Emancipation Of The Serfs Flashcards
1
Q
Aftermath of the Crimean war
A
- 1856 Alexander II plans to emancipate the serfs and in 1857 he organised a secret committee to discuss its logistics
- 1858-59 he toured Russia giving speeches to nobles in favour of emancipation and asked them to draw up lists of peasants and their land
2
Q
What did the Emancipation Proclamation of 1861 say?
A
- Ukase (edict) in 1861 was lengthy and was read out to the peasants
- serfs to become free men
- entitled to keep their property and a small allotment of land
- landowners would ne compensated for the loss of land through government and peasants
- serfs free to marry, own property and travel
- had to pay redemption payments (49 year instalments at 6% interest)
- all freed to remain within their mir until all payments payed off
3
Q
Alexander II background
A
- taught it was his duty to protect the autocracy and to make Russia strong
- different from other Tsars: travelled around the country and seem problems first had, worked on government committees to investigate serfdom and was fully aware Russia lagged behind others
4
Q
Why did he abolish serfdom - Political reasons?
A
- Between 1840-44 there were fewer than 30 outbreaks of serf disorder which doubled in the next 15 years
- Worried about a ‘revolution from below’ saying “its better to abolish serfdom from above than wait for the time when it begins to abolish itself from below”
- Gives opportunity to show himself as a humane leader (international position decrease would decrease popularity so weaken autocracy)
- Russia had a poor international reputation and couldn’t be modernised with serfdom in place
- Defeat at Crimea demonstrated how Russia needed to match the West
- 1848 there had been revolutions in France, Austria and Prussia so feared it would spread to them
- If Russia needed to modernise it needed a flexible social structure
5
Q
Why did he abolish serfdom - Background
A
- Influenced by ‘enlightened bureaucrats’ like Milyutin brothers who disliked serfdom
- served in many committees and he knew the conditions, seeming to be genuinely concerned
6
Q
Why did he abolish serfdom - economic?
A
- economic experts claim serfdom was insufficient and holding back to modernisation of Russia
- forced labour meant little incentive to work to insufficient work force
- poorly trained army was costly and inefficient
- by the end of war in Crimea there was a debt of 1 billion roubles so economy was in a deep crisis
- landowners needed modern machines not just serf labour
7
Q
Why did he abolish serfdom - morals?
A
- establish as a new humane leader
- growing international condemnation of slavery in general in mid 19th century and was about to be abolished in the US
- many of Russias intellects (authors, poets, playwrights) were influencing liberal opinions against serfdom
8
Q
What was the problem with redemption payments?
A
- land was not given and still had to be bought, buying land they previously used and considered their own
- redemption payments at 6% interest to be payed over 49 years to compensate for lost money and weren’t allowed to leave until payments were complete
- government arrange a price with land owner and pay them 80% of agreed value, receive 80% from government and the remaining 20% from peasants, these are paid over 49 years
- land was often overvalued by land owners so serfs had to pay way more than its worth but had not choice (black soil provinces- redemption costs: 341 real costs:284)
- life expectancy was less than 49 years so peasant families had large mortgage debts passed down
9
Q
Why was land distribution a problem after emancipation of the serfs?
A
- nobility kept the best pieces of land for themselves (20-40%) so peasants end up with poorer quality plots than before but were paying inflated prices
- plots got even smaller when passed from parent to children so farming stayed very backwards and only 50% of peasants would produce a surplus of food in 1878
- peasants lost rights to woods that was previously free for firewood
- lost the rights to graze animals on common land (lords private property)
- domestic serfs not given any land
10
Q
How did the mir have power?
A
- took on much of the lords role (e.g. taxes, army recruits, maintain order)
- collect redemption payments
- had to issue passports if peasants wanted to travel 20+ miles and after 1861 there is evidence that large numbers were issued
11
Q
How did the Volost have power?
A
- peasants community consisting of several villages between 200-3000 people
- replaced landlords jurisdiction over serfs
- run by assemblies of representatives from mir
- had own courts from 1863
- managed by ex-serfs under control of government officials and a noble ‘peace officer’
12
Q
Did any peasants benefit?
A
- very few did well
- became known as Kulaks and made enough money to buy out adjoining land from their other peasants
- for many life only got worse
13
Q
What happened at the Bezdna Uprising?
A
- disputes over land and payments became common - 647 riots in 4 months after the decree
- April 1861 Anton Petrov (literate peasant in the Kazan province) led and uprising in Bezdna after realising the reality of emancipation
- others followed and 5000 peasants from 130 surrounding villages joined
- Tsar sent military forces to subdue the rebellion
- Soldiers open fire and kill 57 peasants whilst injuring 350 others
14
Q
What effect did the emancipation have on the nobility?
A
- Many sold land at high prices so did well and reinvested their money into new industries like railways and became industrial entrepreneurs
- others lost a steady income - 1/3 forced to sell off land by 1905 to pay off remaining debts, 1861-1905 the amount of land owned by nobles fell by 41%
- loss of land and political/economic influence forced some to move into cities, blaming the government. However, many stayed in countryside and found fulfilment with the new zemstva
