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Tsar Alexander III, known by modern historians as “The Peacemaker” in international affairs, earned a contrasting reputation towards his own people. Alexander’s policies of Russification and autocracy fostered an oppressive rule, which stood in contrast to the rule of his more liberal father. The Russification policies were designed to consolidate power and foster a strong sense of Russian national identity. He promoted the Russian Orthodox Church at the expense of non-orthodox Christian religious groups, notably the Jewish minority. While Alexander’s Russification policies and violence towards the minority groups within Russia borders were harsh, he also sought progress that would improve the Russian State. He ordered the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1891, which was the longest railway in the world and remains such to this day. In 1892, due to poor farming conditions and a consequence of Russia’s already fragile socio-economic status, a famine swept across Russia. While Alexander III held a semi-isolationist government, he asked for international financial assistance from Great Britain and the United States, His rule can be viewed through a semi-isolationist rule with a focus on nationalist beliefs. Alexander's III rule is an early insight into the failing monarchical rule in Russia that would end with his son, Nicholas II. Alexander’s rule is a unique case study into how Russia's struggle to adapt and move with Western ideas of modernity would be its downfall.
Key Words:
Alexander III
Imperial Russia
Modernity
Russification
