Russia Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ====Great liberal reforms and capitalism==== Nicholas's successor [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]] (1855β1881) enacted significant changes throughout the country, including the [[emancipation reform of 1861]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Zenkovsky |first=Serge A. |author-link=Serge Aleksandrovich Zenkovsky |title=The Emancipation of the Serfs in Retrospect |jstor=126692 |doi=10.2307/126692 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |volume=20 |number=4 |journal=[[The Russian Review]] |date=October 1961 |pages=280β293}}</ref> These reforms spurred industrialisation, and modernised the Imperial Russian Army, which liberated much of the [[Balkans]] from Ottoman rule in the aftermath of the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877β1878)|1877β1878 Russo-Turkish War]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gunter |first=Michael M. |author-link=Michael Gunter |title=War and Diplomacy: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877β1878 and the Treaty of Berlin |pages=231β233 |doi=10.1353/jwh.2013.0031 |journal=[[Journal of World History]] |publisher=[[University of HawaiΚ»i Press]] |issn=1527-8050 |date=March 2013 |volume=24 |number=1 |s2cid=159687214}}</ref> During most of the 19th and early 20th century, Russia and [[British Empire|Britain]] colluded over [[Emirate of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] and its neighbouring territories in [[Central Asia|Central]] and South Asia; the rivalry between the two major European empires came to be known as the [[Great Game]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Fromkin |first=David |author-link=David Fromkin |title=The Great Game in Asia |year=1980 |volume=58 |number=4 |pages=936β951 |jstor=20040512 |doi=10.2307/20040512 |journal=[[Foreign Affairs]]}}</ref> The late 19th century saw the rise of various socialist movements in Russia. Alexander II was [[Assassination of Alexander II of Russia|assassinated]] in 1881 by revolutionary terrorists.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Frank |first=Goodwin |journal= [[The Slavic and East European Journal]] |jstor=309128 |title=Review: [Untitled] |doi=10.2307/309128 |pages=641β43 |year=1995 |volume=39 |number=4}}</ref> The reign of his son [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] (1881β1894) was less liberal but more peaceful.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Taranovski |first=Theodore |title=Alexander III and his Bureaucracy: The Limitations on Autocratic Power |journal=[[Canadian Slavonic Papers]] |volume=26 |number=2/3 |year=1984 |pages=207β219 |doi=10.1080/00085006.1984.11091776 |jstor=40868293}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page