Bourgeois reforms of the 60-70s of the XIX century in Russia

Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, an industrial revolution has begun throughout Europe. It leads to the need to reform many spheres. Quickly "rebuilt" in a new way, the countries of Europe noticeably surpassed Russia. That, in turn, got involved in the Crimean War, once again saw the weakness of the tsarist regime and imperial policy as a whole. There was a heavy waiting atmosphere in the country.

Alexander II understood perfectly well that he would have to carry out reforms in the 1960s and 1970s - this was required by a new time, promptly leaving Russia behind the countries of Europe. It should be noted that the tsar needed considerable courage and courage to take this unpopular step for some estates. At the same time there was no other way out. Bourgeois reforms of the 60-70s of the 19th century were to be held.

Preparation lasted for six long years. The first ideas arose as early as 1855, but they did not receive significant development because of the change of the emperor (in this year, Nikolai I was succeeded by Alexander II). The end of the Crimean War made it possible to tackle domestic policy more substantively. Now the bourgeois reforms of the 1960s and 1970s began to be actively negotiated in the higher circles. The first and most important reform was the "Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom" in 1861. This document, timed to the sixth anniversary of the throne, Alexander II granted the peasants personal freedom. This step pushed the rest of the bourgeois reforms of the 1960s and 1970s, and made it possible to carry out other significant transformations. However, this benefit was colored by a negative connotation. Together with the personal free peasants received ... Yes, nothing. The Earth - their main nurse, remained at the mercy of the landowner. For her, the peasant was forced to pay ransom money, which he did not have. In fact, people were abandoned to the mercy of fate. To a large extent, the reform also struck at the landlord economy, because the masses of peasants moved to the cities to work.

Such a radical change in the country entailed other bourgeois reforms of the 1960s and 1970s. These include zemstvo, judicial, military, city and educational.

On the judicial reform, the posts of a prosecutor and a lawyer were introduced. Now the court has become controversial. The key in the decision-making was the jury trial, which passed a sentence on the guilt of a person. The role of the judge was assigned only in order to monitor the correctness of the passage of the process.

The Zemstvo reform envisaged the introduction of local self-government. Now zemstvos included representatives of all classes. Among the merits of the zemstvos is the establishment of a network of educational and medical institutions.

The military reform assumed the formation of a regular army by universal labor service. However, its timing has decreased noticeably. Instead of 25 years, the maximum now reached six years in certain arms. The service was called for men fit for health, who reached the age of twenty-one.

And educational reform was also a certain advantage. According to it, every child was obliged to receive elementary education, access to higher educational institutions was opened formally for representatives of all classes, higher educational institutions received greater autonomy.

The bourgeois reforms of the 1960s and 1970s undoubtedly had positive results. Thanks to them, Russia from an agrarian country began to turn into an industrial one, although the agrarian sector still occupied large volumes in the country's economy. Nevertheless, the development of industry continued at a rapid pace. Such changes were not supported by all. Against Alexander II there was an outcry on the part of the Narodniks, who repeatedly encroached on his life. In 1881, such an assassination attempt was successful, but the reform machine was already launched, and the country finally entered a new round of development.