By the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Empire was increasingly lagging behind Western competitors in its technical, economic and social development. The so-called “catching up” modernization, which began in the middle of the 19th century, did not help to bridge this gap. The large-scale reforms of the 1860-70s did not bring the desired results. The state simply needed new
transformations that would rebuild the economy and social development in a capitalist fashion.
Reform Start
Such an attempt was the complex of reforms of the head of government Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin. First of all, it concerned the transformations in the agricultural sector. It was expected that the results of the Stolypin reform will give a powerful impetus to the development of all significant areas in the country. Their main plan was to create a powerful layer of a wealthy, independent and entrepreneurial peasantry that would revive commodity relations and turn Russia into an even more important exporter of agricultural products. The final results of the Stolypin reform were seen by her mastermind in the emergence of a class of strong business executives, similar to American farmers. For these purposes, the state
a credit bank, by decree of the government, launched a massive campaign to issue loans to peasants for the purchase of land. At the same time, non-return of debt was rather severely punished - by confiscation of the purchased land. This, according to the plans of the reformers, was to spur private initiative. The second important part of agrarian reform was the land development program in Siberia. Land in this region was distributed and completely free to the willing peasants for use. And the government in every possible way encouraged and facilitated the movement of peasant families beyond the Urals. For these purposes, special trains were created, later known as "Stolypin cars". In addition, infrastructure was actively created in Siberia during this period.
The results of the agricultural reform of Stolypin
The intentions of the politician, no doubt significant in Russian history, were never brought to its logical conclusion. Their implementation was first interrupted by his death in 1911, and later completely postponed due to the continental
the war. Thus, it can hardly be said that the results of Stolypin’s reforms were any sufficient. However, a number of trends during their period have nevertheless been outlined, so some results can be summed up.
Positive results of Stolypin's reform in the agricultural sector
The result of government actions was that from 10% to 20% of the population stood out from the peasant community. The latter began independent farming. In the next few years, successful peasants began to give up to half of all the bread that appeared on the market. Partially, plans for the development of Siberia were implemented , since during the reform more than 3 million households moved there. As a result, new regions were involved in commodity-market relations. The country has significantly expanded the area of arable land.
Negative Stolypin Reform Results
The stratification of the independent village led to the fact that along with the successful, poor peasants also appeared. Even the farms that left the community still maintained close relations with it. In this regard, the reform was half. It also did not have a tangible impact on the technological development of agriculture. By 1911, the archaic plow was still the main instrument of the Russian peasant.