WI: Czar Alexander II not assasinated

What if Czar Alexander II wasn't assasinated? What effects would this have on the direction Russia goes in? What effects would this have on the rest of the world?
 

kernals12

Banned
What if Czar Alexander II wasn't assasinated? What effects would this have on the direction Russia goes in? What effects would this have on the rest of the world?
Before he was killed, he was in the process of giving Russia its first ever written constitution which would've included some sort of parliament. It probably would've been powerless, but with 20 extra years of a relatively liberal Tsar, it might have helped move societal progress faster making it harder for his grandson (assuming Alexander III dies in 1894 like IOTL) to reverse.
 
Before he was killed, he was in the process of giving Russia its first ever written constitution which would've included some sort of parliament. It probably would've been powerless, but with 20 extra years of a relatively liberal Tsar, it might have helped move societal progress faster making it harder for his grandson (assuming Alexander III dies in 1894 like IOTL) to reverse.

Alexander II's "parliament would had been quiet weak. It was ratherly advisor organ without any real power. Altough it is somehow possible that it is changing more Western European style parliament.

Then someone else tries to assassinate him. Seriously, the guy was a magnet for assassination plots.

AII was indeed magnet of plots but in other hands De Gaulle and Castro survived from even more of plots and died with natural ways. And Tito had too several assassination attempt but he too lived to old age. And perhaps AII understands make security things much better and manage crush these terrorist groups.
 
Before he was killed, he was in the process of giving Russia its first ever written constitution which would've included some sort of parliament. It probably would've been powerless, but with 20 extra years of a relatively liberal Tsar, it might have helped move societal progress faster making it harder for his grandson (assuming Alexander III dies in 1894 like IOTL) to reverse.

I’m afraid that Russia simply could not afford 20 more years of his reign. His economic policies were disastrous. Russian industry was not developing and railroad construction was organized so badly that it was leaving government with a mounting debt. Russian agriculture also was in a sorry state with the peasants being saddled with a huge debt and no progress in sight. Russian foreign policy was a mess resulting in the numerous “self-inflicted wounds” and major embarrassments. Russian army was reformed but war with the Ottomans had been mishandled with the resulting big unnecessary losses and even greater loss of a prestige domestically (and a huge international embarrassment that could be easily avoided). Political terrorism was out of control and, what was worse, the liberal part of a society had been siding with the terrorists ( enough to say tha after Alexander’s assassination one liberal professor openly demanded an amnesty to his killers). Not sure if any of the contemporary liberal writers wrote anything good about his regime but they definitely wrote a lot of the very bad things. In his family, the Grand Dukes run amok with their expenditures and misuse of the imperial property.

I’m not sure if the story about him being ready to sign any meaningful constitution but an idea that constitution would produce some miracle is a little bit on an optimistic side: Duma of Nicholas II, while necessary, did not look as an express train to a brightest future and was much more interested in bickering with a government than in a productive work. Not that it was realistic to expect that all these personages would suddenly (or even within a decade) develop expertise in the needed areas. Experience of the Provisional Government was an impressive demonstration of what Russian politicians could do if given the power.

What was desperately needed was a complete reverse of the economic course to trigger industrialization of Russia and restoration of law and order to give people sense of security. This was done by Alexander III whom, again, most of the contemporary Russian progressives despised as a fool but under whom economy boomed, finances were put to order, Russia did not get involved into any foolish war while enjoying a high international prestige. BTW, military field uniforms introduced during his reign existed, with reasonably small changes all the way to the fall of the SU: they were extremely simple and convenient.
 
Of course. The assassin with the ice axe always gets through.

Good point but in Russia they traditionally preferred things that could do “bang” and preferably kill few bystanders, just to make a point. Keep in mind that Alexander II could not organize anything properly, including his own security so the task was not really too difficult.
 
Good point but in Russia they traditionally preferred things that could do “bang” and preferably kill few bystanders, just to make a point. Keep in mind that Alexander II could not organize anything properly, including his own security so the task was not really too difficult.

I am always amazed how badly managed the tsar's security was. Damn it, once terrorists managed collect 100+ kilograms explosives to Winter Palace and almost explosed whole royal family. Even from his last assassination attempt he could had escape easily if after first bomb he just would had jumped to carriages and ordered get out from the situation. But no, he just stayed there wondering what was going. Even his bodyguards didn't pull him off. This guy just wasn't too worried about his security. Altough it might still be possible that he could had died from natural causes.
 
I am always amazed how badly managed the tsar's security was. Damn it, once terrorists managed collect 100+ kilograms explosives to Winter Palace and almost explosed whole royal family.

Not "to Winter Palace", he digged a tunnel under the Winter Palace. Can you imagine a volume of the needed work and how could it pass undetected with any marginally competent security? BTW, when explosion happened in the palace chapel, the imperial family was not there but there was a lot of casualties among the soldiers. Which, of course, was OK by the "fighters for the people's freedom".

Even from his last assassination attempt he could had escape easily if after first bomb he just would had jumped to carriages and ordered get out from the situation. But no, he just stayed there wondering what was going. Even his bodyguards didn't pull him off. This guy just wasn't too worried about his security. Altough it might still be possible that he could had died from natural causes.

Well, to his credit (but not to credit of his security) he stopped to talk to a soldier wounded by a blast. He was not a competent ruler but he was not a bad person.
 
Top