Peasant capitalists are agricultural producers who, in addition to their main work in the agricultural sector, also had funds for trade and for entrepreneurship. This phenomenon is very interesting and indicative in the sense that capitalist relations originated and developed primarily in the city, and the village, as a rule, remained the center of agrarian relations. Therefore, the penetration of new economic elements into the peasant environment is proof of the high level of development of their economy.
Definition
Capitalist peasants are essentially a new layer of society that arose during the stratification of this class in the development of industrial production. In Western European countries they appeared earlier than in our country, since on the continent the process of property and social stratification was much faster than in Russian society. The definition of this concept emphasizes the main characteristic feature of these social groups: the presence of capital, which they had the right to invest in various industries.
Background
Peasant capitalists are a class that emerged as a result of the establishment of a new economic order. In European countries, serfdom was abolished quite early or by itself disappeared, since it impeded the development of industry and trade, and prevented the formation of a free labor market and labor. At first, urban strata of the population entered the bourgeois path of development, since it was the cities that were the focus of new socio-economic relations. As they developed and spread, new trends also affected the village, where trade and commodity-money circulation also began to develop, which became the prerequisite for the emergence of this layer.
Features
Peasant capitalists are a special category of population that has been drawn into the process of industrialization and accelerated industrial production. However, they had their own characteristic features both in status and in the organization of activities. The latter boiled down to the fact that they often became representative persons, a kind of agents of the new nobles and the bourgeoisie, speaking on their behalf during the execution of various commercial and legal transactions. This is their difference from the bourgeoisie itself, which owned the largest capital that invested in production, becoming the owners of factories, factories, manufactories, and so on. However, to understand who the capitalist peasants are, the definition of which also presupposes the fact that they, like the big bourgeoisie, participated in production, it should be borne in mind that they had money that was put into circulation and had profit from it . However, this layer began its path of formation and formation precisely with the provision of intermediary services.
In Russia
Our country embarked on the path of industrial and industrial development in the 18th century. However, serfdom still continued to exist in this century , which left its mark on this category of population. It is necessary to take into account the fact that at the time in question the empire was an agrarian country, and this is especially important for understanding who the capitalist peasants are. The definition of this term in relation to Russia has its own nuances. Since in our country capitalism developed with the participation of the state, which often acted as the initiator of the creation of the largest enterprises and their owner, this new way has acquired specific features. It arose at a time when serfdom existed, and perhaps even experienced a flourishing, which, of course, very strongly limited the private entrepreneurial initiative and hindered the formation of the wage labor market and free labor.
Activities
It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of Russia's economic development in order to understand what capitalist peasants are. Definition by history means people who have had the opportunity to dispose of money and invest it in production. In our country, they mainly represented the interests of the landowners, on whose behalf they made transactions. However, they often had their own capital (from 50 to 120 thousand), which they invested in factory, factory and manufactory production. Sometimes such peasants became even large owners, for example, of ships or entire enterprises, while remaining serfs.
They could also contain hotels, taverns, inns, engage in small retail trade. Such activity was largely due to the decree of Catherine II on the free establishment of all kinds of industrial enterprises. However, the bulk of the proceeds went to the landowner, which negatively affected the development of capitalism in our country, hindering the free management of capital and labor. Thus, the term "capitalist peasants" as applied to Russian history has its own characteristics.