The consequences of the abolition of serfdom in Russia were ambiguous. Adopted in 1861, the reform over which work had been carried out for several years was a purely noble project. This is the consensus embodied in the document between the nobility and the state. But with all the desire to point out the shortcomings of the Manifesto, signed by Emperor Alexander II the Liberator, it should be emphasized that it was in 1861 that serfdom was liquidated in Russia. And this, of course, is an outstanding event in the history of the country.
Prerequisites for the abolition of serfdom in Russia
In Russia, approximately from the 30s of the XIX century, the development of industry began, that is, the transition from manual to machine production. For this process to proceed successfully, some freedoms are required: labor, capital, land, and also the management of the means of production.
Freedom of labor
This could not be in a state with serf exploitation. A worker who did not belong to himself was not interested in the end result of his labor. He belonged to the owner of the land or enterprise, worked under duress, did not receive proper payment.
Land freedom
The fertile, developed lands belonged almost entirely to the noble landowners. It was not easy to acquire a site for the construction of a factory or factory. By decree of Alexander I of 1801, such a right was granted to persons of the nobility, but the bureaucratic machine in every way impeded its execution.
Means of production
They were owned by a small group of persons: landowners, the big bourgeoisie, the aristocracy. The state was also the owner. An outsider could not get into this circle in order to redistribute them in his interests.
The first steps to weaken serfdom in the country
It should be noted the decrees of emperors, which facilitated feudal oppression long before the main events. The transformations of Peter I and Catherine the Great, aimed at a breakthrough in the economic and cultural development of Russia, in fact, brought feudal oppression in the country to the maximum point. The state became almost slaveholding, depriving the oppressed class of any rights.
In 1797, Paul I signed the Manifesto of the Three-Day Corvée, the first law that limited the use of peasant labor in favor of the landlord.
Alexander I in 1803 issued a decree on free cultivators, which gave the landowners the right to free the peasants under a bilateral agreement on conditions. In life, this project almost did not work; units of serfs became free.
During the reign of Nicholas I created more than ten commissions to develop decisions on the abolition of serfdom. They were formed from experts on the agricultural issue or neutral, disinterested persons. But in view of the enormous influence on the events of large landowners, the work was not completed. Only in 1833 was it forbidden to sell peasants in public, to take away their allotments, to be separated from their families. Any other steps caused active discontent of the landowners.
When the need is ripe for reform ...
In 1855, Alexander II ascended to the imperial throne, who understood himself and made it clear to his entourage that the abolition of serfdom in the country was an urgent need. But this process, meeting the opposition of people holding high government posts and being simultaneously large owners of land and peasants, stretched out for many years.
The main reasons for the abolition of serfdom in Russia, historians call the following:
- Completely exhausted opportunities for conducting a state economy based on serf labor. The nobles did not want and could not transfer their production to capitalist foundations, preferring the old feudal system. Most of the estates were mortgaged in the Noble Bank.
- The growing discontent of the peasants, resulting in unrest and rebellion. Since 1855, for six years, 474 appearances were recorded. Their number increased mainly due to collapsed hopes for freedom after voluntary enlistment in the militia at the call of the tsarist authorities during the Crimean War.
- The defeat in the Crimean War, which clearly showed the backwardness of the empire from European states in all areas. The real threat of turning a great country into a second-rate, insignificant state hung.
- The moral aspect of the problem. The use of slave labor was evaluated negatively by civilized partners and aroused sharp condemnation from their side. This influenced diplomatic relations between states.
Creation of the Secret Committee
Alexander II began work on the peasant question, creating a Secret Committee of 11 people. Its structure, unlike the Nikolaev committees, was dominated by large landowners, serfs, which ultimately determined both the results of the work and the consequences of the abolition of serfdom in Russia.
The proposed draft reform of the Noble Committees, specially created for this purpose in each province, was invited to make changes and comments. The emperor legitimized this order of work by signing a rescript (assignment of an order) to the Vilna governor-general V. I. Nazimov. Under this name, this document went down in history.
Rescript to V. I. Nazimov
The project, set out in a rescript and sent out later to other provinces, contained information on measures to mitigate, but not destroy, the serfdom. The peasants received freedom, that is, they were given some freedoms, but the land remained the property of the landowner. When using the land allotment, the peasant had to work out corvee labor or pay rent. A subsequent redemption of the allotment was allowed, but not earlier than after 10 years.
Provincial committees, who realized that this time it will not be possible to skimp on this issue, took part in the work on the document. The peasants, who learned of a possible landless release, expressed discontent. In 1858, this program was nevertheless taken as the basis.
Manifesto Content
The work of the drafting committee on the program continued as proposals came from noble committees. On February 19, 1861 , at a meeting held by Alexander II, the emperor demanded approval of the project as a whole and signed the Manifesto. This day is considered the date of the abolition of serfdom in Russia.
The main provisions of the reform were as follows:
- Peasants ceased to be called serfs, and became "temporarily liable." They were endowed with the rights of rural free residents and the obligation to be members of a rural society where mutual responsibility was practiced. That is, the entire community paid for any violations of one member.
- They received their dwellings, farm buildings, and equipment in personal ownership.
- Rural society was a self-governing unit with elected posts.
- The consequence of the abolition of serfdom in Russia was the obligation of the landowners, while retaining the main lands in their possession, to give their land plots to the peasants, and also to allocate a field allotment to the rural community. The distribution of land between peasant families was carried out by elected members of the community. Land was given only for work, but not in ownership.
- For the use of the allocated land, the peasant had to work out corvée or pay rent. It was impossible to refuse land allotment for 49 years.
- A document “Statutory Charter” was compiled, which was kept by the landowner and contained information about the land allotment of each family and the terms of ownership.
- Rural society, having accumulated money, could turn to the landowner with a request for a complete redemption of the allotment. The peasants who paid for the land were called "owners."
- According to the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom in Russia, the state could take part in the procedure for the redemption of land by society from the landowner. In this case, it undertook to pay the landowner, and the peasants became debtors of the state at a certain percentage.
Unrest of the peasants after the adoption of reform
The consequences of the abolition of serfdom in Russia, as well as the reaction to the long-awaited event, were far from unambiguous. Why? The reform of the abolition of serfdom in Russia did not immediately and completely free the peasants. But these steps were the beginning of the elimination of serfdom in the country.
Immediately after the adoption of the manifesto, peasant unrest began. They were fueled by rumors that the document was fake, replaced by landowning officials. The popular opinion that the tsar-father again did not know what the nobles were doing was moving from village to village. In response, the emperor threw an army to liquidate the rebellion.
Peasant uprisings were especially active during the years 1861-1862, some historians call them "wars." The government had reason to fear that troops designed to suppress riots might go over to the side of the peasants.
What has changed in the life of the country after the announcement of the manifesto?
The consequences of the abolition of serfdom in Russia were some new phenomena. The peasant, previously owned by the landowner, was now "attached" to the community. The principle of “mutual responsibility” distributed the debt of those who left it to the remaining members of society.
The state limit established by the state, which the peasant could buy, produced small-earth peasants.
Due to lack of land, the peasant rented it from the same landowner. That is, he became economically dependent on a private individual.
A striphead was formed - an alternation of the lands of peasant communities, which they bought from the owner, and, in fact, the landowner's lands.
Appearance of stratification of peasant society in the village. Thus formed the fists, middle peasants and farm laborers.
The significance of the abolition of serfdom in Russia
Despite the fact that such an abolition of serfdom was beneficial to the nobles, and to the peasants it brought meager, in comparison with the expected, better lives, this was progress in the development of the Russian Empire.
The history of the abolition of serfdom in Russia showed that the reform did not solve the problems of society: the poor remained poor, were far from governing the state, for the most part did not own the land on which they worked. It was precisely these unresolved problems in the development of peasant farming in 1905 that again raised the people to confront the landlords. Nevertheless, peasant issues were not completely resolved before the overthrow of the autocracy.