emancipation

• year of emancipation of serfs 


  • 1961
  • emancipate = free from restrictions
  • main factor for emancipation = military factor
• motives behind reform

  • economic factors
  • Alexander II background
  • crimean war / military
  • risk of revolt
  • moral case
• economic factors 


  • many gov believe necessary to abolish serfdom
  • believed free labour more productive then forced labour (needed free labour market)
  • forced labour impoverished population and stopped growth of domestic demand
• crimean war


  • drew attention to state of army was mainly composed of peasants who were serfs and they were unfit
  • thought russia needed smaller, better trained army with reserve like europe country
  • military reform only happen if u free serfs
• risk of revolt 


  • concern for social stability
  • question of loyalty. how long will serfs remain loyal if nothing done to improve conditions and aspirations of the people
  • unsettled by revolutions in europe
  • army made of mainly peasants so would be dif to contain major peasant uprising
  • ordered weakly mood of peasantry reports 1957 as worried
• moral case

  • members of royal family say serfdom = morally + ethically wrong
  • radical intelligentsia growing who were opposed to serfdom
  • however many novels believed abolition of serfdom is damaging to russian state 💀
• emancipation of serfs 


  • 1961
  • Alexander II speech to Marshalls of the nobility signalled start to process of abolition of serfdom
  • took tsarist authorities 5y to plan and draft
  • resulted in 22 emancipation statutes
  • 1966 state peasants given right to buy land
• emancipation quote 


  “better that this should come about from above, rather than from below”

  (talking abt reform)
• serf types 


  • serfs = bound to land
  • slaves = property of individual
  • obrok = serfs that paid rent controlled by nobility
  • barschina = serfs specifically working the land, and harvest season is hard work, there is ‘downtime’ after harvest
• conclusion of emancipation 


  • tsar sacked people who didn’t want serfdom abolished
  • tsar didn’t wanna damage ruling class
  • extreme riots after emancipation news
  • landowners felt deprived
• 3 aspects of emancipation

  • peasants received slightly less land because limited supply
  • mir
  • landowners received above market value for land they hands to peasants
  • 2/3 land to landowners, 1/3 to peasants
• philosophy emancipation 


  peasants supposed to be free of property yet with emancipation they still remained a segregated class, unable to move freely
• mir


  • peasant commune
  • made by council of elders, each elder representing extended family
  • strengthened for administrative reasons
  • collected redemption payments peasants had to do for 49 years and remained in mir until payments made
  • issued internal passports allowing peasants to travel -> aim: make sure many free peasants didn’t move around countryside w potential disorder it will bring, entire commune had to take on redemption payments by any peasant who left
  • tied to the village
• why riots after emancipation

  • redemption payments
  • peasant tied to village (thru commune and they didn’t wanna give perms to leave ) COMMUNE MEANS VILLAGE COMMITTEE
  • cut offs - 20% common land handed to landowner
  • landowners felt deprived as peasants no longer obliged to work the landowners land so they believed the land should be theirs, even tho compensated thru state bonds which many spent on wine women and gambling
  • peasants felt cheated as always believed the land belongs to those who worked it but now they didn’t own land and had to pay for it 49years
• nobels and intelligentsia view on it

  • nobles felt they had not been compensated for loss of rights over serfs and losing power
  • radical intelligentsia felt emancipation protected nobel’s and betrayed peasants which led to opposition of regime
• kulak (consequence of emancipation)

  • bearer of peasant who owned animals and hired labour
  • brought kind of poorer neighbours and renting land from nobility
• What were serfs forced to do after emancipation?

  They were forced to remain in their villages
• Why were peasants upset by emancipation?

  They believed all land should be theirs by right
• How did the nobility's power change after emancipation?

  They were losing power over the serfs
• What was the legal status of serfs after emancipation?

  Serfs were granted full civil rights
• How did living standards of peasants change after emancipation?

  Living standards of peasants improved
• What happened to landowners' rights after emancipation?

  Landowners lost rights to punish serfs
• What were serfs no longer obligated to do after emancipation?

  Serfs were no longer obligated to work for landowners
• What was a consequence of the redemption payment for serfs?

  Serfs had to sell grain to pay it
• What was the impact of low crop yield on serfs? due to emancipation

  It caused them to face famine
• How long did the redemption payment last for serfs?

  49 years
• What was the effect of increased agricultural productivity?

  It led to better living standards for peasants
• What was the ethical consideration regarding landlords after emancipation?

  Many landlords were seen as unethical
• conclusion effects of emancipation part uno

  part uno

  
• part dos conclusion 


  part dos

  
• when was state serfs emancipated by

  1966
• difference between state serfs to private serfs

  serfs owned by state rather then individual land owners.

  slightly better conditions then private serfs
• emancipation led to agricultural issues
• which region was affected the most after emancipation and why

  Black Earth Region in Russia experienced challenges and difficulties following emancipation bc land allocating issues

  when serfs free, given some land but not enough to sustain themselves - former serfs in this particular region received plots too small to be liable for farming, leading to poverty