B.C., the influence of Greek civilization continued to expand over the Mediterranean world and W Asia. The wars of the Diadochi marked, it is true, the breakup of Alexander's brief empire, but the establishment of Macedonian dynasties in Egypt, Syria, and Persia (the Ptolemies and the Seleucidae) helped to mold the world of that day into a wider unity of trade and learning.
Alexander is the son of King Philip of Macedonia and Queen Olympias. We see Alexander's daily life and the strained relationship between his parents. Alexander grows up with his mother Olympias and his tutor Aristotle, where he finds interest in love, honor, music, exploration, poetry, and military combat. Young Alexander impresses his father by taming an intractable horse, but both mother and son are banished from the kingdom, Olympias advising her son to seize the throne before Philip has him murdered. As things work out, Philip is murdered, and Alexander rules Macedonia. (BBC)
Alexander the Great, born in July of the year 356 B.C. was the ruler and king of the Greek Kingdom known as Macedonia. In his early years, Alexander was trained as a fighter by his tutor, Aristotle. He trained with his mentor until the age of 16, when his father Phillip II was assassinated, and he inherited his throne. With a massive army at his hand, Alexander started his conquest to capture the Persian Empire, and "ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea.”
Peter the Great, the Russian Czar, inherited his absolutist power from his brother, Ivan V. Born in aristocracy, Peter’s dad was the Czar, and later his brother, and after his brother’s death, him. He was a firm believer in the possible benefits from the control of a single leader to make decisions for the people, and he exercised this divine right to create many renouned institutions. At the beginning of Peter’s reign, Russia was in a poor condition: many rejected modernization from the Renaissance, and large spending from his brother’s reign caused economic droughts. He took advantage of his absolutist power to help ameliorate Russia’s situation and first decided to minimalize power from the other aristocrats. The subduction of the rich allowed
Greatness is not something that is achieved overnight. Those who are great and were great will not and have not been forgotten. However, one particular man in history is arguably one of the greatest military leaders in history who had ever lived. Hell, he even has the word “great” in his name when people refer to him. That man would be no other than Alexander the Great. The determined leader that strikes fear and tremble into those who oppose him. Ruthless in nature yet still humbly stands with his men when times are tough. He is the unsung hero and the king of Macedon, conquerors of the almighty Persian empire. Alexander the Great is one of the greatest military leaders of all time demonstrated by the loyalty and respect shown forth by his
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.
The government and reform; the actual character of Nicholas II hindered his time in office, for example his outlooks on situations meant he did not trust a lot of his advisors, he was also seen to have been very lazy with respects to making decisions, other observations included him being, weak, timid and lacked guts. This all adds up to a very weak leader that is vulnerable to opposition, due to his tunnel vision and un-ability to see the main needs of the country. The duma was another challenge to the tsar; after the 1905 revolution the tsar had set up an elected body called the duma, this was a way of showing the public that he could be open minded in that delegating decisions to other people, looking back in hindsight this would also be seen as a challenge to the tsar as he never gave the duma any real power, and were easily dissolved, this meant that people were further angered and he was receiving opposition from all sides, it did however hold off opposition for a small period of time in order for the tsar to retain his power. Other individuals had an influence to the challenges facing the tsar, Nicholas had brought some new people in to try and conquer some problems, these included Rasputin who he had originally appointed to become saviour of family, he managed to influence the tsar in many of his decisions, this inevitably caused there to be conflict as the he was relying on Rasputin to relay details of the state of the country, these were not accurate which meant that tsar could not act upon opposition. Other people did help the tsar for example stolypin and his reforms.
A leader is defined as a person who holds command over a group of people. A great leader is someone who commands over his people with grace, authority, and adaptability. Alexander the Great came to power following the murder of his father in 336 BCE. At the young age of twenty years old, Alexander was thrusted into power, now in control of Macedon. Until his own death, Alexander would engage in battles, negotiations and takeovers that would ultimately define him as a ruler and a man. Throughout his life, Alexander paid extra attention to his relationship with the gods, and how this would define him in adulthood and his death. Alexander the Great achieved as well as lived up to his title due to his pure ruthlessness, loyalty, and malleability