emancipation Flashcards
how many Russian serfs were there in 1861
51 million
when was the Emancipation reform (ER)
1861
what were some causes of the ER
-economic problems
-loss in Crimean War
-social unrest
explain how economic problems lead to the ER
Russia was in a poor economic state due to its reliance on agriculture and serf work. This lead to a lack of industrialisation meant that they had slow economic growth
explain how loss in Crimean War lead to the ER
Russia was thought to have the strongest army due to its size, however the army was primarily made of conscripted serfs who had poor gear and low motivation. Along with this generals were often appointed based on loyalty not talent.
Social unrest
before the ER evermore liberal views were being spread amongst the peasants and they wanted change. There were also a group of student radicals who had seen life in West Europe and wanted the same changes in Russia
Who was freed
all privately owned serfs were freed, state owned serfs had to wait until 1866
why were many of the serfs not truly free
they were required to make ‘redemption payments’ to the government over 49 years and were forced to stay in their mir
what was a ‘mir’
a peasant commune
what was a ‘kulak’
a prosperous landed peasant
which parts of the land did the previous land owners keep
the meadows, pasture, woodland, and a personal holding
which parts of the land did the peasants get
open fields
why were many peasants unhappy with the land allocation
they were primarily given the infertile land which made it hard to prosper
what did the kulaks do
they bought up extra land to profit more or they sold their allocation and obtained a passport to move out of the mir to an industrial city
how did the landowners profit
some used the compensation to pay of debts or they invested it in industrial sector to make profit
