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

The XIX century is full of various events, which have become largely turning points for the Russian Empire. This is the war of 1812 with Napoleon, and the uprising of the Decembrists. Peasant reform also occupies an important place in history. It happened in 1861. The essence of peasant reform, the main provisions of the reform, the consequences and some interesting facts we will consider in the article.

Background

Since the XVIII century, society began to think about the inappropriateness of serfdom. Radishchev actively spoke out against the "abominations of slavery", various layers of society, and especially the reading bourgeoisie, supported him. 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 sectors of society.

A capitalist structure grew in the economy, and at the same time, beliefs that serfdom significantly slowed down the growth of the economy and prevented the state from developing further became more mature. Since by that time factory owners were allowed to exempt peasants working for them from serfdom, many owners took advantage of this, 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 prominent 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 the right from the nobility, while many privileges were already taken from them. It was fraught. At least a noble rebellion. And this was not to be allowed. His great-grandson, Paul I, also tried to abolish serfdom, but he only managed to introduce a three-day corvee that did not bear much fruit: many avoided it with impunity.

Reform Preparation

The real prerequisites for the reform arose in 1803, when Alexander I issued a decree that prescribed the release of the peasants. And since 1816, serfdom was abolished in the Baltic cities of the Russian province. These were the first steps towards the mass abolition of slavery.

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

The consequences of the Crimean War, as an impetus to reform

Since after the loss in the Crimean War the economic, political and serf crisis was actively brewing, the landowners became afraid of the revolt of the peasants. Because the most important industry remained agriculture. And after the war, ruin, hunger and poverty reigned. The feudal lords in order not to lose profits at all and not to become impoverished put pressure on the peasants, filling them with work. Increasingly, ordinary people, crushed by the owners, spoke out and rebelled. And since there were many peasants, and their aggression increased, the landowners began to beware of new riots, which would bring only new ruin. And people rebelled fiercely. They set fire to buildings, crops, fled from their masters 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.

Causes

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

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

The essence of reform

Before considering briefly the main provisions of the peasant reform of 1861, let us talk about its essence. On February 19, 1961, Alexander II officially approved the "Regulation on the Abolition of Serfdom", while creating a number of documents:

• manifesto on the liberation of the peasants from dependence;
• buyback clause;
• regulations on provincial and district institutions for peasant affairs;
• regulations on the arrangement of domestic people;
• the general situation of peasants who came out of serfdom;
• rules on the procedure for enacting provisions on peasants;
• the land was not provided to a specific person, or even to a separate peasant's yard, but to a whole community.

Reform Description

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

As a rule, all fertile soils, such as forests, fields, hayfields and lakes, went to the landlords. The peasants were subsequently allowed to redeem their allotments, but the prices were inflated several times, which made redemption almost impossible. The amount that the government gave on credit, the simple population was obligated to pay for 49 years, with a collection of 20%. This was a lot, especially when you consider that production at the sites received was unproductive. And in order not to leave the landowners without peasant power, the government allowed the latter to redeem the land no earlier than 9 years later.

Key Points

Let us briefly consider the main provisions of the peasant reform of 1861.

1. Getting peasants personal freedom. This provision implied that everyone received personal freedom and integrity, 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 on.
2. Landowners were obliged to provide land to the peasants for use.
3. The abolition of serfdom - the main point of peasant reform - should be carried out gradually, over a period of 8-12 years.
4. Peasants also received the right to self-government, the form of which is a volost.
5. Transitional statement. 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, transmitted from generation to generation.
6. Provision of all liberated peasants with plots of land, which could later be redeemed. Since people did not immediately have the full amount for the ransom, they were given a loan. Thus, freeing themselves, the peasants were not without home and work. They got the right to work on their land, grow crops, raise animals.
7. All property passed into the personal use of the peasants. All their movable and immovable property became personal. People could dispose of their houses and buildings at their discretion.
8. For the use of land, the peasants were obliged to pay corvee and pay rent. It was impossible to give up ownership of the plots for 49 years.

If you are asked to write down the basic principles of peasant reform in a history lesson or exam, then the above points will help you with this.

Effects

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

1. The most important thing is the growth of the economy. An industrial revolution took place in the country, the long-awaited capitalism was established. All this spurred the economy to a leisurely but steady growth.
2. Thousands of peasants gained the long-awaited freedom, received civil rights, became endowed with certain powers. In addition, they received land on which they worked for their own and public good.
3. Due to the reform of 1861, a complete restructuring of the state system was required. This entailed a reform of the judicial, zemstvo and military systems.
4. The number of the bourgeoisie increased, which increased due to the appearance of wealthy peasants in this class.
5. Peasant inns appeared , the owners of which were wealthy peasants. This was an innovation, because before the reform there were no such yards.
6. Many peasants, despite the unconditional advantages of the abolition of serfdom, were not able to adapt to a new life. Someone tried to return to their former owners, someone secretly remained with their owners. Only a few successfully cultivated land, bought land and received income.
7. In the field of heavy industry, a crisis was noted, since the main productivity in metallurgy depended on "slave" labor. And after the abolition of serfdom, nobody wanted to go to such work.
8. Many people, having gained freedom and having at least a fraction of their property, strength and desire, began to actively engage in entrepreneurship, gradually generating income and turning into prosperous peasants.
9. Due to the fact that land could be redeemed at a percentage, people could not get out of debt. They were simply crushed by payments and taxes, thereby not ceasing to be dependent on their landlords. 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 is the creation of new forms of self-government called the Zemstvo. In them, every peasant could participate in society: vote, put forward his proposals. Thanks to this, local layers of the population appeared 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: arranging schools, hospitals, building communication lines, and improving the environment. The governor followed the legality of the zemstvos.
11. A significant part of the nobility was unhappy with the abolition of serfdom. They considered themselves unheard, infringed. They often showed massive discontent.
12. Not only nobles, but also part of the landowners and peasants were dissatisfied with the reform, all of which gave rise to terrorism - riots against the government, expressing general discontent: landlords and nobles - cutting their rights, peasants - high taxes, lords and badlands.

Summary

Based on the foregoing, we can draw the following conclusions. The reform that took place in 1861 was of tremendous positive and negative significance in all areas. But, despite significant difficulties and shortcomings, she 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, many subsequent reforms took place. The abolition of serfdom was a turning point in the history of the Russian Empire.

On the whole, the reform of the abolition of serfdom led to the transition from a feudal serf system to a capitalist market economy.