Question

Explain how the freeing of russia's serfs in 1861 was an example of both liberal and conservative thought.

Answer 1

The freeing of Russia's serfs in 1861 was an example of both liberal and conservative thought. The reform aimed to bring about greater individual freedom and equality, while also addressing the inefficiency and backwardness of the serf-based system. It reflected a combination of liberal ideals of equality and conservative goals of stability and progress.

Step-by-step explanation:

The freeing of Russia's serfs in 1861 was an example of both liberal and conservative thought. On one hand, the emancipation of the serfs can be seen as a liberal reform because it aimed to bring about greater individual freedom and equality. This aligns with liberal ideals of personal liberty and equality before the law.

On the other hand, the move to abolish serfdom was also driven by conservative concerns. Russia's defeat in the Crimean War highlighted the backwardness and inefficiency of the serf-based agricultural system. The conservative Tsar Alexander II recognized that modernizing Russia required addressing this issue, in line with conservative ideas of preserving traditional institutions while making limited changes to maintain stability.

Overall, the emancipation of the serfs in Russia in 1861 was a complex reform that drew on both liberal and conservative thinking. It aimed to promote individual freedom and address the backwardness of the serf-based system, reflecting both liberal ideals of equality and conservative goals of stability and progress.

Answer 2

The freeing of serfs in Russia was an expression of liberalism because it advocated individuals having personal freedom. As Alexander said to the nobles, "The existing condition of owning souls cannot remain unchanged."

However, what was done in freeing the serfs expressed conservatism because the arrangement ultimately favored the nobles, leaving half of the lands in their hands and requiring payment from the serfs to the nobles for any lands transferred to them.

Note: The Civil War in the USA began in the same year that the emancipation of serfs was proclaimed in Russia. Technically, serfdom in Russia was not the same as slavery in the United States. Landowners did not own the serfs as property, but because they were bound to the land as workers for the landowner who owned the land, their resulting situation was similar. And because they were given legal freedom but had to pay for any land they would acquire from the nobles, the cost of their freedom was high.