When serfdom was abolished year. In what year serfdom was abolished. Step towards capitalism

Short story

In ancient Russia most of land was taken apart by princes, boyars and monasteries in the ownership. With the strengthening of the grand-ducal power, the servants were awarded with vast estates. The peasants who sat on these lands were personally free people and entered into lease agreements with the landowner ("decent"). At certain times (for example, around St. George's Day), the peasants could freely leave their land and move to another, having fulfilled their obligations in relation to the landowner.

Gradually, the extent of dependence of peasants on landlords expanded, and by the end of the 16th century. free withdrawal of peasants was prohibited; they were attached to their place of residence and landowners (decrees 1592 and 1597). Since then, the position of the serfs began to deteriorate rapidly; landowners began to sell and buy serfs, marry and give in marriage at their own discretion, received the right to court and punish serfs (before exile to Siberia).

The plight of the serfs, who were trying to escape from the yoke of the landowners, prompted the serfs to resort to murders and arson of landowners, to riots and uprisings (Pugachevism, and the incessant unrest of the peasants in different provinces during the entire first half of the XIX v.). Under Alexander I, the idea of ​​the need to mitigate serfdom was expressed in the 1803 law on free farmers. By a voluntary agreement between the landlords and the peasants, about 47 thousand serfs were freed. The rest of the landlord peasants - approx. 10.5 million souls - Released on February 19, 1861.

Chronology of enslavement of peasants in Russia

Briefly, the chronology of the enslavement of the peasants in Russia can be represented as follows:

1. 1497 - the introduction of restrictions on the right to transfer from one landowner to another - St. George's Day.
2. 1581 - the cancellation of St. George's Day - "reserved summer".
3. 1597 - the right of the landowner to search for the fugitive peasant for 5 years and to return him to the owner - "regular summer".
4. 1607 - cathedral code of 1607: the period for detecting fugitive peasants was increased to 15 years.
5. 1649 - the cathedral code of 1649 abolished the appointed summer, thus securing an indefinite search for fugitive peasants.
6. - years. - tax reform, which finally anchored the peasants to the land.
7. 1747 - the landowner was given the right to sell his serfs as recruits to any person.
8. 1760 - the landowner received the right to exile peasants to Siberia.
9. 1765 - the landowner received the right to exile peasants not only to Siberia, but also to hard labor.
10. 1767 - the peasants were strictly forbidden to file petitions (complaints) against their landowners personally to the empress or the emperor.
11. 1783 - the spread of serfdom to the Left-Bank Ukraine.

see also

Notes (edit)

Links

• // Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 4 volumes - St. Petersburg. , 1907-1909.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Serfdom in Russia" is in other dictionaries:

Serfdom is a form of dependence of peasants: their attachment to the land and submission to the administrative and judicial power of the feudal lord. V Western Europe, where in the Middle Ages the position of serfs were English villans, Catalan Remens, ... ... Political science. Dictionary.

This article should be wikified. Please, arrange it according to the rules of article formatting ... Wikipedia

- (serfdom), a form of dependence of the peasants: their attachment to the land and submission to the administrative and judicial power of the feudal lord. In Western Europe (where in the Middle Ages English villans, Catalan Remens, ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

The aggregate legal norms the feudal state, which consolidated the most complete and severe form of peasant dependence under feudalism. The K. p. Included the prohibition of the peasants to leave their land plots (the so-called attachment ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Serfdom- a condition in which the peasants are in complete economic and personal dependence on their owners. In some countries of Western Europe (Sweden, Norway), serfdom did not exist, in others it arose during the era of feudalism. ... ... Popular political dictionary

- (serfdom) a form of dependence of the peasants: their attachment to the land and submission to the administrative and judicial power of the feudal lord. In Zap. Europe (where in the Middle Ages English villans, Catalan Remens, ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Modern encyclopedia

Serfdom- (serfdom), a form of dependence of the peasants: their attachment to the land and submission to the administrative and judicial power of the feudal lord. In Russia, it is enshrined in the Code of Laws 1497; a decree on reserved years (late 16th century), which prohibited the transfer of peasants from ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

The form of dependence of the peasants: their attachment to the land and submission to the administrative and judicial power of the feudal lord. In Western Europe (where in the Middle Ages English villans, French and Italian servos were serfs), elements of K ... Legal Dictionary

RULE OF RIGHTS, serfdom, a form of dependence of the peasants: their attachment to the land and submission to the judicial authority of the landowner. In Russia, it was formalized on a national scale by the Code of Laws of 1497, by decrees of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. about nature reserves ... ... Russian history

Books

• Historical sociology of Russia in 2 hours. Part 1 2nd ed., Rev. and add. Textbook for Academic Bachelor's Degree, Boris Nikolaevich Mironov. The textbook presents the history of Russia from a sociological point of view. The book covers topics such as colonization and ethno-confessional diversity, family and demographic trends; ...

Servants who do not have a master do not become free people from this - servility is in their souls.

G. Heine

The date of the abolition of serfdom in Russia is December 19, 1861. This is a landmark event, since the beginning of 1861 turned out to be extremely tense for the Russian Empire. Alexander II was even forced to put the army on high alert. The reason for this was not a possible war, but the growing boom of peasant discontent.

A few years before 1861, the tsarist government began to consider a law abolishing serfdom. The emperor understood that there was nowhere to delay. His advisers unanimously said that the country was on the brink of an explosion of peasant war. On March 30, 1859, a meeting of noble nobles and the emperor took place. At this meeting, the nobles said that it was better for the liberation of the peasants to come from above, otherwise it would follow from below.

Reform 19 February 1861

As a result, the date of the abolition of serfdom in Russia was determined - February 19, 1861. What did this reform give the peasants, did they become free? This question can be answered unequivocally, the reform of 1861 made the life of the peasants much worse... Of course, the tsarist manifesto, signed by him in order to free the common people, endowed the peasants with rights that they never had. Now the landowner did not have the right to exchange the peasant for a dog, beat him, forbid him to marry, trade, or engage in fishing. But the problem for the peasants was the land.

Land issue

To resolve the land issue, the state convened world mediators who were sent to the localities and there were engaged in the division of land. In the overwhelming majority, the work of these intermediaries consisted in the fact that they announced to the peasants that on all controversial issues with the land, they must negotiate with the landlord. This contract was to be drawn up in writing. The reform of 1861 gave the landowners the right to take away the so-called "surplus" from the peasants when determining land plots. As a result, the peasants had only 3.5 tithes (1) of land per auditor's soul (2). Before the land reform, there were 3.8 tithes. At the same time, the landowners took the best land from the peasants, leaving only barren land.

The most paradoxical thing about the reform of 1861 is that the date of the abolition of serfdom is known for sure, but everything else is very vague. Yes, the manifesto formally endowed the peasants with land, but in fact the land remained in the possession of the landowner. The peasant received only the right to buy out that land plot, who was appointed to him by the landowner. But at the same time, the landowners themselves were endowed with the right to independently determine whether to permit or not to permit the sale of land.

Land redemption

No less strange was the determination of the amount at which the peasants had to redeem the land plots. This amount was calculated based on the rent received by the landowner. For example, P.P. Shuvalov, the richest nobleman of those years. received a rent of 23 thousand rubles a year. This means that the peasants, in order to redeem the land, had to pay the landowner as much money as is needed in order for the landowner to put it in the bank and annually receive the same 23 thousand rubles in interest. As a result, on average one auditor's soul had to pay 166.66 rubles for a tithe. Since the families were large, on average in the country one family had to pay 500 rubles for the purchase of a land plot. It was an unaffordable amount.

The state came to "help" the peasants. The State Bank paid the landlord 75-80% of the required amount. The rest was paid by the peasants. At the same time, they pledged to settle accounts with the state and pay the required interest within 49 years. On average, the bank paid the landlord 400 rubles for one land plot in the country. At the same time, the peasants gave the bank money for 49 years in the amount of almost 1,200 rubles. The state almost tripled its money.

The date of the abolition of the statutory law is an important stage in the development of Russia, but it did not give a positive result. Only by the end of 1861, uprisings broke out in the country in 1176 estates. By 1880 34 Russian provinces were engulfed in peasant uprisings.

Only after the first revolution in 1907, the government canceled the ransom of land. The land began to be provided free of charge.

1 - one tithe is equal to 1.09 hectares.

2 - auditor's soul - the male population of the country (women were not entitled to land).

The reign of Alexander II (1856-1881) went down in history as a period of "great reforms". Largely thanks to the emperor, the abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861 took place - an event that, of course, is his main achievement, which played a large role in the future development of the state.

Prerequisites for the abolition of serfdom

In 1856-1857, a number of southern provinces were shocked by peasant unrest, which, however, very quickly died down. But, nevertheless, they served as a reminder for the ruling authorities that the situation in which the common people find themselves, in the end, can result in grave consequences for them.

In addition, the existing serfdom significantly slowed down the progress of the country's development. The axiom that free labor was more effective than forced labor was manifested in full: Russia lagged significantly behind the Western states both in the economy and in the socio-political sphere. This threatened that the previously created image of a powerful power could simply dissolve, and the country would pass into the category of a secondary one. Not to mention that serfdom was very much like slavery.

By the end of the 1950s, more than a third of the 62 million population of the country was completely dependent on their masters. Russia urgently needed a peasant reform. 1861 was supposed to be a year of serious changes that had to be carried out so that they could not shake the established foundations of autocracy, and the nobility retained its dominant position. Therefore, the process of abolishing serfdom required careful analysis and elaboration, and this was already problematic due to the imperfect state apparatus.

Necessary Steps for Coming Change

The abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861 was to seriously affect the foundations of the vast country.

However, if in states that live according to the constitution, before carrying out any transformations, they are worked out in ministries and discussed in the government, after which ready-made reform projects are submitted to the parliament, which makes the final verdict, then in Russia there are no ministries or a representative body. existed. And serfdom was legalized at the state level. Alexander II could not cancel it alone, as this would violate the rights of the nobility, which is the basis of autocracy.

Therefore, in order to advance the reform in the country, it was necessary to create a whole apparatus, specially dedicated to the abolition of serfdom. It was supposed to be composed of institutions organized locally, whose proposals would be submitted and processed by a central committee, which in turn would be controlled by the monarch.

Since in the light of the upcoming changes, it was the landowners who lost most of all, then for Alexander II the best solution would be if the initiative for the liberation of the peasants came precisely from the nobles. Soon such a moment turned up.

"Rescript to Nazimov"

In the middle of autumn 1857, General Vladimir Ivanovich Nazimov, the governor from Lithuania, came to St. Petersburg, who brought with him a petition for granting the right to him and the governors of the Koven and Grodno provinces to give freedom to their serfs, but without providing them with land.

In response, Alexander II sends a rescript (personal imperial letter) to Nazimov, in which he instructs local landowners to organize provincial committees. Their task was to develop their own versions of the future peasant reform. At the same time, in the message, the king also gave his recommendations:

• Granting complete freedom to serfs.
• All land plots must remain with the landlords, with the preservation of property rights.
• Providing the opportunity for the freed peasants to receive land allotments, subject to the payment of quitrent or working off the corvee.
• To enable peasants to buy out their estates.

Soon the rescript appeared in print, which gave impetus to a general discussion of the issue of serfdom.

Creation of committees

At the very beginning of 1857, the emperor, following his plan, created a secret committee on the peasant question, which secretly worked on the development of a reform to abolish serfdom. But only after the "rescript to Nazimov" became public, the institution started working in full force. In February 1958, all secrecy was removed from it, renaming it into the Main Committee for Peasant Affairs, which was headed by Prince A.F. Orlov.

Under him, Editorial commissions were created, which considered the projects submitted by the provincial committees, and already on the basis of the collected data, an all-Russian version of the future reform was created.

A member of the State Council, General Ya.I. Rostovtsev, who fully supported the idea of ​​abolishing serfdom.

Contradictions and work done

In the course of work on the project, there were serious contradictions between the Main Committee and the majority of the provincial landowners. Thus, the landowners insisted that the emancipation of the peasants should be limited only to the provision of freedom, and the land could be assigned to them only on the basis of lease rights without redemption. The committee wanted to give the former serfs the opportunity to acquire land, becoming full-fledged owners.

In 1860 Rostovtsev dies, in connection with which Alexander II appoints Count V.N. Panin, who, by the way, was considered an opponent of the abolition of serfdom. Being an unquestioning executor of the tsarist will, he was forced to complete the reform project.

In October, the work of the Drafting Commissions was completed. In total, the provincial committees submitted for consideration 82 projects for the abolition of serfdom, which took up 32 printed volumes. The result was submitted for consideration to the State Council, and after its adoption it was presented to the tsar for assurance. After familiarization, he signed the corresponding Manifesto and Regulations. February 19, 1861 became the official day for the abolition of serfdom.

Main provisions of the manifesto of February 19, 1861

The main provisions of the document were as follows:

• The serfs of the empire received complete personal independence, now they were called "free rural inhabitants".
• From now on (that is, from February 19, 1861), serfs were considered full-fledged citizens of the country with the appropriate rights.
• All movable peasant property, as well as houses and buildings, were recognized as their property.
• The landowners retained the rights to their lands, but at the same time they had to provide the peasants with household plots, as well as field allotments.
• For the use of land plots, the peasants had to pay a ransom both directly to the owner of the territory and to the state.

Necessary reform compromise

New changes could not satisfy the desires of all interested. The peasants themselves were dissatisfied. First of all, by the terms on which they were provided with land, which, in fact, was the main means of subsistence. Therefore, the reforms of Alexander II, or rather, some of their provisions, are ambiguous.

Thus, according to the Manifesto, the largest and smallest land plots per capita were established throughout Russia, depending on the natural and economic characteristics of the regions.

It was assumed that if the peasant allotment was smaller than that established by the document, then this would oblige the landowner to add the missing area. If - large, then, on the contrary, cut off the excess and, as a rule, the best part of the allotment.

Allotment rates

The Manifesto of February 19, 1861 divided the European part of the country into three parts: steppe, black earth and non-black earth.

• The rate of land allotments for the steppe part is from six and a half to twelve dessiatines.
• The norm for the black earth strip was from three to four and a half dessiatines.
• For the non-chernozem belt - from three and a quarter to eight dessiatines.

In the whole country, the allotment area became smaller than it was before the changes, thus, the peasant reform of 1861 deprived the “liberated” more than 20% of the cultivated land area.

Conditions for transferring land ownership

According to the reform of 1861, the land was provided to the peasants not for ownership, but only for use. But they had the opportunity to redeem it from the owner, that is, to conclude a so-called redemption deal. Until that moment, they were considered temporarily liable, and for the use of land they had to work corvee, which was no more than 40 days a year for men, and 30 for women. Or pay a quitrent, the amount of which for the highest allotment ranged from 8-12 rubles, and when assigning the tax, the fertility of the land was taken into account. At the same time, those temporarily liable did not have the right to simply refuse the allotment provided, that is, the corvee would still have to work out.

After the redemption transaction was completed, the peasant became the full owner of the land plot.

And the state did not go to waste

From February 19, 1861, thanks to the Manifesto, the state had the opportunity to replenish the treasury. Such an item of income was opened due to the formula by which the size of the ransom payment was calculated.

The amount that the peasant had to pay for the land was equated to the so-called conditional capital, which is deposited in the State Bank at 6% per annum. And this interest was equal to the income that the landowner previously received from the quitrent.

That is, if the landowner had 10 rubles of rent per year from one soul, then the calculation was made according to the formula: 10 rubles were divided by 6 (interest on capital), and then multiplied by 100 (the total number of percent) - (10/6) x 100 = 166.7.

Thus, the total amount of the quitrent was 166 rubles 70 kopecks - money "unaffordable" for a former serf. But here the state entered into a deal: the peasant had to pay the landlord at a time only 20% of the estimated price. The remaining 80% was contributed by the state, but not just like that, but by providing a long-term loan with a maturity of 49 years and 5 months.

Now the peasant had to pay the State Bank annually 6% of the redemption payment. It turned out that the amount that the former serf had to contribute to the treasury exceeded the loan three times. In fact, February 19, 1861 became the date when the former serf peasant, having got out of one bondage, fell into another. And this despite the fact that the size of the ransom amount itself exceeded the market value of the allotment.

Results of changes

The reform adopted on February 19, 1861 (the abolition of serfdom), despite the shortcomings, gave a solid impetus to the development of the country. Freedom was gained by 23 million people, which led to a major transformation in social structure Russian society, and later revealed the need to transform the entire political system of the country.

The timely published Manifesto of February 19, 1861, the premises of which could lead to serious regression, became a stimulating factor for the development of capitalism in The Russian state... Thus, the eradication of serfdom is undoubtedly one of the central events in the history of the country.

Many are interested in when serfdom was abolished in Russia and in what year the abolition took place. Let's take a brief look at what is the meaning of serfdom and how it worked.

Serfdom represented a list of legal rules in a state with a feudal system, which determined the rigid dependence of the peasants. They were not allowed to leave their earthly plots. Moreover, there was a judicial and administrative inheritance subordination to a fixed feudal lord. The peasants did not have the right to buy real estate and alienate land plots. The feudal lord had the right to alienate the peasants without land.

According to history, in 1861 serfdom was abolished, as a result of which a major reform began in the Russian Empire.

So who abolished serfdom?

January 28, 1861 Emperor Alexander II made a speech in the State Council, in which he demanded that the State Council finish the case on the release of the peasants in the first half of February this year, so that it be announced before the start of field work.

Reasons for the abolition of serfdom

In the 19th century, the peasant question was key for the discussion of the whole society, most of which took the position of liberation from the unlimited power of the landowner. There are several main reasons for the abolition of serfdom:

1. Inefficiency of land tenure by landlords. For the state, there was no benefit from serfdom, and sometimes losses appeared. The peasants did not provide the required income for the owner. After the ruin, the state even supported some of the nobles financially, because the landowners provided the country with military service.
2. There is a real threat to the industrialization of the country. The existing order did not allow the emergence of a free labor force, the development of trade. As a result, manufactories and factories were significantly inferior to modern enterprises in terms of equipment.
3. Crimean defeat. The Crimean War also confirmed the insignificance of the serf system. The state was unable to resist the enemy because of the financial crisis and total backwardness in certain sectors. The defeat threatened Russia with the loss of influence throughout the world.
4. Increased peasant unrest. The people were outraged by the increase in the rent and corvee, the additional recruitment of serfs in recruits. All this was accompanied by varying degrees of opposition. Open uprisings began to arise, the peasants did not want to work, they did not pay their rent.

The consequences of serfdom in Russia

The reform, carried out on February 19, 1861, had negative consequences for both the peasant and the master. Getting rid of the existing socio-economic relations did not happen, that is, the main goal was not achieved. Feudal remnants still remained in the villages, which hindered the development of capitalism in Russia. The allotments of peasants decreased, but payments only increased. The rights to use meadows, reservoirs and forests were lost.

The peasants began to represent a separate class. The landowners also felt the infringement of economic interests. The monopoly on free labor of the peasant disappeared, and the obligation arose to give allotment land to the peasant.

At the same time, there is a good opportunity for the free market to flourish. work force... Many landowners escaped collapse, because the state closed their debts at the expense of ransom payments for the peasants. New civil and property rights to farmers helped to stimulate industrial and agricultural entrepreneurship. Finally, the abolition of serfdom allowed all citizens of the country to become free, and there were signs of technological progress.

Find out more about this event in our history from Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org

March 3 (February 19, O.S.) 1861 - Alexander II signed the Manifesto "On the all-merciful granting to serfs of the rights of the state of free rural inhabitants" and the Regulations on peasants emerging from serfdom, which consisted of 17 legislative acts. On the basis of these documents, the peasants received personal freedom and the right to dispose of their property.

The manifesto was timed to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the emperor's accession to the throne (1855).

Even during the reign of Nicholas I, a lot of preparatory material was collected for the implementation of the peasant reform. Serfdom during the reign of Nicholas I remained unshakable, but considerable experience was accumulated in solving the peasant question, on which his son Alexander II, who ascended the throne in 1855, could rely later on.

At the beginning of 1857, a Secret Committee was established to prepare the peasant reform. The government then decided to inform the public of its intentions, and the Secret Committee was renamed the Main Committee. The nobility of all regions had to create provincial committees to work out a peasant reform. At the beginning of 1859, Editorial Commissions were created to process projects of reform of the noble committees. In September 1860, the developed reform project was discussed by the deputies sent by the noble committees, and then transferred to the highest state bodies.

In mid-February 1861, the Regulation on the Emancipation of the Peasants was reviewed and approved by the State Council. On March 3 (February 19, O.S.), 1861, Alexander II signed a manifesto "On the all-merciful granting to serfs of the rights of the state of free rural inhabitants." The concluding words of the historic Manifesto were: "Autumn yourself with the sign of the cross, Orthodox people, and call upon us God's blessing for your free labor, the guarantee of your domestic well-being and public welfare." The manifesto was announced in both capitals on a big religious holiday - Forgiveness Sunday, in other cities - in the next week.

According to the Manifesto, the peasants were granted civil rights - freedom to marry, independently conclude contracts and conduct court cases, acquire real estate in their own name, etc.

The land could be bought both by the community and by an individual peasant. The land allotted to the community was in collective use, therefore, with the transition to another estate or another community, the peasant lost his right to the "worldly land" of his former community.

The enthusiasm with which the Manifesto was greeted was soon replaced by disappointment. The former serfs expected full freedom and were unhappy with the transitional state of the "temporarily liable". Believing that they were hiding the true meaning of the reform, the peasants rebelled, demanding liberation with land. To suppress the largest uprisings, accompanied by the seizure of power, as in the villages of Bezdna (Kazan province) and Kandeevka (Penza province), troops were used. In total, more than two thousand performances were recorded. However, by the summer of 1861, the unrest had subsided.

Initially, the period of stay in a temporarily liable state was not established, so the peasants dragged out the transition to a ransom. By 1881, there were about 15% of such peasants. Then a law was passed on the compulsory transition to ransom within two years. During this period, it was necessary to conclude redemption transactions or the right to land allotments was lost. In 1883, the category of temporarily liable peasants disappeared. Some of them formalized redemption deals, some lost their land.

The peasant reform of 1861 had a huge historical meaning... It opened up new prospects for Russia, creating an opportunity for a broad development of market relations. The abolition of serfdom paved the way for other major transformations aimed at creating a civil society in Russia.

For this reform, Alexander II began to be called the Tsar the Liberator.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources