The Emancipation of the Serfs

Question 1

How long did the Crimean war last? (year?)

Answer 1

1853-65

Question 2

What did the Crimean War highlight? (regarding Russia’s failures) Link this to how Emancipation was needed.

Answer 2

Lack of industry, lack of modernization, military weaknesses. It was obvious to many in government that abolishing serfdom would help aid these weaknesses.

Question 3

Reasons for Emancipation? (Morally)

Answer 3

1. Even Nicholas I described serfdom as “evil palpable and obvious to all” that “ the present order of owning souls cannot remain unchanged”.
2. Enlightened nobles had come to accept that owning others like possession was morally indefensible.
3. Members of the intelligentsia were also in favor of this.

Question 4

How would serfdom aid the inefficacies outlined via the Crimean War?

Answer 4

1. Free serfs - means they could move to urban areas and contribute towards industrialization.
2. Lead to more of a wage economy rather than barter, meaning serfs would have to pay for goods - larger consumer market and serve as an incentive for businessmen in industry
3. Subsequently, alike serfs, landowners would be freed, allowing them to move to urban areas and invest in the industry. (entrepreneurs).

Question 5

Evidence that free hired labor would be move motivating, producing more serf labor?

Answer 5

1. In parts of the west, free labor had produced more efficient farming.
2. Also, in the Russian region of Siberia where serfdom had never existed, agriculture was more productive.

Question 6

Oh wise one, tell me how the risk of revolt was prominent before the Emancipation of the Serfs.

Answer 6

Incidents of peasant unrest had been growing, a noticeable spike in the 1840s and 1850s:

1835-39: 78
1854-58: 245

Question 7

Why was Alexander II afraid due to what was happening during 1848 in Europe?

Answer 7

A wave of serious revolutions had swept Europe in 1848, there was concerns that this could occur in Russia.

Question 8

Why was the army a threat regarding a revolution?

Answer 8

The army was mostly made up of peasants, may lead to a peasant uprising.

Fun fact: Alexander II was so concerned, he asked for weekly updates on the mood of the peasantry from December 1856. (man is panicked)

It was hoped abolishing serfdom would help aid hostility and ensure political stability.

Question 9

How would abolishing serfdom aid the army?

Answer 9

1. Reduce internal rebellions from peasants, Army would not have to be used to suppress such rebellions and could focus on international engagements.
2. If abolishing serfdom did help stimulate industry, this could be put towards the supply of more up-to-date weapons and resources for the military.

Question 10

Which brothers aided Alexander II and the notion of the Emancipation of the serfs? (Anastasia is the hint - the movie)

Answer 10

Dmitry and Nicholas Milyutin.

Fun fact: Dmitry was the minister of war from the years 1861-81, he favored a shorter period of conscription and a bigger reserve (He manifested it fr - Alexander II reforms)

Question 11

Economic reasons for emancipation?

Answer 11

1. Changes in agriculture in western Europe meant it was producing more grain competitively, impacted Russia’s income and grain exports:
   Grain production per hectare (2.47 acres) was less than 50% of Britain’s, thus Russia’s agriculture needed to improve.
2. Russia’s population had doubled in the first half of the 19th century:
   Agricultural productivity low due to the lack of capital investment and therefore incentive.

Question 12

We getting personal now - tell me about Alexander II’s views and how it effected the Emancipation of the Serfs.

Answer 12

1. Received a liberal education: had travelled extensively with his tutor, Zhukovksy and viewed serfdom in action.
2. St Petersburg Party of Progress centered on Alexander’s aunt and his brother - group of liberal officials, nobles and intelligentsia. This would have encouraged his desire for Emancipation.

Question 13

What had Alexander II done previously that indicated a more enlightened approach to his rule?

Answer 13

He released political prisoners, pardoned the Decembrists (Russian Revolutionaries), relaxed censorship and cancelled debts for tax arrears.

Question 14

How many serfs were there in 1855? (hint: a bloody lot)

Answer 14

51 million

Question 15

How did the vast size of Russia not help this?

Answer 15

Poor communicated hampered progress

Question 16

How would the nobility feel about Emancipation? Why was this a bad thing for Alexander II?

Answer 16

Loss of political, wealth and power, fearing chaos and unrest in short term.

Alexander could not afford to alienate the nobility, they were key supporters of the autocracy and the tsarist regime; central to administration of Russia.

Question 17

What treaty ended the Crimean War. (Hint: Oui Oui)

Answer 17

Treaty of Paris: March 1856

Question 18

What did Alexander set up in January 1857?

Answer 18

The Secret Committee on Peasant Affairs: January 1857

Question 19

Tell me about the serfs civil rights after emancipation

Answer 19

Full legal rights, could marry without landowner permission, legally own property, set up business and travel (though internal passports made this difficult).

Question 20

Oh wise one, tell me about Temporary Obligation.

Answer 20

Two year obligatory period where serfs would still retain their previous duties to their land - whilst being burdened by the yearly Obrok tax.

By 1881 (when immediate allocation of land was imposed by law) 15% of peasants were still temporarily obliged.

Question 21

Tell me about beggarly allotments

Answer 21

Serfs had the option of accepting a beggarly allotment - 25% of area they used to farm with no cost. (Usually, this wasn’t enough to sustain themselves)

Question 22

Who distributed the land after emancipation?

Answer 22

Landowners did, often they left the poorest land to peasants.

Also, they decided how much of land was sold; on average, landlords only sold about 1/3rd of their land.

Peasants had about 20% less land than they had previously owned prior to emancipation - often less than the amount necessary to sustain their family: 65% of peasant allocations was less than 4 dessyantinas (10 acres) average family needed 5 (12 acres).

Also, landowners retained access to woodland, pasture, meadows whilst peasants lost that access.

Question 23

Restrictions of personal freedoms

Answer 23

Peasants did not own their land until all redemption payments were paid.

Freedom to travel was restricted by the mir, which granted internal passports.

Question 24

What were redemption payments?

Answer 24

A 49 year contract (acting similar to a mortgage) were peasants would pay off their land.

Question 25

Tell me about the Mir (we hate them)

Answer 25

Dominated by older villages, proved to be very conservative - traditional and outdated methods (backwards) - obscuring innovation.

Power shifted from Landowner to Mir, peasants weren’t any less relived.

Retained control of the land, deciding what crops were grown and had the ability to punish troublesome peasants by giving them poorer quality of land in frequent redistributions - also an inefficacity in itself as it caused inorganization.

Question 26

Who controlled agriculture?

Answer 26

Minister of Interior: feared peasant disturbances and therefore resorted to continuation of the mir and repression.

Slavophile attitude

Question 27

Who girl-bossed their way to the top after emancipation? (who was prosperous)

Answer 27

Kulaks: 1-2% of the population.
1. Capitalist by employing landless laborers for low wages.
2. Pioneered new agricultural techniques - increase in productivity.

(RIP ;-;)

Question 28

Tell me about short term peasant disturbances.

Answer 28

Peasants were confused and angry at the terms presented to them. Believed they were being tricked by landowner’s clergy.

647 peasant disturbances in the 4 months (1861) after emancipation - army used to restore 449.

Most serious: Bezdna where 102 peasants died.

Question 29

Pro about the peasant disturbances

Answer 29

In the long-term, peasant disturbances declined over the next two decades and there was no major rebellion of revolution.

(Even after Narodnik’s “go to the people” movement in 1878)

Question 30

Why were nobles upset after emancipation?

Answer 30

Felt as if they should be compensated for the right lost as well as land.

Noble bankruptcies: the compensation received was often insufficient to enable them to continue as landowner’s:
50% of the money received in government bonds was used to pay of existing debt.

By 1905, a third of the land owned by nobles in 1861 had been sold off. Half of what remained in noble hands were mortgaged.

Some did not get out of debt

Question 31

Tell me about industrial production from 1861-81

Answer 31

It increased by 2.5 times from 1861-81

Question 31

What was used to alleviate the disgruntlement of the nobles?

Answer 31

The Zemstvo (local government) formed in 1964 provided a political outlet that they had previously lost through emancipation.

Question 32

Tell me about the urban population

Answer 32

More than doubled from 1861-71 (quadrupled by 1896)

Question 33

Con of industrial production

Answer 33

Was not expanding enough to provide work, even if serfs were allowed to leave the mir.

Question 34

Tell me about agricultural production from 1861-81

Answer 34

Only increased 1.1 times.

Question 35

How did the intelligentsia feel about the Emancipation Edict?

Answer 35

1. Disappointment with emancipation reform, continued to hold sympathetic views for peasants.
2. Some began to adopt radical ideas such as popularism, encouraging peasants to rise and take land for themselves.

Question 36

What the St Petersburg Party of Progress of 1857?

Answer 36

Group of liberal officials, nobles, intelligentsia centered about Alexander’s aunt and brother - Alexander was also involved in this.

Question 37

What political ideology emerged from discontent over Emancipation of the Serfs?

Answer 37

Popularism - Narodnik’s (aka, Russian Marxism)

Question 38

Who was Dmitry Milyutin?

Answer 38

Minister of War from 1861-81, prominent influence on Alexander II regarding Emancipation of the serfs.

Question 39

Who was Zhuvovsky?

Answer 39

Alexander II’s liberal tutor.

Question 40

Did peasants gain more land from emancipation?

Answer 40

No, on average they were left with 20% less land than they had previously owned.

Question 41

Was the land given to peasants enough to sustain themselves?

Answer 41

No, on average they were left with 10 acres, an average family needed 12 to sustain themselves.

Question 42

How can we counter the notion of the financial instability of peasants using Nikolai Bunge’s policies?

Answer 42

Peasant Land Bank 1883 - offered loans for peasants to buy land - increase in grain - improvement in industry.

Question 43

What policy of Nikolai Bunge provided loans to nobles?

Answer 43

Noble Land Bank 1882: Designed to help nobles with legal costs associated with land transfers.

Question 44

Downside of Nikolai Bunge (1881-87 Minister of Finance) Peasant Land Bank of 1885?

Answer 44

Only involved in 20% of peasant land purchases

Question 45

Tell me about the inefficiencies of the mir? What statistic evidences the agricultural failures?

Answer 45

in 1878, only 50% percent of the peasantry was capable of a surplus.