p. 767-781

In the question of serfdom, our book says that it was agreed in Russia that the emancipation of serfs would lead to a modern state. It was supported both by westernizers and Slavophiles, the former because it would bring Russia morely fully into the Western liberal tradition, the latter because they so idealized peasant life. I think then it was more the desire for both, to be a Western state and an Eastern one, that led the tsar to emancipate the serfs in the manner that he did. It is remarkable that Alexander II chose to end serfdom, as it singled unmistakably a departure from the old ways of Russia and the tsar's dependence on the nobility. While he may have been worried about the serfs' effect on Russia's appearance abroad and ability to conduct successful wars, it is nonethless interesting that he should end it so abruptly, and by a special decree. At the same time, however, as we discussed in class, Alexander realized that it wasn't really intended to "free" the serfs, but instead to maintain the old system under a different name. Thus Russia hedged its bets, proving to the rest of Europe that it was a modern nation without slavery while still maintaining its old reliance on the nobility. The abolition of serfdom allowed the Russians to look upon themselves as an Enlightened state, instituting reforms that had no real meaning as they had in the past under Catherine the Great. They could combine their history of nobility with an acceptance by the rest of Europe to get what they hoped would be the best of both worlds.