Emancipation of the Surfs - Landowners - What aspects of Alexander II's methods imply that the edict wasn't for humanitarian reasons?

4 important questions on Emancipation of the Surfs - Landowners - What aspects of Alexander II's methods imply that the edict wasn't for humanitarian reasons?

What did the political imperatives of the first Tsarist committee set-up to focus on the Emancipation of the Serfs imply about Alexander's motivation for reform?

1857: Alexander set up a Secret Committee on Serf Reform

  1. Committee mainly consisted of Conservative members; eg. chairman was Prince Alexei Orlov who opposed Serf Emancipation


This could imply that Alexander didn't really want to reform and only reformed due to rising peasant tension

What is a counter-argument to the idea that the make-up of the first Tsarist committee set-up to focus on the Emancipation of the Serfs showed that Alexander didn't really want to reform?

Crankshaw:
Alexander made a committee of the 'old guard' to force them to face up to reality that serfdom was unsustainable so that 'Orlov and his friends would be forced on the defensive and made to retreat by inches'

What is quote which emphasises the ineffectiveness of the 1857 serf emancipation committee (mainly due to Alexander's choice in membership)?

"The composition of the committee was extremely unfortunate and thus it was not surprising that for the first half year it only gazed at the beast that was shown it and walked around it, not knowing which side to approach it."  - Alexei Levshin (assistant minister of internal affairs from 1856-9)
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What method of 'peace-keeping' implied that the Tsar was using the Emancipation of the Serfs to keep control rather than for humanitarian reasons?

5th March: Emancipation Edict came into force
Tsarist Government had ensured that extra police and soldiers armed with whips and canes were sent to the provinces

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