When Alexander II took over Russia in 1855, Russia was in someways a backwards country. Not only was Russia not modernized nor industrialized, in reality Russia was still acting like it did in the Middle Ages (400 to 1300). While the Industrial Revolution was making countries like Great Britain, France, and the United States rich, Russia remained a large, but poor country, of farmers.
The Crimean War
Alexander's first major problem was that Russia was neither modernized nor industrialized. While the Industrial Revolution was making countries like Great Britain, France, and the United States rich and powerful with factories, trains, and larger armies, Russia remained poor and weak. Because he had only been Czar for one year, Alexander II didn't realize how weak Russia was, and in 1856, he declared war on and invaded the Ottoman Empire. Not only did Russia lose the war, but they were embarrassed by how unprepared their country was against factory-made guns and better trained soldiers. This wasn't Russia's only problem under Alexander II though, and things kept getting worse.
Russian Peasants and Serfs
The other major problem that Alexander II faced was that Russia's economy was broke and still used Feudalism to make money. To fix this first problem, Alexander II freed all of Russia's peasants and serfs, who for centuries had been working as slaves to the Nobility who owned all the land in Russia. Alexander II honestly wanted to help the poor peasants, but he was not powerful or respected enough to enforce his decisions. After years of arguing with the Nobility, Alexander II was able to free the serfs from slavery, but the Nobility got to keep most of the land. The peasants and serfs had no where to go, so nothing really changed. The Nobility still controlled the poor.
The end of Alexander II
In the end, Alexander II was still not very respected or able to fix Russia's major problems- freeing the serfs or industrializing the country. After 26 years of trying to help Russia, Alexander II was killed. In 1881 a poor student, hoping to get more freedoms for Russia's serfs, threw a bomb under Alexander II's horse carriage. The bomb exploded right under the Czar, and fifteen minutes later he was declared dead.