HUMA 1770 Lecture : Weekly Response Paper 14.docx
Document Summary
After today"s reading the most noteworthy topic that caught my attention was alexander"s. Emancipation and lincoln"s emancipation proclamation during the 1860"s. Where alexander"s emancipation resulted ineffective, lincoln"s proclamation confirmed slaves" determination that the war for the union must become a war for freedom. In a number of respects serfdom was similar to the feudalism that had functioned in several parts of pre-modern europe. Alexander believed that it"s impossible for a country to progress economically and socially without the development of the exploited peasants and serfs, since reform was unavoidable for russia if they had to progress. Keeping the peasant community backwards was the main cause of military ineffectiveness, food scarcity, industrial backwardness, over population, civil disorder etc. Though these reformations seemed attractive for the peasants at first, it soon became obvious that peasants are paying a heavy price of the process.