--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even a moderniser like Alexander II - who…" description: "\"Even a moderniser like Alexander II - who emancipated the serfs in 1861 - had no intention of devolving real power.\" — Saul David" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/saul-david-19270_intention_even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who_7062.jpg" --- # Even a moderniser like Alexander II - who emancipated the… ![“Even a moderniser like Alexander II - who emancipated the serfs in 1861 - had no intention of devolving real power.” quote by Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/saul-david-19270_intention_even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who_7062.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/saul-david-19270_intention_even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who_7062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/saul-david-19270_intention_even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who_7062.jpg) > “Even a moderniser like Alexander II - who emancipated the serfs in 1861 - had no intention of devolving real power.” [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The reform freed serfs but preserved elite control, showing change can be superficial when power structures stay intact. **In simple terms:** Reforms may not shift real authority. Key Takeaway Surface change can mask continuity. Themes Power dynamics Reform limits Elite preservation Social hierarchy Political strategy Mood Critical Reflective Skeptical Type Historical Political Analytical When to use this quote - Historical policy analysis - Modern political reform debates - Social movement planning Key Concepts Emancipation Authority Institutional inertia Practical Applications - Designing reforms that truly redistribute power - Assessing impact of policy changes Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms prevent reforms from altering power balances? - How can societies ensure reforms translate into genuine empowerment? A Different Perspective Some argue that any reform, even limited, can gradually erode entrenched power over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1861 Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1861-intention-324000/) [Alexander Ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alexander-ii-323999/) [Emancipated Serfs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipated-serfs-323998/) [Ii Emancipated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ii-emancipated-324001/) [Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-power/) [Serfs 1861](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serfs-1861-323997/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [Alexander II really used autocracy well to negotiate the freeing of the serfs in 1861.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/alexander-ii-really-used-autocracy-well-to-negotiate-the-freeing-of/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [The world has become more diversified, with women becoming a real power of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-grybauskaite/the-world-has-become-more-diversified-with-women-becoming-a-real/) [Dalia Grybauskaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-grybauskaite/) > [The neo-conservatives, who are closely linked to the neo-corporatists, are rather different. They claim to be conservatives, when everything they stand for is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/the-neo-conservatives-who-are-closely-linked-to-the-neo-corporatists/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [“realizing you’re not king can be the first step toward getting some real power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wright/realizing-you-re-not-king-can-be-the-first-step-toward-getting-some/) [Robert Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wright/) > [“money’s just an idea, it has power. Only it’s not real power. Just the promise of power. But that promise is enough so long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/money-s-just-an-idea-it-has-power-only-it-s-not-real-power-just-the/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [This morning President Obama met with Britain's Prince William in the Oval Office. It was a meeting between a symbolic ruler with no real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/this-morning-president-obama-met-with-britain-s-prince-william-in-the/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [For women, the need and desire to nurture each other is not pathological but redemptive, and it is within that knowledge that our real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/for-women-the-need-and-desire-to-nurture-each-other-is-not/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [The real power of the Buddha was that he had so much love. He saw people trapped in their notions of small separate self,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-real-power-of-the-buddha-was-that-he-had-so-much-love-he-saw/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“In a brilliant lecture written in 1944, C. S. Lewis described the fatal British obsession with the “inner ring,” the belief that somewhere, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-macintyre/in-a-brilliant-lecture-written-in-1944-c-s-lewis-described-the-fatal/) [Ben Macintyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-macintyre/) > [“Don’t mistake me,” Jasnah continued. “Some kinds of power are real—power to command armies, power to Soulcast. These come into play far less often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/don-t-mistake-me-jasnah-continued-some-kinds-of-power-are-real-power/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“When you have no real power, go public—really public. The public is where the real power is. Those”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/when-you-have-no-real-power-go-public-really-public-the-public-is/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I think fundamentally, the real power behind the anti-choice movement in regard to abortion and the opposition to the rights of LGBT Americans is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-w-lynn/i-think-fundamentally-the-real-power-behind-the-anti-choice-movement/) [Barry W. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-w-lynn/) > [I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-don-t-feel-that-the-conductor-has-real-power-the-orchestra-has-the/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Progressive Conservative candidates from Quebec want to exert real power in Ottawa, not simply be content with playing a secondary role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-campbell/progressive-conservative-candidates-from-quebec-want-to-exert-real/) [Kim Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-campbell/) ## More by Saul David > [By 1917, thanks to the new munitions factories and the women that worked in them, the British Empire was supplying more than 50 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/by-1917-thanks-to-the-new-munitions-factories-and-the-women-that/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [If getting a contract was relatively straightforward, writing fiction was far harder than I could have imagined, and there were moments during the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/if-getting-a-contract-was-relatively-straightforward-writing-fiction/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [No campaign of the First World War better justifies the poets' view of the conflict as futile and pitiless than Gallipoli.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/no-campaign-of-the-first-world-war-better-justifies-the-poets-view-of/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [If I'm at a book signing, and someone decides to take me to task, it can make for quite a sticky moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/if-i-m-at-a-book-signing-and-someone-decides-to-take-me-to-task-it/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [From 1801, Napoleon began an ambitious programme of civil reform to standardise law and justice, centralise education, introduce uniform weights and measures and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/from-1801-napoleon-began-an-ambitious-programme-of-civil-reform-to/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [By the time Napoleon abandoned his army to its fate in Poland - arriving back in Paris on 5 December - it numbered fewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/by-the-time-napoleon-abandoned-his-army-to-its-fate-in-poland/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [In the early hours of 16 December 1944, the Germans launched their last great offensive of the Second World War against weakly held U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/in-the-early-hours-of-16-december-1944-the-germans-launched-their/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [I was brought up with a whole bunch of cousins in the Wye Valley during the hippy days of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/i-was-brought-up-with-a-whole-bunch-of-cousins-in-the-wye-valley/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [History tells us that a general can move and feed an army as efficiently as he likes, but the real litmus test is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/history-tells-us-that-a-general-can-move-and-feed-an-army-as/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [It is not enough just to get your forces from A to B - you have to keep them fed and watered as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/it-is-not-enough-just-to-get-your-forces-from-a-to-b-you-have-to-keep/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [The first Romanov ruler was just 16 when he was crowned Tsar Michael I in Moscow in 1613, thus ending the 'Time of Troubles'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/the-first-romanov-ruler-was-just-16-when-he-was-crowned-tsar-michael/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [I worked hard at my four-year M.A., but got a 2.1. That was a big disappointment, as I wanted to write about history and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/i-worked-hard-at-my-four-year-m-a-but-got-a-2-1-that-was-a-big/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [I passed the 11-plus, but it was decided that I should take the Common Entrance exam to Monmouth School, the nearest independent. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/i-passed-the-11-plus-but-it-was-decided-that-i-should-take-the-common/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [When I was six or seven, we went to the nearest English primary school, St Weonards, about seven miles away. The teaching was good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/when-i-was-six-or-seven-we-went-to-the-nearest-english-primary-school/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) > [Winter horseshoes are equipped with little spikes that give a horse traction on snow and ice and prevent it from slipping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/winter-horseshoes-are-equipped-with-little-spikes-that-give-a-horse/) [Saul David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) [Explore all 33 Saul David quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/) ## More Intention quotes > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [I have no intention of retiring. Even my blood sugar is better when I'm working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-even-my-blood-sugar-is-better-when-i/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Whenever any person in the creative field does a film, they think it is going to be of good quality or this is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshaye-khanna/whenever-any-person-in-the-creative-field-does-a-film-they-think-it/) [Akshaye Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshaye-khanna/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [If you are not conscious of all of the different parts of yourself, the part of yourself that is the strongest will win out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/if-you-are-not-conscious-of-all-of-the-different-parts-of-yourself/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [My intention is to knock out Andy Ruiz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-ortiz/my-intention-is-to-knock-out-andy-ruiz/) [Luis Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-ortiz/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Where the sky begins, the horizon ends, despite the best intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/where-the-sky-begins-the-horizon-ends-despite-the-best-intentions/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [“The devil?” Jason heaved the tick over his shoulder like a collier with his sack. “Satan. The adversary. The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I had no intention of becoming an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hammond/i-had-no-intention-of-becoming-an-actor/) [Nicholas Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hammond/) > [I went back to graduate school with the clear intention that what I wanted to do with my life was to improve societies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglass-north/i-went-back-to-graduate-school-with-the-clear-intention-that-what-i/) [Douglass North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglass-north/) > [To transform the world, we must begin with ourselves; and what is important in beginning with ourselves is the intention. The intention must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-transform-the-world-we-must-begin-with-ourselves-and-what-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't think of us as separate beings. Imagine that we are one body and it's been split into millions. When we sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/don-t-think-of-us-as-separate-beings-imagine-that-we-are-one-body-and/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 2,822 Intention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even a moderniser like Alexander II - who emancipated the serfs in 1861 - had no intention of devolving real power.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Saul David" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who-emancipated-the-serfs-in-1861/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Intention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who-emancipated-the-serfs-in-1861/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/saul-david-19270_intention_even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who_7062.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/saul-david-19270_intention_even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who_7062.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/saul-david-19270_intention_even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who_7062.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even a moderniser like Alexander II - who emancipated the serfs in 1861 - had no intention of devolving real…” — Saul David", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Saul David", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-david/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even a moderniser like Alexander II...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who-emancipated-the-serfs-in-1861/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-david/even-a-moderniser-like-alexander-ii-who-emancipated-the-serfs-in-1861/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```