Agriculture + The Land Issue

Question 1

How did the emancipation fail to bring fundamental change.

Answer 1

-although variation the average peasants received little less that 4 hectares
-high taxes, gran requisitions, redemption lay,ents + traditional farming practices were perpetuated by Mir which hampered agri change
-yields remained low compared to Western Europe
-govt est peasants + nobles land banks to facilitate land purchase but loans offered increase debts

Question 2

What were the land banks?

Answer 2

-set up to assist peasants who wished acquire more land directly or through purchase from nobles
-designed to help nobles with legal costs of land transfer + help peasants increase land ownership
-over 26 million hectares passed into peasant hands
-but also helped prop up insufficient farms which continued in traditional ways

Question 3

What was the overall outcome?

Answer 3

-increase in agri production 1870s + 1880s due to efforts of kulaks positive response to Vyshnegradsky’s export drive
-but famine 1891-92 showed basic economic problems remained — average peasant had too little land to become prosperous