The Emancipation Of The Serfs Flashcards
What was the emancipation?
-a product of Alexander II own liberal + humanitarian ideas
-he challenged accepted conventions within society + set new path for reform
-received the name Tsar Liberator
Why did he emancipate the serfs?
-toured Russia and saw how incredibly backwards society was and the rural methods
-he made pro-emancipation speeches
What was the emancipation edict?
-1861 edict only applied to privately owned serfs + state serfs in 1856
-granted serfs freedom + an allotment of land
-landowners received compensation
-freed serfs were required to pay redemption payments over 49 years to the gov’t for land
-there was a 2 year temporary obligation before freedom was granted to sort out allocations
What were the results of emancipation?
-was huge undertaking + took longer than expected
-15% remained temporarily obligated to their landlords until 1881 as land allocations took longer to sort out than anticipated
-1881 redemption payments made compulsory
What was the result of emancipation concerning the kulaks?
-did well out of land allocations
-bought land from poorer neighbours to produce surplus for grain export
-some obtained passports + left Mir this raising living standard by finding work in industrialising cities
What was the result of emancipation regarding the landowners?
-used compensation to pay off debts + enterprisers made profit from investing into industry
What was the result of emancipation regarding the peasants?
-many felt cheated
-land allocations were rarely fair + were increasingly divided as heirs inherited land
-small land allotments made adopting new farming methods difficult
-they lost former benefits + had restrictions on travel which made rural life hard
-many resented the kulaks which led to violence
What instances of violence arose from the edict?
-647 riots throughout the 4 months after
-peasant riot in Bezdna crushed + 70 peasants died
-wave of student protests in St P, Moscow + Kazan
