Peasants

Question 1

When were the Serfs emancipated?

Answer 1

1861, but were still not full citizens

Question 2

How long were redemption dues in place for and how many peasants could begin to afford to pay by 1870?

Answer 2

Redemption dues were in place for 49 years and only 55% of peasants could afford to begin to pay by 1870

Question 3

What did the Mir oversee?

Answer 3

They oversaw the cultivation of land and tax collections. Collective decisions were made about crop-growing, change to holdings that adapted to circumstance (death) could only happen through the mir and free physical movement was prevented by land passports

Question 4

What happened with the assassination of Alexander II?

Answer 4

There was a tightening of authority with Land Captains in 1889 introduced to oversee the Mir

Question 5

What did Alexander III do to improve peasant lives?

Answer 5

He abolished the salt and poll taxes, lowered redemption dues and introduced the Peasant Land Bank

Question 6

What caused the 1891 famine and how many people died?

Answer 6

350,000 people died and it was a result of the export of grain during a shortage to fuel industrial growth

Question 7

What benefits did the peasants receive in 1905?

Answer 7

Redemption payments were ended, internal passports were abolish and peasants were seen as full citizens for the first time

Question 8

What was the Imperial Land Decree and when was it passed?

Answer 8

It was introduced in November 1906 and made full law in 1910 and meant the peasants could leave the mir and consolidate his strips in one holding. He could pass the property onto his heirs without mir interference

Question 9

How many people became Kulaks as part of Stolypin’s ‘Wager on the Strong’?

Answer 9

Some 2.8 million of 12 million

Question 10

How many people migrated to new areas between 1906 and 1914?

Answer 10

2 million

Question 11

What did the crop area of Siberia and Kazakhstan increase to between 1906 and 1914?

Answer 11

It doubled from 12 million acres in 1906 to 24 million acres in 1914

Question 12

What happened to farm machinery as a result of state support?

Answer 12

Factory production of farm machinery grew from 13 million roubles in value in 1900 to 60 million roubles in value in 1913, leading to an increase in the use of iron ploughs over wooden ploughs by 1910

Question 13

What impact did agricultural schools have on literacy rates?

Answer 13

It led to a significant reduction in illiteracy, with 51% literacy amongst men in 1897 reaching 82% by 1920

Question 14

What did the Land Decree mean for land and when was it passed?

Answer 14

It was passed on the 8th November 1917 and meant that Private property in land was removed - the state owned land and you couldn’t trade land

Question 15

How successful was the setting up of collective farms?

Answer 15

Not very successful - only 600,000 out of 10 million peasants worked in them for the Bolsheviks. There were 4,400 state run ‘Sovkhoz’ farms, but this is also a meagre amount

Question 16

What did the NEP mean for agriculture?

Answer 16

No more requisitioning of agricultural profucs, an 10% tac in kind was taken instead and the peasants could sell whatever else they produced

Question 17

What was the Land Code?

Answer 17

It was brought in in 1922 and legalised the Peasants title to land they owned, but affirming it so that it also belonged to the people as a whole

Question 18

How many peasants were still using wooden ploughs under Lenin?

Answer 18

5 million

Question 19

What were MTS stations?

Answer 19

They were created to distribute technology but kept an eye on the peasants and only gave them equipment when they met quotas

Question 20

What was the predominant form of resistance to collectivisation?

Answer 20

Slaughtering and eating cattle

Question 21

What was the Law of Seven Eighths

Answer 21

It was put in place to imprison people for 10 years if they stole anything, eve an few flecks of corn

Question 22

What changes did Khrushchev bring to collective farms?

Answer 22

Collective farms were enlarged and higher prices were paid by the state for produce in order to try and alleviate rural poverty (known as the State Pricing Mechanism)

Question 23

What happened to MTS stations under Khrushchev?

Answer 23

MTS stations wer abandoned and technology was made available for the whole collective

Question 24

How many people migrated for the Virgin Lands Scheme and where did they migrate to?

Answer 24

50,000 people migrated to Kazakhstan and Western Siberia

Question 25

What were peasant houses called under the Tsars?

Answer 25

Izbas, which were wooden huts that were often shared with other families

Question 26

What happened to housing under the Communists?

Answer 26

Stalin created ‘collective housing’ which was overcrowded. Khrushchev developed greater living space in agro-towns although they were poor quality

Question 27

What was the Medele’ev Tariff famine and when did it happen?

Answer 27

It happened in 1891 when adverse weather resulted in half the provinces of Russia suffering from food shortages and this was exacerbated with the Medele’ev Tariff, leading to 350,000 deaths

Question 28

What was the Famine of 1921?

Answer 28

Droughts and Bolshevik policies towards the immediate post war food crisis contributed to the famine, and Ukrainian food production fell by 20% during this time. Due to an almost complete shutdown of the Russian railway system which emanated from the Civil War, it was hard to transport food and the end result was a death toll of over 5 million

Question 29

What caused the Famine of 1932-1934?

Answer 29

It was a combination of the effects of the first stage of collectivisation and poor harvests due to poor weather. The death penalty was imposed for stealing grain, and the reaction of the peasants worsened effects where they slaughtered animals rather than hand them over to the authorities, leading to a horse shortage

Question 30

What was a result of the Famine of 1932-1934 for the Ukrainians?

Answer 30

5 million Ukrainians died as a result of grain requisitioning, and it is believed to have been a manmade famine