The first manifestos of the reform era: the end of the Crimean War and the transformative plans of Alexander II (1856)

The article reflects the first steps of Emperor Alexander II related to the beginning of preparations for the abolition of serfdom and other major reforms in the social and state system of Russia. These are the manifestos of March 19 and August 26, 1856, as well as the tsar's speech to the leaders of the nobility in Moscow on March 30, 1856. The political amnesty symbolized the government's desire for reconciliation with the progressive part of the nobility, who wanted the speedy liberation of the peasants.