The Romanovs and the Emancipation of the Serfs

In 1861, Tsar Alexander II signed the Emancipation Edict, freeing 23 million serfs and reshaping Russian society. But was emancipation a genuine liberation or a state-managed transfer of poverty? This episode examines the serfdom system that preceded reform, the political pressures — including the humiliation of the Crimean War — that forced change, and the complex aftermath: redemption payments, land hunger, and the mir system. We also explore the broader context of Alexander II's 'Great Reforms' and the limits that left many peasants still bound to poverty. #Romanovs #AlexanderII #EmancipationOfTheSerfs #Serfdom #GreatReforms #CrimeanWar #MirSystem #RedemptionPayments #RussianHistory #PeasantRevolt #1861 #Pugachev #NicholasI #EasternEurope #History #FexingoHistory #Reform #SocialChange Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo