The era of the Romanov family gave the world many outstanding personalities who created the great historical past of the Russian people. Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin is one of the central political figures of the 19th-20th centuries. The resettlement policy, which is an echo of his reform activities, contributed to the development of Siberia. It is thanks to Pyotr Arkadyevich that the territory of the Russian Federation extends far beyond the Urals, and Siberia and the Far East are major industrial centers of the country.
Personality of the reformer
Pyotr Arkadyevich belonged to a noble noble family. There were many prominent military men in his family who took part in significant battles of the 17th and 18th centuries. Thanks to his education and high position in society, Stolypin received the position of marshal of the nobility, and then, after a couple of decades, the post of Minister of the Interior of the Russian Empire.
The 1905 revolution also contributed to his appointment. In the bustle of strife and discontent, Pyotr Arkadyevich acted competently and decisively. His proposals had the innovative spirit needed at that difficult time.
Unfortunately, the lightning-fast career of an outstanding politicianImperial Russia ended just as swiftly. In 1911 he was killed. But as an invaluable legacy, he left to subsequent generations the industrial potential of the Siberian and Far Eastern regions, the impetus for the development of which was given by his resettlement policy.
Peaceful "revolution" of Stolypin
In order to understand what the goals of the resettlement policy were and to objectively evaluate its results, it is necessary to study the reform activities of Petr Arkadevich. Since the resettlement of peasants in Siberia is an integral part of Stolypin's agrarian reform, which is also called the peasant one.
In the historical literature, many call it a "peaceful revolution", since decisions were made cardinal - radical changes in the field of agriculture and the peasant system of life. But they did not cause dissatisfaction among the masses, since people were given the opportunity to choose their own future - to go to the development of Siberia or stay in the European part of Russia.
Reasons for Stolypin's peasant reform
The results of the 1905 revolution made it clear that the social way of peasant life has outlived itself:
- Industrial growth has been stalled,
- Russia remained an agrarian power,
- People's discontent grew.
Dramatic changes and development of the country's economic potential were required. The main goal of the resettlement policy was precisely the development of new regions.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the effectiveness of public land usewas criticized, since the peasants did not want to invest a lot of labor in the land, which could be taken away from them at any moment and transferred to another community for use. The development of private property and private land ownership was necessary.
The resettlement policy had goals:
1. Develop private property and reduce peasant discontent.
2. Relocate the discontented masses as far away from the capital as possible.
3. Explore new lands in Siberia and the Far East.
4. Create prerequisites for the industrial development of the country.
Inheritance of S. Yu. Witte
It is important to note that even S. Yu. Witte understood the need for reforms. In his works, he studied all the problems of the internal policy of the Russian Empire and described in detail the ways to improve them. The list of areas for modernization also included agriculture, namely, the need for its intensive development (due to technology, not manual labor) and the creation of a competitive product market.
When preparing reforms, Stolypin used Witte's experience. It can be said that Stolypin brought to life the reforms prepared but not completed by Witte in connection with his resignation. However, the importance of Stolypin should not be underestimated, since it was he who managed to convince Tsar Nicholas II of the need for reforms and made a fundamental contribution to organizing the process of their practical use.
The meaning of the peasant reform
The essence of the resettlement policy is completely interconnected with the meaningpeasant reform. In 1905, 2 problems arose at once:
1. Economic.
2. Social.
The first was expressed in the lack of food and the decline in the agricultural potential of the country. The communal economy did not provide an adequate level of production. The market did not have the main incentive lever - competition.
Second - in lack of land. The developed territories of the Empire did not allow the peasants to receive land for personal use. After the decision to organize private land tenure, communal allotments usually remained with the largest figures. Here lies the need for a peasant reform, the core of which was the resettlement policy.
Results of the peaceful "revolution"
The result of the agrarian reform was the reorganization of the community and the creation of a layer of land owners. This allowed the Russian Empire to enter the world markets for products within 10 years. Siberia alone exported a record number of oil and wheat. Russia was in the lead in exports.
In the field of agriculture there was an industrial revolution. During the indicated time, many oil and wheat processing plants, as well as related products, were built.
The development of competition made Moscow and St. Petersburg entrepreneurs take care of the quality of their products, take a responsible approach to organizing the leisure of workers.
The settlement of Siberia, and then the Far East, was also beneficial from a political point of view. Undeveloped territories could be captured by neighboring states.
ResettlementStolypin's politics
For 40 years before the reformist innovations of Pyotr Arkadevich, they tried to populate Siberia by sending prisoners to camps organized on it. However, from the disadvantaged stratum of the population, exhausted by camp life, the development of the territory as such did not occur. No one wanted to linger in poor villages.
Even in 1889, the process of resettlement to Siberia was legally facilitated, but this did not bring the desired effect.
In connection with this, Stolypin decided to offer the hard-working peasants to voluntarily set off to develop and develop free lands, of course, on a basis that is beneficial to them. In order to make the offer attractive, the citizens who agreed to resettlement were given salaries and land.
It was not easy for everyone, many returned. But thanks to especially enterprising peasants, electricity appeared in the Siberian villages in a few years, which the previously developed allotments of European Russia could not boast of. Many families of immigrants received the status of merchants, which testified to their decent life in a new place.
The hard way to free lands
Few people remember, answering the question "What were the results of the resettlement policy?" about another important achievement. The growth of the population flow, the increase in the number of labor force, as well as the development of industry made it possible to complete the construction in a fairly short timeSiberian Railway.
It was the road that became the "golden path" for Siberia. And not only because the gold mined in dredges was transported along it. The enrichment of the population through the sale of grain, flour, butter and meat became possible thanks to the railway. In addition, the presence of a railway connection has attracted new settlers.
Assimilation of settlers
For all the time, about 16% of the population did not take root in Siberia and returned back to the European part of Russia. During the years of reform - from 1905 to 1914 - about 3.5 million people left to develop new territories, and only 500 thousand returned.
Indigenous peoples of Siberia were not happy with new neighbors, clashes between the population and visitors were often observed. Over time, the Eskimos, Khanty, Mansi and other peoples realized the benefits of cooperation with the settlers, because. they taught them to read and write, allowed them to work in factories, enjoy the benefits of civilization, including medicine.
If at the beginning of the resettlement about 18% of the inhabitants of Siberia were literate, then a few years later their number reached 80%. School, secondary and higher educational institutions were created in the cities.
Directions for the development of populated areas
The climate of Siberia was extremely different from the usual, not all landowners knew the rules for farming in a dry climate. The settlers had a hard time. However, having adopted the experience of the northern countries and the indigenous peoples of the North, people were able to reach the level of production in Moscow and St. Petersburg in record time than the latter wereextremely dissatisfied. Nicholas II was offered to ban the sale of goods from Siberia, but since its territory was an integral part of the Empire, no such restrictions were introduced.
- By 1915, dozens of mills were built on resettlement lands. Siberian rye and premium flour were in high demand on the European market.
- Livestock also developed rapidly. This entailed the production of butter, milk and other dairy products. Siberians sold oil abroad and received foreign equipment as compensation.
- It is impossible, speaking of Siberia, not to mention gold mining. This region interested investors after its development. Many companies for the extraction of gold and metals existed on foreign money, which gave a start to the development of new mines and dredges. Many migrants, not having received the desired benefits, went to the taiga to try their luck, working as prospectors.
Results of Stolypin's resettlement policy
The goals and results of the resettlement policy of Pyotr Arkadyevich are interpreted by historians ambiguously. Someone believes that the work on the development of new territories has failed. After all, they never reached their peak - people who did not find happiness returned to the European part of the country as beggars, the population density of Siberia and the Far East remained low. However, few people take into account the industrial potential that the reforms have awarded this territory.
Therefore, answer the question "What were the goals and results ofStolypin's resettlement policy" stands apart from the results of the peasant reform. After all, Siberia, inhabited at the beginning of the 20th century, is still a large industrial region. This fact cannot but be the most important indicator of the effectiveness of the peaceful revolutionary transformations carried out by Pyotr Arkadyevich, including resettlement of residents of the European part of Russia.
