Russians Visit the South Pacific NYPL, General Research Division
	Russians Visit a South Pacific “Paradise” NYPL, Rare Books Division

Alexander I ascended the throne in 1801 after the assassination of his tyrannical father, Paul I (r. 1796–1801), and promised to rule in the more enlightened spirit of his grandmother, Catherine the Great (r. 1762–96). Educated in the ideals of the Enlightenment by her and by his philosophe friends, he rescinded the hated decrees of his father and boldly embarked on a grand scheme of reform that included allowing the voluntary emancipation of serfs (by 1860, 384 noble masters had freed 115,743 peasants). The most lasting measure was the construction of a state educational system, free and open to all (generally excepting serfs): in his reign, five new universities were founded with academic autonomy; forty-two secondary schools came into being along with elementary schools in the empire’s various administrative districts; and the “ladder” principle underlay the system, meaning that completion of one level allowed progress to the next. His reign also saw expeditions to explore the Pacific and to circumnavigate the globe that brought back ethnographic information on the diverse peoples encountered.