For what reasons, and with what results, did Alexander III (Alexander Alexandrovitch) try to reform Russian institutions?

In the Russia of the second half of the 19th century, millions of peasants lived in serfdom, a political system that had been present in Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Many viewed Russia as a barbarian, uncivilized land. The Tsar at the time, Alexander II, tried to reform the system, while maintaining a state of autocracy, a sort of political evolution which the royal family believed would help them maintain power. The serfs, peasants who …

…a conclusion the reforms seem half-hearted, as the peasants saw almost no change whatsoever in their lifestyle. What the Tsar was most likely to have been doing with the reforms was covering up for the fact that he was allowing the peasants to be abused and treated as animals while he reaped the profits.This surely caused his descendent's downfall, as it did not really help the situation, but made it worse on the contrary.