Time flew, and before we knew it, the year had reached 1860. The first major event of the new year was that Nicholas I went to meet God.
If this had happened in any other European country, it would have been a minor issue – merely a change of Emperor, and life would go on as usual.
But in Tsarist Russia, it was different. A change of Tsar meant that Russian foreign policy was about to undergo a transformation.
As the hegemon of Europe, any shift in the Tsarist Government's foreign policy would inevitably influence the international situation, and the Vienna Government had to prepare accordingly.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg analyzed, "Based on the intelligence we've gathered, Alexander II's personality is not as dominating as Emperor Nicholas. He's better at the art of compromise.
Alexander II's political stance differs from that of Emperor Nicholas. He advocates for more comprehensive social reforms, and he's against blind foreign expansion.