blow to Germany's commerce; and that country
replied by refusing to loan Russia any more money. The czar's
government applied to France which responded with unexpected
generosity. From that time Russia's internal improvements have been
made with French capital.

Prudent as he was, Alexander allowed his anger and dislike to master
him, when Prince Alexander of Battenberg was accepted as suitor to a
daughter of Queen Victoria. Troops were hurried from the Caucasus into
Poland, but Germany averted war by having the match broken off. When
the present German emperor, William II, succeeded to the throne, he
attempted to make friends with the czar by dismissing Prince Bismarck,
in 1890, but Alexander could neither forgive nor forget. It was
chiefly owing to this that Russia and France drew closer together
until it ended in an alliance.

Strong, self-willed, and masterful, Alexander did love his people in
his own way. In January, 1884, he ordered the poll-tax to be
abolished, and thereby relieved the peasants of a heavy burden; he
also compelled the landowners to sell to their former serfs the land
cultivated by them. Since the price was payable in installments (p. 247)
and the owners needed the money, the government assumed the position
of creditor, but Alexander reduced the total indebtedness by
12,000,000 rubles, and granted 5,000,000 rubles for the relief of
overburdened villages. He calculated that the land would be paid for
in 1930, when the title will be vested in the mir,--unless one of his
successors should please to appropriate the past payments for other
purposes.

In the black earth belt the allotments had been according to the needs
of the population, but the increase among the people rendered them too
small and several severe famines followed. The government tried to
induce the surplus population to emigrate to Siberia, but the Russian
peasant lacks education and has been held in tutelage so long that he
is not fit for the life of a pioneer settler. Transportation
facilities increased by the aid of French capital, and added to the
prosperity of merchants and speculators, but did not help the moujik
who did not know how to profit by them.

Alexander, as autocrat of all the Russias, did not suffer any
authority but his own. The zemstvos, volosts, and mirs, were all
placed under officials appointed by him. Every shadow of
self-government was destroyed. This demanded a reorganization of the
army, which was i