The era of the rule of the Romanov clan gave the world many outstanding personalities who created the great historical past of the Russian people. Petr Arkadyevich Stolypin is one of the central political figures of the 19th-20th centuries. The resettlement policy, which is an echo of his reform activity, contributed to the development of Siberia. Thanks to Peter Arkadievich, the territory of the Russian Federation extends far beyond the Urals, and Siberia and the Far East are large industrial centers of the country.
Personality of the reformer
Peter Arkadevich belonged to a noble noble family. In his family there were many outstanding military men who took part in significant battles of the 17th and 18th centuries. Thanks to education and a high position in society, Stolypin received the post of leader of the nobility, and then, after a couple of decades, the post of Minister of the Interior of the Russian Empire.
The 1905 revolution also contributed to his appointment. In the bustle of strife and discontent Peter Arkadievich acted competently and decisively. His proposals had the innovative spirit needed at that difficult time.
Unfortunately, the fast-paced career of the outstanding politician of imperial Russia ended just as rapidly. In 1911 he was killed. But as an invaluable legacy he left to subsequent generations the industrial potential of the Siberian and Far Eastern regions, the impetus for the development of which was given by his resettlement policy.
Peaceful "revolution" of Stolypin
In order to understand what the goals of the resettlement policy were and objectively evaluate its results, it is necessary to study the reforming activities of Peter Arkadievich. Since the resettlement of peasants in Siberia is an integral part of the agricultural reform of Stolypin, which is also called peasant.
In historical literature, many call it the “peaceful revolution”, since the decisions were made cardinal - radical changes in the field of agriculture and the peasant system of life. But they did not arouse the discontent of the masses, since people were given the opportunity to choose their own future — to go to explore Siberia or to remain in the European part of Russia.
The reasons for the peasant reform of Stolypin
The results of the 1905 revolution made it clear that the social structure of peasant life had outlived itself:
- Industrial growth was inhibited
- Russia remained an agrarian power,
- The discontent of people grew.
Dramatic changes and development of the country's economic potential were required. The main goal of the resettlement policy was precisely the development of new regions.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the effectiveness of public use of land was criticized, because the peasants did not want to invest a lot of labor in the land, which could be taken away from them and transferred to another community for use. The development of private property and private land tenure was necessary.
The resettlement policy had the following objectives:
1. To develop private property and reduce the discontent of peasants.
2. Relocate the discontented masses as far as possible from the capital.
3. To develop new lands in Siberia and the Far East.
4. Create the prerequisites for the industrial development of the country.
Inheritance S. Yu. Witte
It is important to note that the need for reform was understood by S. Yu. Witte. In his works, he studied all the problems of the domestic policy of the Russian Empire and described in detail the ways to improve them. The list of modernization directions also included agriculture, namely the need for its intensive development (due to technology, not manual labor) and the creation of a competitive product market.
In preparing the reforms, Stolypin used Witte’s experience. We can say that Stolypin implemented the reforms prepared, but not completed, by Witte in connection with his resignation. However, one cannot belittle the importance of Stolypin, since it was he who managed to convince Tsar Nicholas II of the need for transformations and made a fundamental contribution to the organization of the process of their practical use.
The significance of peasant reform
The essence of resettlement policy is fully interconnected with the significance of peasant reform. In 1905, 2 problems immediately ripened:
1. Economic.
2. Social.
The first was expressed in a lack of food and a decrease in the country's agricultural potential. The community economy did not provide an adequate level of production. There was no main stimulus on the market - competition.
The second is in low land. The developed territories of the Empire did not allow the peasants to obtain land for personal use. After the decision to organize private land ownership, community plots usually remained with the largest figures. Here lies the need for peasant reform, the core of which was the resettlement policy.
The results of the peaceful "revolution"
The result of agrarian reform was the reorganization of the community and the creation of a layer of land owners. This allowed the Russian Empire in 10 years to enter global markets for products. A record number of oil and wheat were exported from Siberia alone. Russia was a leader in export.
In the field of agriculture, an industrial revolution took place . During this time, many factories for the processing of oil and wheat, as well as related products, were built.
The development of competition has forced Moscow and St. Petersburg entrepreneurs to care about the quality of their products, responsible approach to the organization of leisure activities for workers.
Settling Siberia, and then the Far East, was beneficial from a political point of view. Undeveloped territories could be seized by neighboring states.
Migration policy of Stolypin
40 years before the reform innovations of Pyotr Arkadevich, they tried to settle Siberia by sending prisoners to the camps organized on it. However, from the dysfunctional layer of the population, exhausted by the camp life, the development of the territory as such did not occur. No one wanted to linger in undeveloped villages.
As early as 1889, the process of resettlement to Siberia was legally facilitated, but this did not bring the desired effect.
In this regard, Stolypin made a decision to offer the working peasants to voluntarily go to develop and develop free lands, of course, on a basis favorable to them. In order for the proposal to become tempting, citizens who agreed to relocation were given salaries and land.
Not everyone was easy, many returned. But thanks to particularly enterprising peasants, electricity appeared in Siberian villages a few years later, which the allotments of European Russia that had been mastered earlier could not boast of. Many families of immigrants received the status of merchants, which testified to their worthy life in a new place.
The hard way to free lands
Few people recall, answering the question “What were the results of the resettlement policy?”, About another important achievement. An increase in the population flow, an increase in the labor force, and also the development of industry made it possible to finish the construction of the Siberian railway in a fairly short time.
It was the road that became the "gold path" for Siberia. And not only because it transported gold mined in drags. The enrichment of the population through the sale of grain, flour, butter and meat was made possible thanks to the railway. In addition, the presence of a railway message attracted new immigrants.
Assimilation of immigrants
For all time, about 16% of the population did not take root in Siberia and returned back to the European part of Russia. During the years of reform - from 1905 to 1914 - about 3.5 million people left to develop new territories, and only 500 thousand returned.
Indigenous peoples of Siberia were not happy with their new neighbors, often clashes were observed between the population and visitors. Over time, the Eskimos, Khanty, Mansi and other nations realized the benefits of working with immigrants, because they taught them literacy, allowed them to work in enterprises, to enjoy the benefits of civilization, including medicine.
If at the beginning of the resettlement about 18% of Siberians were literate, then a few years later their number reached 80%. In the cities, school, secondary and higher educational institutions were created.
Directions of development of populated areas
The climate of Siberia was very different from the usual, not all landowners knew the rules of agriculture in a dry climate. Immigrants had a hard time. However, having adopted the experience of the northern countries and indigenous peoples of the North, people were able to reach the production level of Moscow and St. Petersburg in record time, which the latter were extremely dissatisfied with. Nicholas II was offered to ban the sale of goods from Siberia, but since its territory was an integral part of the Empire, no such restrictions were introduced.
- By 1915, several dozen mills were built on the resettlement lands. Siberian rye and premium flour were extremely popular in the European market.
- Livestock has also developed rapidly. This entailed the production of butter, milk and other dairy products. Siberians sold oil abroad, and received foreign equipment as compensation.
- Speaking of Siberia, one can’t forget about gold mining. This region interested investors after its development. Many gold and metal mining companies existed on foreign money, which gave a start to the development of new mines and dredges. Many immigrants, having not received the desired benefits, went into the taiga to try their luck by working as prospectors.
The results of the resettlement policy of Stolypin
The goals and results of the resettlement policy of Peter Arkadievich are interpreted by historians ambiguously. Someone believes that work on the development of new territories has been failed. After all, they never reached their apogee - people who did not find happiness returned to the European part of the country as poor, the population density of Siberia and the Far East remained low. However, few people take into account the industrial potential with which reforms awarded this territory.
Therefore, answering the question "What were the goals and results of Stolypin's resettlement policy" stands apart from the results of peasant reform. After all, Siberia, inhabited at the beginning of the 20th century, is still a large industrial region to this day. This fact cannot but be the most important indicator of the effectiveness of the peaceful revolutionary transformations carried out by Peter Arkadievich, including the resettlement of residents of the European part of Russia.