Question

Source: Decree on Serfs (Russia, 1767)

"The Governing Senate. . . has deemed it necessary to make known that the landlords' serfs and peasants . . . owe their landlords proper submission and absolute obedience in all matters, according to the laws that have been enacted from time immemorial by the autocratic forefathers of Her Imperial Majesty and which have not been repealed, and which provide that all persons who dare to incite serfs and peasants to disobey their landlords shall be arrested and taken to the nearest government office, there to be punished forthwith as disturbers of the public tranquillity, according to the laws and without leniency."
The Decree above most likely references the "forefathers of Her Imperial Majesty" to:

Answer 1

The Decree on Serfs from 1767 legitimizes serfdom by citing the authority of ancestral rulers, a system historically sanctioned. Emancipation of serfs in 1861 by Tsar Alexander II brought reforms but also continued economic struggles for the serfs.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Decree on Serfs from Russia in 1767 references the "forefathers of Her Imperial Majesty" to legitimize the existing serfdom system by appealing to the longstanding tradition and authority of the autocratic rulers. This decree reinforced the idea that serfs owed their landlords 'absolute obedience,' as these practices were established by preceding Tsars and were considered part of the country's historical laws.

Tsar Alexander II abolished serfdom in 1861, which was a significant reform for Russia, signaling an attempt to modernize the country and address social and economic issues that were made apparent after the Crimean War. However, the emancipation of the serfs also created new problems as the serfs were required to buy the lands they worked on and remained economically tied to their former masters.