The Emancipation Statute was unveiled by Emperor Alexander II: March 3rd, 1861, liberating the serfs of Russia.

The culmination of years of bureaucratic efforts and peasant uprisings, the legislation marked a decisive break from the past and aimed to align Russia with European norms - whilst The United States still relied anachronistically on slave labour.

Until this day, the institution of serfdom, though distinct from slavery, was nonetheless marked by profound inequalities and limitations on personal freedom; and, while serfs enjoyed certain legal protections and familial ties to the land, they were subject to the arbitrary whims of their landlords and bore the burden of taxation without commensurate representation.

In this episode, The Retrospectors pick over Alexander's reformist agenda; explain why despite the radical nature of the reforms, millions of his people were still deeply unhappy; and consider the surprising limitations of a bombproof carriage…

Further Reading:

• ‘Biography of Alexander II, Russia's Reformist Tsar (ThoughtCo, 2018): https://www.thoughtco.com/alexander-ii-biography-4174256

• ‘The Other Emancipation Proclamation’ (The New York Times, 2011): https://archive.nytimes.com/opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/the-other-emancipation-proclamation/

• ‘Understand Russia: Emancipation of Russia's Serfs’ (Modern Wall Street, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLfoJTWjgJ4

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.

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