The main provisions of the peasant reform of 1861, the essence, causes and consequences

2024 Author: Angel Austin | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:14

The 19th century is full of various events that were in many ways a turning point for the Russian Empire. This is the war of 1812 with Napoleon, and the uprising of the Decembrists. The peasant reform also occupies an important place in history. It happened in 1861. The essence of the peasant reform, the main provisions of the reform, the consequences and some interesting facts we will consider in the article.

Background

Since the 18th century, society began to think about the inexpediency of serfdom. Radishchev actively spoke out against the "abominations of slavery", various sections of society, and especially the reading bourgeoisie, spoke out in his support. It became morally unfashionable to have peasants as slaves. As a result, various secret societies appeared, in which the problem of serfdom was actively discussed. The dependence of the peasants was considered immoral for all walks of life.

The capitalist structure grew in the economy, and at the same timemore and more actively matured the conviction that serfdom significantly slows down the growth of the economy, prevents the state from developing further. Since by that time factory owners were allowed to free peasants working for them from serfdom, many owners took advantage of this by freeing their workers “for show” in order to serve as an impetus, an example for other owners of large enterprises.

Famous politicians who opposed slavery

One and a half hundred years, many famous figures and politicians have attempted to abolish serfdom. Even Peter the Great insisted that it was time to eradicate slavery from the Russian Great Empire. But at the same time, he perfectly understood how dangerous it was to take away this right from the nobles, while many privileges had already been taken away from them. It was fraught. At least a noble rebellion. And this could not be allowed. His great-grandson, Paul I, also tried to abolish serfdom, but he only managed to introduce a three-day corvee, which did not bring much fruit: many avoided it with impunity.

Preparing for reform

The real prerequisites for the reform were born in 1803, when Alexander I issued a decree that prescribed the release of the peasants. And since 1816, serfdom began to be abolished in the B altic cities of the Russian province. These were the first steps towards the wholesale abolition of slavery.

Then, from 1857, the Secret Council was created and carried out secret activities, which was soon transformedto the Main Committee on Peasant Affairs, thanks to which the reform gained openness. However, the peasants were not allowed to resolve this issue. Only the government and the nobility took part in the decision to carry out the reform. In each province there were special Committees, to which any landowner could apply with a proposal on serfdom. All materials were then redirected to the Editorial Commission, where they were edited and discussed. After, all this was transferred to the Main Committee, where information was summarized and direct decisions were made.

Consequences of the Crimean War as an impetus for reform

Since after the loss in the Crimean War, an economic, political and serf crisis was actively brewing, the landlords began to fear a peasant revolt. Because the most important industry was agriculture. And after the war, ruin, hunger and poverty reigned. The feudal lords, in order not to lose profit at all and not to impoverish, put pressure on the peasants, overwhelming them with work. Increasingly, the common people, crushed by their masters, protested and rebelled. And since there were many peasants, and their aggression increased, the landlords began to beware of new riots, which would only bring new ruin. And people rebelled fiercely. They set fire to buildings, crops, fled from their owners to other landlords, even created their own rebel camps. All this became not only dangerous, but also made serfdom ineffective. It was necessary to urgently change something.

Reasons

As with any historical event,The peasant reform of 1861, the main provisions of which we have to consider, has its own reasons:

• peasant unrest, especially intensified after the start of the Crimean War, which significantly undermined the country's economy (as a result, the Russian Empire collapsed);
• serfdom hindered the formation of a new bourgeois class and the development of the state as a whole;
• the presence of serfdom, tightly restrained the emergence of a free labor force, which was not enough;
• serfdom crisis;
• the appearance of a large number of supporters of the reform to abolish slavery;
• the government's understanding of the severity of the crisis and the need to make some kind of decision to overcome it;
• moral aspect: rejection of the fact that serfdom still exists in a fairly developed society (this has been discussed for a long time and by all sectors of society);
• lag behind the Russian economy in all areas;
• the labor of the peasants was unproductive and did not give impetus to the growth and improvement of economic spheres;
• in the Russian Empire, serfdom lingered longer than in European countries and this did not contribute to improving relations with Europe;
• in 1861, before the adoption of the reform, there was a peasant uprising, and in order to quickly extinguish it and prevent the generation of new attacks, it was urgently decided to abolish serfdom.

The essence of the reform

Before considering briefly the main provisions of the peasant reform of 1861,let's talk about its essence. On February 19, 1961, Alexander II officially approved the "Regulations on the abolition of serfdom", while creating a number of documents:

• manifesto on the liberation of peasants from dependence;
• buyout clause;
• Regulations on provincial and district institutions for peasant affairs;
• regulations on the arrangement of yard people;
• general provision on peasants who came out of serfdom;
• rules on the procedure for bringing into force the provisions on peasants;
• land was provided not to a specific person, and not even to a separate peasant household, but to the whole community.

Characteristics of the reform

At the same time, the reform was notable for its inconsistency, indecisiveness and illogicality. The government, making decisions regarding the abolition of serfdom, wanted to do everything in a favorable light without prejudice to the interests of the landlords. When dividing the land, the owners chose the best plots for themselves, providing the peasants with infertile small plots of land, on which it was sometimes impossible to grow anything. Often the land was at a great distance, which made the work of the peasants unbearable because of the long road.

As a rule, all fertile soils, such as forests, fields, hayfields and lakes, went to the landowners. The peasants were later allowed to redeem their plots, but the prices were inflated several times, which made redemption almost impossible. The amount given by the government tocredit, ordinary people were obliged to pay for 49 years, with a collection of 20%. It was a lot, especially considering that the production on the received plots was unproductive. And in order not to leave the landlords without peasant strength, the government allowed the latter to buy land no earlier than after 9 years.

Basics

Let's briefly consider the main provisions of the peasant reform of 1861.

1. Getting personal freedom by peasants. This provision meant that everyone received personal freedom and inviolability, lost their masters and became completely dependent on themselves. For many peasants, especially those who had been the property of good owners for many years, this situation was unacceptable. They had no idea where to go and how to live.
2. The landowners were obliged to provide the land for use to the peasants.
3. The abolition of serfdom - the main provision of the peasant reform - should be carried out gradually, over 8-12 years.
4. Peasants also received the right to self-government, the form of which is a volost.
5. Assertion of the transitional state. This provision gave the right to personal freedom not only to peasants, but also to their descendants. That is, this right of personal freedom was inherited, passed down from generation to generation.
6. Providing all liberated peasants with plots of land that could later be redeemed. Since people did not immediately have the entire amount for the ransom, they were provided with a loan. SoThus, freeing themselves, the peasants did not find themselves without a home and work. They got the right to work on their land, grow crops, breed animals.
7. All property was transferred to the personal use of the peasants. All their movable and immovable property became personal. People could dispose of their houses and buildings as they wished.
8. For the use of land, the peasants were obliged to pay corvée and pay dues. It was impossible to refuse ownership of plots for 49 years.

If you are asked to write down the main provisions of the peasant reform during a history lesson or an exam, then the above points will help you with this.

Consequences

Like any reform, the abolition of serfdom had its meaning and consequences for history and for people living at that time.

1. The most important thing is economic growth. An industrial revolution took place in the country, the long-awaited capitalism was established. All this has spurred the economy towards slow but steady growth.
2. Thousands of peasants have gained the long-awaited freedom, received civil rights, have become endowed with certain powers. In addition, they received land on which they worked for their own and the public good.
3. Due to the reform of 1861, a complete restructuring of the state system was required. This entailed the reform of the judicial, zemstvo and military systems.
4. The number of the bourgeoisie has increased, which has increased due to the appearance of the we althy in this classpeasants.
5. Peasant inns appeared, the owners of which were we althy peasants. This was an innovation, because there were no such yards before the reform.
6. Many peasants, despite the absolute advantages of the abolition of serfdom, could not adapt to a new life. Someone tried to return to their former owners, someone secretly remained with their owners. Only a few successfully cultivated the land, bought plots and received income.
7. There was a crisis in the sphere of heavy industry, since the main productivity in metallurgy depended on "slave" labor. And after the abolition of serfdom, no one wanted to go to such work.
8. Many people, having gained freedom and having at least some bit of property, strength and desire, began to actively engage in entrepreneurship, gradually generating income and turning into prosperous peasants.
9. Due to the fact that the land could be redeemed at interest, people could not get out of debt. They were simply crushed by payments and taxes, thereby not ceasing to be dependent on their landowners. True, the dependence was purely economic, but in this situation, the freedom gained during the reform was relative.
10. After the reform on the abolition of serfdom, Alexander II was forced to apply additional reforms, one of which was the zemstvo reform. Its essence was the creation of new forms of self-government called zemstvos. In them, every peasant could participate in the life of society: vote, put forward their proposals. Thanks to this, local layers appearedpeople who took an active part in the life of society. However, the range of issues in which the peasants took part was narrow and limited to solving everyday problems: equipping schools, hospitals, building communication lines, and improving the environment. The governor oversaw the legitimacy of the Zemstvos.
11. A significant part of the nobility was unhappy with the abolition of serfdom. They considered themselves unheard, infringed. On their part, mass discontent often manifested itself.
12. The implementation of the reform was dissatisfied not only with the nobles, but also with part of the landowners and peasants, all this gave rise to terrorism - riots against the government, expressing general dissatisfaction: landowners and nobles - cutting their rights, peasants - high taxes, lordly duties and barren lands.

Results

Based on the above, we can draw the following conclusions. The reform that took place in 1861 was of great both positive and negative significance in all spheres. But, despite significant difficulties and shortcomings, this system freed millions of peasants from slavery, giving them freedom, civil rights and other advantages. First of all, the peasants became people independent of the landowners. Thanks to the abolition of serfdom, the country became capitalist, the economy began to grow, and many subsequent reforms took place. The abolition of serfdom was a turning point in the history of the Russian Empire.

In general, the reform of the abolition of serfdomled to the transition from the feudal-serf system to the capitalist market economy.