emancipation of the serfs

Question 1

what was the process of the emancipation?

Answer 1

• it took thousands of officials and numerous committees to draft plans
• editing commission created in 1859 to turn recommendations into legislation
• resulted in the Emancipation Statutes of 19th February 1861

Question 2

what are the main terms of the emancipation

Answer 2

• serfdom abolished and serfs legally free. could marry whom they liked, travel, vote in local elections and trade freely
• peasants would have land to go with their freedom. allowed to keep their houses and the land immediately around it but would have to buy the other land strips they worked at the time of the emancipation
• annual payments for land they were buying. had to make redemption payments over a period of 49yrs
• peasants still under control of the mir

Question 3

what had the serfs lost

Answer 3

• would have to make annual payments for the land they were buying
• redemption payments of 49 yrs
• most received slightly less land than they had worked before
• many received strips of land difficult to maintain and had yielded little food and profit

Question 4

what had the serfs gained?

Answer 4

• could marry whom they liked, travel, vote in local elections and trade freely
• their freedom came with some land for them to work on
• peasants now tied to the village not the landowner
• received one third of the landowners land
  mir issued internal passports so it was possible to travel, but the gov aimed to not allow thousands to travel

Question 5

what had the nobility lost?

Answer 5

• all their workers and therefore income
• only managed to retain only 2 thirds of their land
• due to lost income, landlords could no longer leave their land to live in luxury elsewhere such as StP

Question 6

what had the nobles gained?

Answer 6

• many peasants had to work as hired labour on the noble’s remaining land
• landowners received above the market value for the land they were handing over to the peasants
• landowners allowed to decide which parts of their holdings they would hand over, so kept best land
• redemption payments from serfs

Question 7

what were the consequences for the peasants?

Answer 7

• less solidarity and unity within peasants as some became kulaks
• still didn’t own the land - had to pay for it
• over 1000 disturbances during 1861. one involving 10,000 peasants
• army restored order on over 300 estates

Question 8

what were the consequences for the nobility?

Answer 8

• felt hadn’t been compensated for their rights over peasants
• losing power, status and influence
• stirred up a lot of criticism of the regime from the gentry

Question 9

what were the consequences for the future of the Russian state and economy?

Answer 9

• serfs remained a segregated class - contributed to revolutions in 1905 and 1917
• from 1862 to 1905 land holdings fell from 87mil to 50mil

Question 10

what were the consequences for the Tsar?

Answer 10

• Tsar rely on gentry for help but has annoyed them
• people no longer had faith in autocrats and turned to gov for democracy

Question 11

economic impacts of emancipation?

Answer 11

• agricultural efficiency in the long term but this was slow to materialise
• urbanisation and industrialisation - allowed for a mobile factory work force contributing to the growth of industry

Question 12

political impacts of emancipation?

Answer 12

• radical movements - created fertile ground for new political ideas and the frustration of peasantry fuelled radical political movements