In the era of the reign of Peter I, Russia begins to use the division of labor and fits into the global economic environment. There is a tendency towards the European model of the economy - the desire to accumulate more than to spend; export more than import. The development of trade forces the restructuring of industry and agriculture, which supplies raw materials for manufactories. All this ties entrepreneurship and the Russian economy to the interests of the treasury.
The army is growing, the income of the state, and the bulk of the goods goes to ensure it. The socio-economic development of Russia in the period when the state occupied the main niche in the economy is determined by the state order, which has a defense (military) character. It was at this time that a new socio-economic phenomenon appeared - the sessional manufactory.
Serfdom nature of labor
In 1649, the Cathedral Code finally fixedserfdom, abolishing St. George's Day, during which the peasants were allowed to move from one landowner to another. The state continues the policy of enslavement and is looking for new categories of the population that can be made into serfs.
Researchers draw attention to the feudal nature of the sessional manufactories under Peter 1 and, as a result, a sharp jump in labor productivity. The metallurgical and mining industry of Russia came out on top in Europe in iron smelting.
The profitability of the budget grows six times, as well as the cost of the army. State income goes to support the army. By the end of the century, these rates were reduced due to the feudal nature of labor. Serfs are not interested in the results of their labor. This explains Russia's lag behind the West, which has long since switched over to hired, capitalist labor.
Enslavement of the population
Before Peter I, there were several categories of the population. These were: landlord peasants, “walking” (free) people, single-dvortsy of the South of Russia (they had one yard, they were not subordinate to anyone), black-haired peasants of the North of Russia (they did not belong to anyone), yasak people of the Volga region (who paid tax in yasak skins). Peter has the dubious honor of creating an entirely new category - "state peasants".
This category includes all categories not covered by the "tax" (duty). In addition to the newly created category, the "tax" actively included the urban population. Peter transferred peasants and townspeople from quitrent, corvée to a poll tax, whichpaid from each male soul. Some researchers call this a general system of serfdom, in which all categories of the population were involved.
Foundation of session manufactories
The state, having received a new category of "state" peasants, that is, belonging to the treasury, begins to dispose of them. Some of them are forcibly assigned to state-owned factories and session manufactories to work off the factory corvee. A phenomenon no different from serfdom, it caused social unrest, especially powerful in the Urals.
Later, the state allowed manufacturers to buy their own peasants, known as possessive peasants (1721). The sale of labor force to merchants violated the privilege of the nobles, so the manufactory and the serfs assigned to it were declared "possession", that is, conditional, leased. The state remained the legal owner.
The owner could not sell peasants without manufactory, and manufactory without peasants. In addition, the government stopped trying to find runaway serfs and allowed manufacturers to keep them.
The phenomenon served as an impetus for the development of state-owned and private manufactories, stimulated the growth of industry. Possession manufactories prevailed in the old areas: metallurgy, cloth, linen and sailing production. The state exercised control over their activities. The owners had certain privileges: they were exempted from compulsory military service, received tax and customsprivileges.
After the death of Peter
Under Anna Ioannovna, the process went further. She secured the peasants for the possession of manufactories forever. And not only these peasants, but also members of their families. The result is a merger of landowners with industrialists. It becomes prestigious to own a manufactory, the nobles are involved in industrial entrepreneurship. Industrialists receive noble titles, such as Demidovs and Stroganovs.
The release of the sessional peasants became possible only in 1840, after the adoption of the relevant law. The right of possession was finally abolished in 1861, along with the abolition of serfdom.
