Reign of Alexander II, who succeeded to the throne on February 18th, 1855, has been known as a “Thaw”. This was a time of major reforms, which embraced all spheres of the Russian society. Russia has stepped into a new epoque of industrial development and fundamental social transformations, never yet seen throughout centuries. In Russian and Bulgarian historiography Alexander II was rewarded with a sobriquet as Alexander the Liberator due to the Emancipation Reform of 1861 in Russia and victory in The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, that resulted in an independence for many Balkan nations.
Emperor Alexander III ascended to the Russian imperial throne on March 13th, 1881. As an objector of military practices in international conflicts resolution, he was known as the Peacemaker. He came to power in the conservative public mood forefront. New government’s aim was the adjustment of the previous reforms, consolidation of power at villages, universities and ethnical outskirts, and, by extension, public political activity limitation. Such a policy was based on an illusion that the government could reverse the march of history and restrict society evolution. This resulted in social unrest, which became more evident in the end of 1880s.
