Throughout the 19th century, questions about the introduction of a constitution and the abolition of serfdom were the most pressing. Each emperor had his own vision on them, but they were all united by the realization that the peasant question was the most urgent. The Decree on Indebted Peasants is one of the many drafts of his decision.
In historical context
The accession to the throne of Nicholas I was marked by the uprising of the Decembrists. Their testimony during the investigation revealed that, along with many political demands, the participants in the movement most of all stood up for the abolition of serfdom. At the same time, weighty arguments of an economic, civil, and spiritual persuasion were given about the reasons for the need to make the peasants free as soon as possible. Strictly speaking, Alexander the First set himself such a state task. But due to internal political collisions, an active foreign policy and discontent on the part of largelandowners received personal freedom peasants only in the B altic states. The decree on obligated peasants is one of many during the reign of Nicholas. He did not submit the issue for general discussion, but acted by the method of secret committees. There were ten of them in 30 years, but all their decisions concerned private issues.
Committees on the Peasant Question
Nicholas the First pursued a conservative policy, but, as you know, even conservatives follow the path of reforms when it is necessary to preserve the existing system. The first peasant secret committee was created already in 1826, it included such famous figures of the Alexander era as M. M. Speransky and V. P. Kochubey. 6 years of his work became the theoretical basis for further committees, but did not change anything in the situation with serfdom. The next committee by 1835 developed a project for the abolition of the serf system, in fact, with the complete dispossession of the peasantry. The state could not agree to this, since the peasantry remained the main taxpayer. The result of the activities of the next committee was the decree on obligated peasants (1842). Subsequent secret institutions considered private questions about courtyards, about the possibility of serfs to acquire land, and others.
Features of the decree
Firstly, it should be noted right away that the decree on obligated peasants did not provide for its obligatory implementation, but as a recommendation. That is, he gave an opportunity, but howact landowners - it is at their discretion. As a result, out of ten million serfs, from twenty-five to twenty-seven thousand people were transferred to those who were obliged, but free. This is called in everyday life "a drop in the ocean." Secondly, the decree on obligated peasants tried to take into account the interests of all parties. The peasants received civil freedom, the state received normal taxpayers, and the landlords remained the owners of the land. Thirdly, this resolution, to a certain extent, opposed the well-known decree "on free cultivators", which allotted land to the liberated peasants for ransom. The land was to be fixed strictly as the property of the landowners.
Content of the decree
Decree on obligated peasants allowed landowners to release peasants to freedom by signing a preliminary agreement with them. It indicated the amount of land that was transferred to the use of the peasant, as well as the number of days of corvée and the amount of quitrent that the former serf owed to the owner of the land, that is, the landowner, for use. This agreement was approved by the government and has not changed since then. Thus, the landlord could not demand more from the peasants for renting land. At the same time, the decree on obligated peasants left the right of the patrimonial court and all police functions to the nobles. The latter meant that power in the villages, just as before, belongs to the feudal lord.
Consequences of the decree
Despite the government's expectations, the issuance of a decree on obligatedpeasants had very little effect. Although the landlords kept the land behind them, and received duties for it, and retained power in the countryside, they now had no opportunity to increase the duties or reduce the peasant allotments. Therefore, most of them were in no hurry to use the right to transfer serfs to the status of obligated. The life of the obliged peasants did not change significantly, but there was less arbitrariness of the nobility, which means more chances for development. The small number of those released under this decree speaks of its minimal impact on the existence of serfdom. Strictly speaking, Nikolai understood that this problem existed, but he believed that it was very dangerous to touch it and that it was necessary to act carefully.
Solving the problem of serfdom
The adoption of the decree on indebted peasants was a minor concession to public influence and the urgent tasks of Russia's development. The Crimean War, which Russia lost, showed the need for reform. The emerging revolutionary situation influenced the upper classes, who, with difficulty, but finally agreed with the government that the peasants needed to be made free. At the same time, the basis of the reform was the liberation of the peasants, necessarily with land, but for a monetary ransom. The size of allotments and ransom amounts varied depending on the regions of Russia, the peasants did not always receive enough land, but nevertheless a step forward was made. A special merit in this belongs to Alexander II, who managed to bring the work he had begun to the end in an atmosphere of generalcriticism from both the left and the right. In addition to the abolition of serfdom, he carried out other important reforms that contributed to the development of capitalist relations. He went down in history as "The Liberator".
