Stolypin and his land reforms Flashcards
What is agriculture like by 1906?
- It is still small scale
- Still has Mir allocating the land on principles of fairness
Why is the Mir allocating the land on the principle of fairness a problem?
No incentive to increase productivity
What was the Vyshnegradsky model carried on under Witte for farming?
heavy taxation and seizing of grain
Who were the Coulaks?
The Coulaks were a small number of peasants who are able to take advantage of emancipation; who bought more land, borrowed money and tried to make their land more efficient and increase size of the land they farmed
What does Stolypin think of the Coulaks?
Stolypin looks and this group and thinks that they are the future of Russia
What and when were Stolypin’s reforms?
From 1906 onwards, Stolypin introduces reforms which encourage the Coulaks to improve Russian agriculture
What did Stolypin call the peasants?
He calls the peasants the “sturdy and the strong”
How does Stolypin describe his policies?
He says his policies are a “gamble on the strong” (He is betting the future of the regime on the Coulaks)
What are Stolypin’s aims?
- preserving the autocracy
- developing Russian agriculture
How does good agriculture lead to boosted economy?
If Russian agriculture becomes more efficient peasants will be released and be able to work in the towns
Why are rich peasants good for the economy?
They buy stuff
How were Stolypin’s reforms supposed to preserve the autocracy?
Create a prosperous peasant class that is loyal to the Tsar that won’t revolt
What does he do to the size of the landholdings of the peasants?
Try to increase the size of landholdings (bigger farms)
What does Stolypin do about the Mir?
- He passes a law that allows peasants to leave the Mir
- He tries to move away from the communal idea of the Mir and towards individual property
What does Stolypin do about land inheritance?
He also tries to move away from the idea of family inheritance (split up the land amongst the sons) and switched it to eldest son inherits it
What was the land bank that Stolypin established?
He established a land bank which would lend money to peasants
What did Stolypin do about redemption payments?
He abolished redemption payments
How long did Stolypin say that his reforms would take to work?
20 years
What is the one thing Stolypin said they should avoid?
Ironically, he said the one thing we must avoid is war
How many peasants acheived Coulak status?
Fewer than 1% of peasants, as defined by the state, achieved Coulak status
What % of peasant holdings, by 1914, were still in strips?
90%
When was Russia the world’s leading cereal producer?
By 1909
