In the second half of the nineteenth century, a series of reforms took place in the Russian Empire, which aimed to transform the socio-political system in accordance with the requirements of the time, one of them was the abolition of serfdom and a position specially introduced for this purpose - a global mediator.
The Peasant Question under Alexander I
By the middle of this century, Russia came with an extremely weakened economy and agriculture, the defeat in the Crimean War further exacerbated all the negative processes of Russian reality. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the question of the abolition of serfdom has been constantly raised in society. Alexander the First was initially very liberal and was also inclined towards this decision. Moreover, after the victory of our country in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the campaign abroad, reformist sentiments intensified not only among the intelligentsia, but also among the peasants themselves, as well as progressive-minded landowners. Alexander Pavlovich was well aware of all this, but he was in no hurry to carry out reforms, and after a series of revolutionary speeches in some European countries, he completely refused any changes in the situation.peasants. The law "on free cultivators" and the liberation from the dependence of the B altic peasants, who were very few - these are all measures taken to alleviate the situation of the peasants.
The point of view of Nicholas I Pavlovich
The emperor's heir, younger brother Nikolai, was known in the family as a confident conservative, the Decembrist uprising in 1825 further strengthened him in this direction. Already after its suppression, the emperor himself took part in the interrogation of the participants in the rebellion, and the whole disappointing picture of Russian reality clearly loomed before him. Nikolai Pavlovich agreed with the statement that serfdom for Russia is evil, but he considered changing something in the current conditions even more evil.
Nevertheless, during his reign, the emperor's favorite, Count Arakcheev, drew up a project for the liberation of the peasants, for the needs of which about five million rubles were required annually, and the process itself was extended in time for an indefinite period. Even this very limited project aroused open opposition from government circles. The Minister of Finance, Count Kankrin, said that there was no such money in the treasury, so another way out had to be found, all other half-attempts also ended in nothing. Nicholas I, during his rather long reign, did nothing to alleviate the plight of the peasants. Meanwhile, the economy continued to develop at a slow pace, which was reflected in further events.
Shift from the "dead center"
BIn 1856, the eldest son of Nicholas, Alexander II, came to the throne. He was already a mature person and personality, of no small importance was the fact that the tutor of the heir was Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky, a poet who adhered to liberal views and tried to instill them in his pupil. From the first days of his reign, Alexander Nikolaevich declared his intention to abolish the pernicious and shameful phenomenon - serfdom. It all started with a public discussion of the reform, which made it public and irreversible. Several reform projects were circulating around the capital. In 1859, Editorial Commissions were created, which were supposed to analyze and combine all projects, achieving the most acceptable result for landowners and peasants. The work went on in an atmosphere of extreme contradictions, nevertheless the tsar did not succumb to difficulties and insisted on his own. By the beginning of 1861, all the preparatory measures were completed, and on February 19 the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom was announced, the slave position of the peasants fell, however, to carry out the reform, it was necessary to create many new bodies and officials who would monitor its implementation. This is how the lowest executive link appears - the world mediator.
Freedom
"Provisions of the Manifesto of 1861" defined the main task of these persons as the formalization of relations between the landowner and the peasant on the basis of an agreement concluded between them, called the "statutory charter". Also, conciliators are people whose competenceincluded the implementation of supervision over the self-government of rural units, the approval of elected positions (peasant headman, foreman of the volost). If necessary, the conciliator could remove them from office. In relation to the peasants, he was endowed with judicial and police power, sorted out various minor conflicts, could arrest and impose corporal punishment. The site, which was served by one intermediary, covered from three to five volosts. About 1,714 of these officials were active throughout the empire. They were appointed from among the nobles of the given area on the proposal of the governor and the leader of the nobles. Above was a list of tasks that the world mediator solved, 1861 became the most productive year, many were appointed from among the progressive landowners, including L. N. Tolstoy, N. I. Pirogov. As events progressed, the content allocated per reseller decreased every year.
Results of the reform
However, these people played a very important role in the reform. It was thanks to them that a certain balance of interests of the peasants was maintained, although they were infringed, but this did not acquire a blatant character. And their most important business was to draw up a legally correct document that met the mutual interests of both parties, which was the statutory letters. The peace mediators tried to ensure that every peasant and landowner completed the redemption deal as soon as possible, and also that the temporarily obligated condition of the peasants was not extremely prolonged. The activities of these officials were terminated in 1874, and two independent institutions were created instead. However, they were no longer interested in the needs of the peasants and soon became part of the huge bureaucratic apparatus of the Russian Empire. But the main thing was done: the peasants received freedom, and the peace mediators are a symbol of freedom for the peasants.
