Motives, Description, & Impacts of the Emancipation of the Serfs Flashcards
When was the Emancipation of the Serfs?
Feb 1861
Who were the kulaks?
prosperous landed peasants
which group did well out of the land allocations?
Kulaks
How did the kulaks do well out of land allocations?
bought up extra land so they could produce surplus grain for export
How else did some ex-serfs do to their land allocation?
sold it away
what did ex-serfs obtain that enabled them to leave the mir for work purposes?
passport
where did the majority of ex-serfs travel to?
industrialising cities
why did the majority of ex-serfs travel to industrialising cities?
to find work
what increased as a result of finding work in industrialising cities?
standard of living
how did some landowners use their compensation?
getting out of debt
how did enterprising individuals make profits?
through investment in industry
what was the issue with the size of the land allocations for the peasants? (2)
they were too small:
- provided little opportunity to adopt new farming methods
- increasingly was divided up as several sons inherited the land that they had to share
what was a highly traditional institution?
the mir system
what were the issues with the mir system? (2)
- subsistence farming
- persistent technical backwardness
define subsistence farming
the practice of growing crops and raising livestock sufficient only for one’s own use, without any surplus for trade
in 1878, what was the percentage of peasantry that were able to produce a surplus?
50%
in what year were 50% of peasantry able to produce a surplus?
1878
in 1878, what were only 1/2 of the peasantry able to produce?
surplus
list 3 issues that made rural life hard
- former benefits
- restrictions on travel
- burden of redemption payments
what did resentment of the kulaks easily lead to?
further violent outbreaks in the countryside
what were the landowners displeased about losing?
their loss of influence
List 3 regions where a wave of student protests and riots occurred
- St Petersburg
- Moscow
- Kazan
why was there unrest in the countryside?
disputes erupted over land-holding and redemption payments
how many riots occurred, following the 4 months after decree?
647
how many peasants died in the peasant riot in Bezdna?
70
what place did 70 peasants die (during brutal crushing of riot)?
Bezdna
what continued as a result of landowners having to sell or mortgage their own allocated land?
noble bankruptcies
why did noble bankruptcies continue?
due to landowners having to sell or mortgage their own allocated land
what reform were nobles able to project their resentment in?
new local elected gov called zemstva
how did A II try to win noble support for EOF?
made pro-emancipation speeches
when was the decree ready and when did it come into force?
- ready Feb 1861
- that Lent
who did the 1861 Emancipation Edict initially apply to only?
privately owned serfs
define what a serf is
an agricultural labourer bound by the feudal system who was tied to working on his lord’s estate
when did state serfs receive their freedom?
1866
what happened in 1866 to state serfs?
received their freedom
what were freed serfs required to pay?
redemption payments
who were the freed serfs paying redemption payments to?
gov
how long were the serfs required to pay redemption payments?
49 years
where were the ex-serfs required to stay until redemption payments had been made?
mir
list 3 roles of the mir
- distributing allotments
- controlling farming
- collecting and paying peasants’ taxes
define volost
- peasant community consisting of several villages or hamlets
- 200 - 300 people, compromising a no. of mirs
- run by assembly of representatives of mirs
- from 1863, had own courts, managed by ex-serfs under control of gov officials and noble ‘peace officer’
what was a peasant community consisting of several villages or hamlets?
volost
how many people were part of the volost?
200-300
why were volosts established?
supervise mirs
what year were the volosts able to run their own courts (replacing landlords’ jurisdiction over serfs)?
1863
how long was the period of ‘temporary obligation’ before freedom was granted, during which allocations were worked out?
2 years
List 4 regions/things landowners were able to retain
- meadows
- pasture
- woodland
- personal holding
what type of land were mirs given?
open fields
what process took far longer than anticipated?
abolition of serfdom
what % of peasants still remained ‘temporarily obliged’ to their landlords until 1881?
15%
15% of peasants still remained ‘temporarily obliged’ to their landlords until when?
1881
