Alexander II

The Cherry Orchard was first performed in 1904, at a time of great political and social change in Russia. Alexander II, known as ‘The Great Reformer,’ had brought about a huge transformation in the lives of the Russian people. When Alexander succeeded in 1855 the Russian countryside was in turmoil. The Crimean War of 1854-1856 had left the whole country in economic and social crisis. In addition, more than 500 separate peasant uprisings had taken place during his father Nicholas’s reign; uprisings which continued after Alexander II inherited the title of Tsar. The serfs had suffered greatly under their landowner ‘masters’ and were growing increasingly disenchanted with the unfairness of their situation. Alexander recognised that the serfs were becoming a powerful force, and that ignoring such a large mass of people would be a tremendous mistake. He remarked in 1856 that “It is better to abolish serfdom from above rather than wait for the time when it will begin to abolish itself from below.”