2 - Emancipation Of The Serfs And Its Impacts

Question 1

What war ended in March 1856?

Answer 1

Crimean War

Question 2

What did Alexander II do to examine emancipation?

Answer 2

Set up committees

Question 3

What did Alexander II tour Russia delivering between 1858-59?

Answer 3

Pro-emancipation speeches

Question 4

Who failed to agree on emancipation measures? What took place between them and Alexander II?

Answer 4

Provincial nobles

Debate

Question 5

What did Alexander II establish? Who led it?

Answer 5

A committee of 38

Nicholas Milyutin

Question 6

What was the emancipation of the serfs proclaimed in?

Answer 6

Alexander’s Edict of 1861

Question 7

Who did emancipation only apply to? When did they receive their freedom?

Answer 7

Privately-owned serfs

1866

Question 8

What did emancipation permit? What did supporters find about it?

Answer 8

Modernisation

Not as “liberating” as expected

Question 9

What did Landlords receive from emancipation? What 2 things could they use it for?

Answer 9

Government bonds, compensation

Redeem debt/invest in enterprises

Question 10

What could some Landlords only do with their compensation? What were they forced to do?

Answer 10

Pay off debts

Sell land

Question 11

What were Serfs declared? What 4 things could they do?

Answer 11

Free

Marry/Own property/Travel and have rights

Question 12

What 2 things were Serfs given from emancipation? What varied?

Answer 12

Cottage/allotment of land

Quality of the latter

Question 13

What could enterprising peasants buy? What could they sell?

Answer 13

Land

Surplus grain

Question 14

What could Serfs do if they sold land?

Answer 14

Move to an industrialised city

Question 15

What often remained theoretical about Serfs? Why?

Answer 15

Rights

Other terms of the Edict

Question 16

What were Serfs required to pay? How many were needed?

Answer 16

Redemption payments annually

49

Question 17

What did redemption payments provoke?

Answer 17

Unrest

Question 18

What was the issue with land prices? Where did this leave Serfs?

Answer 18

Fixed above market value

Debt

Question 19

What 2 things did some peasants have to do to survive?

Answer 19

Work for their old masters/Rent land

Question 20

What was the Mir responsible for? How long did Serfs remain here?

Answer 20

Tax and redemption collection

Until redemption pay was finished

Question 21

What did the Mirs supervise? What did Mirs promote?

Answer 21

Farming of allocated land

Backward farming practices

Question 22

What did Mirs do to peasants? Where couldn’t they leave?

Answer 22

Constrain them

Countryside

Question 23

What were Landowners allowed to retain? How did some Serfs struggle? What did Serfs lose from Landowners?

Answer 23

Personal lands
Couldn’t make a living without additional land
Protection

Question 24

What was opened by the Mirs for everyone?

Answer 24

Communal open fields

Question 25

What was the Obruk? How long did it remain for?

Answer 25

Labour service

Two years of “temp obligation”

Question 26

How did peasants feel about the Obruk? What happened over 4 months?

Answer 26

Resentful

647 riots

Question 27

What does Historian John Gooding say about the Emancipation Edict from a European perspective?

Answer 27

“To many Europeans, it might not have seemed like freedom at all”