Emancipation of the Surfs - Aims - Humanitarian

5 important questions on Emancipation of the Surfs - Aims - Humanitarian

What was the economic stability of many serfs living in Russia in the 19th Century?

Serfs lived in poverty close to starvation eg. a investigation  by Nicholas I in 1841 revealed that whole communities lived on the edge of starvation

What was the humanitarian argument for the Emancipation of the Serfs?

  1. Bondage was morally wrong; serfdom was a form of slavery that shouldn't exist anymore in a civilised society
  2. Westernisers often argued that Serfdom was as degrading for the Serfs as the 'slave owners' - the landowners; in this way serfdom weakened the moral character of the upper classes making them unable to contribute to the well-being of the Russian state

Who are examples of socialist thinkers in Russia during the reign of Alexander II who argued that equality of men meant the Serfs should be emancipated?

  1. Alexander Herzen
  2. Ivan Turgenev
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What did Ivan Turgenev write which argued that the nobility and serfs were equal in nature?

A Sportsman's Sketches:
  • Collection of short stories
  • demonstrated that serfs were 'normal' human beings
  • demonstrated that serfs had feelings just as nobility did and therefore should be treated more respectfully

Who were the Nihilists in Alexander II's Russia and what did they argue?

Nihilists were a group of reformers:
  • Believed that changing Russian social structure was the first and most important step in improving Russian society
  • "Nihil' - nothing else mattered as much

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