The assassination of Alexander II (1855- 1881) can be seen as one of the tragic ironies of Russian history. The "Tsar Liberator" was killed by a terrorist bomb attack on the very day on which he had given his approval to political reforms that may have changed the course of Russian history. Instead his death was followed by a period of brutal repression and reaction. Have a look at the Alexander II biography on the Spartacus website for some more detail about his reign and then listen to the In Our Time podcast (you can listen to it here, or download it here) with a series of Russian experts including Orlando Figes as they discuss the impact of the assassination.
