Following the collapse of the repressive regime of Nicholas I and the debacle of the Crimean War it became clear that the time for mere reflection was over and that action was required to address the problems of Russia's backwardness in comparison with the countries of western Europe. At an official level there was much soul-searching as to the path Russia should now take. The new tsar, Alexander II, was intent on bringing the social structure of his country more into line with that of other European countries, and he embarked upon a programme of major modernisation and reform. However, his chief reform – the liberation of the serfs – was not without significant social costs. For a start it would lead to the decline of the hitherto powerful gentry class and weaken its cultural hegemony. Moreover, the harsh financial burden placed on the peasants, and their disillusionment with the land allocated to them, sparked disturbances in the countryside. Perhaps even more significantly, the unsatisfactory conditions of the emancipation had the effect of splitting the reform movement in the Russian intelligentsia. Liberals (who were mainly of gentry origin) were largely appeased, arguing that the emancipation was evidence of the government's good intentions and that any shortcomings could be addressed through a process of subsequent reform. A significant section of the intelligentsia was, however, radicalised by what they saw as the government's inability to make effective change, and it came to see the future as one of working against, rather than with, the regime in order to achieve progress.