Motives, Description, & Impacts of the Emancipation of the Serfs

Question 1

When was the Emancipation of the Serfs?

Answer 1

Feb 1861

Question 2

Who were the kulaks?

Answer 2

prosperous landed peasants

Question 3

which group did well out of the land allocations?

Answer 3

Kulaks

Question 4

How did the kulaks do well out of land allocations?

Answer 4

bought up extra land so they could produce surplus grain for export

Question 5

How else did some ex-serfs do to their land allocation?

Answer 5

sold it away

Question 6

what did ex-serfs obtain that enabled them to leave the mir for work purposes?

Answer 6

passport

Question 7

where did the majority of ex-serfs travel to?

Answer 7

industrialising cities

Question 8

why did the majority of ex-serfs travel to industrialising cities?

Answer 8

to find work

Question 9

what increased as a result of finding work in industrialising cities?

Answer 9

standard of living

Question 10

how did some landowners use their compensation?

Answer 10

getting out of debt

Question 11

how did enterprising individuals make profits?

Answer 11

through investment in industry

Question 12

what was the issue with the size of the land allocations for the peasants? (2)

Answer 12

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

Question 13

what was a highly traditional institution?

Answer 13

the mir system

Question 14

what were the issues with the mir system? (2)

Answer 14

• subsistence farming

- persistent technical backwardness

Question 15

define subsistence farming

Answer 15

the practice of growing crops and raising livestock sufficient only for one’s own use, without any surplus for trade

Question 16

in 1878, what was the percentage of peasantry that were able to produce a surplus?

Answer 16

50%

Question 17

in what year were 50% of peasantry able to produce a surplus?

Answer 17

1878

Question 18

in 1878, what were only 1/2 of the peasantry able to produce?

Answer 18

surplus

Question 19

list 3 issues that made rural life hard

Answer 19

• former benefits
• restrictions on travel
• burden of redemption payments

Question 20

what did resentment of the kulaks easily lead to?

Answer 20

further violent outbreaks in the countryside

Question 21

what were the landowners displeased about losing?

Answer 21

their loss of influence

Question 22

List 3 regions where a wave of student protests and riots occurred

Answer 22

• St Petersburg
• Moscow
• Kazan

Question 23

why was there unrest in the countryside?

Answer 23

disputes erupted over land-holding and redemption payments

Question 24

how many riots occurred, following the 4 months after decree?

Answer 24

647

Question 25

how many peasants died in the peasant riot in Bezdna?

Answer 25

70

Question 26

what place did 70 peasants die (during brutal crushing of riot)?

Answer 26

Bezdna

Question 27

what continued as a result of landowners having to sell or mortgage their own allocated land?

Answer 27

noble bankruptcies

Question 28

why did noble bankruptcies continue?

Answer 28

due to landowners having to sell or mortgage their own allocated land

Question 29

what reform were nobles able to project their resentment in?

Answer 29

new local elected gov called zemstva

Question 30

how did A II try to win noble support for EOF?

Answer 30

made pro-emancipation speeches

Question 31

when was the decree ready and when did it come into force?

Answer 31

• ready Feb 1861

- that Lent

Question 32

who did the 1861 Emancipation Edict initially apply to only?

Answer 32

privately owned serfs

Question 33

define what a serf is

Answer 33

an agricultural labourer bound by the feudal system who was tied to working on his lord’s estate

Question 34

when did state serfs receive their freedom?

Answer 34

1866

Question 35

what happened in 1866 to state serfs?

Answer 35

received their freedom

Question 36

what were freed serfs required to pay?

Answer 36

redemption payments

Question 37

who were the freed serfs paying redemption payments to?

Answer 37

gov

Question 38

how long were the serfs required to pay redemption payments?

Answer 38

49 years

Question 39

where were the ex-serfs required to stay until redemption payments had been made?

Answer 39

mir

Question 40

list 3 roles of the mir

Answer 40

• distributing allotments
• controlling farming
• collecting and paying peasants’ taxes

Question 41

define volost

Answer 41

• 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’

Question 42

what was a peasant community consisting of several villages or hamlets?

Answer 42

volost

Question 43

how many people were part of the volost?

Answer 43

200-300

Question 44

why were volosts established?

Answer 44

supervise mirs

Question 45

what year were the volosts able to run their own courts (replacing landlords’ jurisdiction over serfs)?

Answer 45

1863

Question 46

how long was the period of ‘temporary obligation’ before freedom was granted, during which allocations were worked out?

Answer 46

2 years

Question 47

List 4 regions/things landowners were able to retain

Answer 47

• meadows
• pasture
• woodland
• personal holding

Question 48

what type of land were mirs given?

Answer 48

open fields

Question 49

what process took far longer than anticipated?

Answer 49

abolition of serfdom

Question 50

what % of peasants still remained ‘temporarily obliged’ to their landlords until 1881?

Answer 50

15%

Question 51

15% of peasants still remained ‘temporarily obliged’ to their landlords until when?

Answer 51

1881