The Crimean War as a Turning Point in the Development of Modern Russia The Crimean war was a conflict that occurred between the Russian Empire, and an alliance made up of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war, which took place in 1854, is seen as a trigger point of the changes that began to take place in Russia after 1854. The Crimean war led to Russia encountering a loss of almost 500,000 men, all due to the country wanting to gain influence in the Balkans and the Turkish regions. In addition, the Crimean War is considered one of the first 'modern' wars. The defeat in the Crimean war caused Russia to bring about social change and political change to keep up with modernizing Europe, including the abolition of serfdom, the introduction of the Zemstvos, and changes within the Russian Army. The members, who were a part of the Russian army, were none other than Serfs themselves. The allies' had won victory in the Crimean war by having professional soldiers who were highly skilled, whereas the Serfs who severed as part of the Russian army had no skill at all and were frail, and had been forced into serving for the Russian Army, which led to the Russian defeat. The conflict made it evident that Russia's known bureaucracy was instead filled with corruption and was poorly organized. Thus in 1861 the Emancipation of the Serfs took place, which was the most significant and most important of the liberal reforms which were brought into effect during the reign of Tsar Alexander II. "At the root of all the weaknesses and abuses was the supreme evil of serfdom" , which concludes that Serfdom was one of Russia's biggest weakness, so therefore if Russia was to regain strength then the "evil of serfdom" was to be abolished. However, many historians argue against the idea of the Crimean War as being the key reason as to why the Emancipation of the Serfs occurred, and believe the key reason for the Emancipation Bill passing was in the hope of having a decrease in the number of peasant revolts that were occurring at the time. Since the start of the nineteenth century up into the twentieth century, revolts had occurred and there was contrast in feelings as to what the Emancipation of the Serfs would bring. Nikolai Karamzin had fear that the Emancipation of the Serfs would instead increase the number of peasant revolts. Another change, which took place after the defeat of Russia in the Crimean War was the introduction of the Zemstvos, set up in 1864. The Zemstvos was introduced because liberals, who were a part of the known 'ruling class', and Tsar Alexander II were prepared for taking on change and thus adapted to it, unlike what Nicholas II had done. The Crimean War was the major reason behind these changes that influenced the way that the government was organized and ruled. The Zemstvos was a new system of local administration that helped lead to further improvement in the Russian local services, as well as the reduction in the influence of the landlords, which helped to make the peasants less tied to the outdated serfdom system. The introduction of the Zemstvos helped by increasing and improving government control and government involvement in how the countryside ran. The basic unit behind the Zemstvos council was the district council. Those who were to be apart of the Zemstvos were chosen through elections. The landowners, townsmen, and peasants would vote for the representatives to be a part of the council. However, the main role of the Zemstvos was associated in more local matters of Russia, rather than the political matters of Russia. The introduction of the Zemstvos was seen as a dramatic step that Russia was taking, by breaking down the autocratic system and allowing people to have some freedom from the overpowering class system. The Crimean war, therefore, can be seen as a significant factor as to why changes were made to Russian rule, in belief that this change would help to improve Russia, making it stronger after a humiliating defeat during the war. "The shock of defeat forced Russia to adopt a program of sweeping internal reforms and industrialization under Tsar Alexander II."
The views of the Crimean War, and the effects that it placed not only on Russia, but all of Europe, shows that Russia was weak. Russia believed that their involvement in the Crimean War, would lead to a more positive outcome, a victory, which would allow Russian influence in the Turkish and the Balkan regions. The hope of victory eventually proved pointless with an army that consisted of Serfs, the peasants of Russia, who had no military experience, and had been forced into being part of the war. One of the many changes that were also part of the "program of sweeping internal reforms" is the change made to the Russian Army. All member of the Russian Army would only be required to serve for a short period of time, so that once they were finished with the army they could then go back to their villages in hopes of finding jobs to improve the Russian economy that had also suffered. "Admittedly the Russian reforms had a liberal element but that was a reluctant tribute to all conquering Britain and France. It had to learn from other countries. The point was to borrow selectively rather than to imitate." Alexander II was committed to the autocratic principle, however after the Crimean War, he was committed to progressing with the change in order to help improve and strengthen Russia. Because of defeat, the after effects of the Crimean War helped to reflect other countries’ positive attributes, and thus also reflecting the reasons as to why they had more success compared to Russia. Overall the Crimean war can be seen as a significant reason as to why Russia soon after 1854 came about with many reforms. The Crimean war not only helped to reveal to Russia its weaknesses, but also reflected the modernization that helped Britain and France to victory. By combining traditional principles with new reforms and types of industrialization, Russia was able to pull itself into the modern age.