Who and when abolished serfdom in Russia? Causes and consequences of this event. What year was serfdom abolished

The era of the reign of Alexander II is called the era of the Great Reforms or the era of Liberation. The abolition of serfdom in Russia is closely associated with the name of Alexander.

Society before the reform of 1861

The defeat in the Crimean War showed the backwardness of the Russian Empire from Western countries in almost all aspects of the economy and the socio-political structure of the state. The progressive people of that time could not help but notice the shortcomings in the thoroughly rotten system of autocratic rule. Russian society by the middle of the 19th century was heterogeneous.

The nobility was divided into rich, middle and poor. Their attitude to the reform could not be unambiguous. About 93% of the nobles did not have serfs. As a rule, these nobles held public office and depended on the state. The nobles who had large plots of land and many serfs were opposed to the Peasant Reform of 1861.
The life of serfs was the life of slaves, because this social class had no civil rights. The serfs were also not a homogeneous mass. In central Russia there were mostly quitrent peasants. They did not lose contact with the rural community and continued to pay the duty to the landowner, being hired in the city for factories. The second group of peasants was corvée and was in the southern part of the Russian Empire. They worked on the landowner's land and paid corvée.

The peasants continued to believe in the “good father of the tsar”, who wants to free them from the yoke of slavery and allocate a piece of land. After the reform of 1861, this belief only intensified. Despite the deception of the landowners during the reform of 1861, the peasants sincerely believed that the tsar did not know about their troubles. The influence of the Narodnaya Volya on the consciousness of the peasants was minimal.

Rice. 1. Alexander II speaks before the Assembly of Nobility.

Prerequisites for the abolition of serfdom

By the middle of the 19th century, two processes were taking place in the Russian Empire: the prosperity of serfdom and the formation of the capitalist way of life. There was constant conflict between these incompatible processes.

All the prerequisites for the abolition of serfdom arose:

As industry grew, so did production. The use of serf labor at the same time became completely impossible, since the serfs deliberately broke the machines.
The factories needed permanent workers with high qualifications. Under the fortification system, this was impossible.
The Crimean War revealed the sharp contradictions of the autocracy of Russia. It showed the medieval backwardness of the state from the countries of Western Europe.

Under these circumstances, Alexander II did not want to take the decision to carry out the Peasant Reform only on himself, because in the largest Western states, reforms were always developed in committees specially created by parliament. The Russian emperor decided to follow the same path.

Preparation and beginning of the reform of 1861

At first, the preparation of the peasant reform was carried out secretly from the population of Russia. All leadership in the design of the reform was concentrated in the Unspoken or Secret Committee, formed in 1857. However, things in this organization did not go further than discussing the reform program, and the summoned nobles ignored the call of the king.

On November 20, 1857, a respite was drawn up approved by the king. In it, elected committees of nobles were elected from each province, which were obliged to come to the court for meetings and agree on a reform project. The reform project began to be prepared openly, and the Private Committee became the Main Committee.
The main issue of the Peasant Reform was the discussion of how to free the peasant from serfdom - with land or not. The liberals, who consisted of industrialists and landless nobles, wanted to liberate the peasants and give them allotments of land. A group of serf-owners, consisting of wealthy landlords, was against the allocation of land plots to the peasants. In the end a compromise was found. The liberals and the feudal lords found a compromise between themselves and decided to free the peasants with minimal plots of land for a large monetary ransom. Such a “liberation” suited the industrialists, since it supplied them with permanent working hands. The peasant reform supplied both capital and working hands to the serfs.

Speaking briefly about the abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861, it should be noted three basic conditions , which Alexander II planned to fulfill:

the complete abolition of serfdom and the emancipation of the peasants;
each peasant was endowed with a plot of land, while the amount of the ransom was determined for him;
a peasant could leave his place of residence only with the permission of a newly formed rural society instead of a rural community;

To resolve pressing issues and fulfill obligations to fulfill duties and pay ransoms, peasants of landlord estates united in rural societies. To control the relationship of the landowner with rural communities, the Senate appointed mediators. The nuance was that the mediators were appointed from local nobles, who naturally were on the side of the landowner in resolving controversial issues.

The result of the reform of 1861

The reform of 1861 revealed a whole a number of shortcomings :

the landowner could transfer the place of his estate wherever he pleased;
the landowner could exchange the allotments of the peasants for his own lands until they were completely redeemed;
the peasant before the redemption of his allotment was not his sovereign owner;

The emergence of rural societies in the year of the abolition of serfdom gave rise to mutual responsibility. Rural communities held meetings or gatherings, at which all peasants were entrusted with the execution of duties to the landowner equally, each peasant was responsible for the other. At rural gatherings, issues of misconduct by peasants, problems of paying ransoms, etc. were also resolved. The decisions of the meeting were valid if they were taken by a majority of votes.

The bulk of the ransom was taken over by the state. In 1861, the Main Redemption Institution was established.

The bulk of the ransom was taken over by the state. For the redemption of each peasant, 80% of the total amount was paid, the remaining 20% was paid by the peasant. This amount could be paid at a time, or in installments, but most often the peasant worked it out by labor service. On average, the peasant paid off with the state for about 50 years, while paying 6% per annum. At the same time, at the same time, the peasant paid a ransom for the land, the remaining 20%. On average, with the landowner, the peasant paid for 20 years.

The main provisions of the 1861 reform were not implemented immediately. This process spanned nearly three decades.

Liberal reforms of the 60-70s of the XIX century.

The Russian Empire approached liberal reforms with an unusually neglected local economy: the roads between the villages were washed out in spring and autumn, there was no basic hygiene in the villages, not to mention medical care, epidemics mowed down the peasants. Education was in its infancy. The government did not have money for the revival of villages, so a decision was made to reform local governments.

Rice. 2. First pancake. V. Pchelin.

On January 1, 1864, the Zemstvo reform was carried out. The zemstvo was a local authority that took care of the construction of roads, the organization of schools, the construction of hospitals, churches, etc. An important point was the organization of assistance to the population, which suffered from crop failure. To solve especially important tasks, the zemstvo could impose a special tax on the population. The administrative bodies of the zemstvos were provincial and district assemblies, executive-provincial and district councils. Elections to zemstvos were held once every three years. Three congresses met for the elections. The first congress consisted of landowners, the second congress was recruited from city owners, the third congress included elected peasants from volost rural assemblies.

Rice. 3. Zemstvo is having lunch.

The next date for the judicial reforms of Alexander II was the reform of 1864. The court in Russia became public, open and public. The main accuser was the prosecutor, the defendant got his own defense lawyer. However, the main innovation was the introduction of 12 jurors at the trial. After judicial debate, they issued their verdict - “guilty” or “not guilty”. Jurors were recruited from men of all classes.
In 1874, a reform was carried out in the army. By decree of D. A. Milyutin, recruitment was abolished. Citizens of Russia who reached 20 lei were subject to compulsory military service. Service in the infantry was 6 years, service in the navy was 7 years.

The abolition of recruitment contributed to the great popularity of Alexander II among the peasantry.

The significance of the reforms of Alexander II

Noting all the pros and cons of the transformations of Alexander II, it should be noted that they contributed to the growth of the country's productive forces, the development of moral self-consciousness among the population, the improvement of the quality of life of peasants in the villages and the spread of primary education among the peasants. It should be noted both the growth of the industrial upsurge and the positive development of agriculture.

At the same time, the reforms did not affect the upper echelons of power at all, remnants of serfdom remained in local administration, the landlords enjoyed the support of noblemen-mediators in disputes and openly deceived the peasants when allocating allotments. However, it should not be forgotten that these were only the first steps towards a new capitalist stage of development.

What have we learned?

The liberal reforms studied in the history of Russia (Grade 8) generally had positive results. Thanks to the abolition of serfdom, the remnants of the feudal system were finally eliminated, but, like the developed Western countries, it was still very far from the final formation of the capitalist way of life.

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Serfdom is a phenomenon that many historians and writers of that time mention with very negative emotions. It is understood, because serfdom fettered not only the freedom of people, but also their opportunities for development. This article will tell you when serfdom was adopted and abolished.

To understand when and why serfdom was abolished, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with its essence and the history of its origin.

What is serfdom

Serfdom is a toughened form of feudal power. It originated in European countries long before its adoption in Russia and had a very negative impact on the comprehensive development of the country. At a time when Russian peasants, closely tied to the lands of their feudal lords, worked almost around the clock and paid huge taxes, European peasants were already adapted to the rapidly developing capitalist system.

The essence of serfdom is as follows. At that time, society was divided into two main layers - peasants and feudal lords. The peasants had no private property. Feudal lords - the main owners of the country's capital, who were the owners of land, houses and other private property. Since the peasants needed to survive, they had to work on the land of the feudal lords. For this, they took part of their harvest and the work done. This is ordinary feudalism.

Serfdom in Russia is a toughened feudalism, which not only rips off more than half of the crop and profit from the peasants, but also ties the peasant to the land of the feudal lord. Thus, the peasant is fettered and cannot move freely from one feudal lord to another, cannot accumulate funds and also become a feudal lord.

When was serfdom abolished in Russia

The realization that serfdom destroys society came to Russia much later than to Europe. If the main part of European countries abolished serfdom in the 18th century, then in Russia it was finally abolished as early as February 19, 1861. At that time, the imminent approach of a peasant uprising was felt. In addition, from an economic point of view, serfdom was already beginning to suffer. It was these factors that led to the abolition of serfdom.

Although the above two factors are considered the main ones, some historians argue that there were other phenomena that played a role in the abolition of serfdom in Russia.

Serf peasant

Serfdom is a set of state laws that fixed the peasants to a certain piece of land, and also made the peasants dependent on the landowner.

Simply put, the essence of serfdom was that the peasants were "attached" to their land plot and to a certain feudal lord (landowner), and this "attachment" was hereditary. The peasant could not leave his land allotment, and if he tried to escape, he was forcibly returned back.

Usually when they talk about serfdom, they mean Russia. But in Russia serfdom was introduced only in 1649. And in Western Europe it has existed since the 9th century.

A bit of the history of this phenomenon

Serfdom corresponds to a certain stage in the development of the state. But since the development of different states and regions proceeded differently, serfdom in different countries existed in different forms: somewhere it captured a short period of time, and somewhere it has survived almost to our time.

For example, in England, France and part of Germany, serfdom arose in the 9th-10th centuries, and in Denmark, the eastern regions of Austria - only in the 16th-17th centuries. Even in one region, for example, in Scandinavia, this phenomenon developed in different ways: in medieval Denmark it developed along the German model, while in Norway and Sweden it practically did not exist. Just as uneven serfdom and disappeared.

In Tsarist Russia, serfdom was widespread by the 16th century, but officially confirmed by the Council Code of 1649.

History of serfdom in Russia

Cathedral Code of 1649 finally consolidated serfdom in Russia, but the process of gradual enslavement of the peasants lasted for centuries. In Ancient Russia, most of the land was owned by princes, boyars and monasteries. With the strengthening of the grand duke's power, the tradition of rewarding service people with extensive estates became more and more established. The peasants “attached” to these lands were personally free people and entered into lease agreements with the landowner (“orderly”). At certain times, the peasants were free to leave their plot and move to another, fulfilling their obligations towards the landowner.

But in 1497 a restriction was introduced on the right to transfer from one landowner to another only on one day: St. George's Day - November 26.

S. Ivanov "St. George's day"

In 1581 St. George's Day was canceled and installed reserved summers(from “commandment” - command, prohibition) - the period during which in some regions of the Russian state a peasant exit was prohibited on the autumn St. George's Day (provided for in Article 57 of the Sudebnik of 1497).

In 1597 landowners receive the right to search for a runaway peasant for 5 years and to return him to the owner - "lesson summers".

In 1649 The Cathedral Code abolished the “lesson summers”, thus securing the indefinite search for fugitive peasants.

Cathedral Code of 1649

It comes out under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. In essence, this is a new Russian code of laws, which established the power of the landowner over the peasants who worked on his land. From now on, the peasants did not have the right to leave their allotment and move to another owner or stop working on the land altogether, for example, go to the city to work. Peasants were attached to the land, hence the name: serfdom. When land was transferred from one landowner to another, workers were transferred along with it. Also, a nobleman had the right to sell his serf to another owner without land.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

But still, serfdom differed from slavery: the new owner was obliged to provide the purchased farmer with an allotment and provide him with the necessary property. In addition, the owner had no power over the life of the peasant. For example, everyone knows the story of the landowner Saltychikha, who killed her serfs and was punished for it.

Daria Nikolaevna Saltykova nicknamed Saltychikha- Russian landowner, who went down in history as a sophisticated sadist and serial killer of several dozen serfs subject to her. By the decision of the Senate and Empress Catherine II, she was deprived of the dignity of a columned noblewoman and sentenced to life imprisonment in a monastery prison, where she died.

Widowed at the age of twenty-six, she received in her full possession of about six hundred peasants on estates located in the Moscow, Vologda and Kostroma provinces.

During the life of her husband, Saltychikha did not notice a particular tendency to assault. She was still a flourishing and, moreover, a very pious woman, so one can only guess about the nature of Saltykova's mental illness. On the one hand, she behaved like a believer, on the other, she committed real crimes. Approximately six months after the death of her husband, she began to regularly beat, mostly with logs, servants. The main reasons for punishment were dishonestly washed floors or poor-quality laundry. The torture began with the fact that she struck the guilty peasant woman with blows with an object that fell under her arm (most often it was a log). The offender was then flogged by grooms and haiduks, sometimes to death. Gradually, the severity of the beatings became stronger, and the beatings themselves became longer and more sophisticated. Saltychikha could douse the victim with boiling water or singe her hair on her head. She also used hot curling irons for torture, with which she grabbed the victim by the ears. She often dragged people by the hair and at the same time banged their heads against the wall for a long time. Many of those killed by her, according to witnesses, did not have hair on their heads; Saltychikha tore her hair with her fingers, which testifies to her considerable physical strength. Victims were starved and tied naked in the cold. Saltychikha loved to kill brides who were about to get married in the near future. In November 1759, during a torture that lasted almost a day, she killed the young servant Khrisanf Andreev, and then beat the boy Lukyan Mikheev with her own hands.

Barin and his serfs

In 1718-1724. a tax reform was adopted, finally attaching the peasants to the land.

In 1747 the landowner was already given the right to sell his serfs as recruits (acceptance for military service by military service or hiring) to any person.

I. Repin "Seeing the recruit"

In 1760 the landowner receives the right to exile the peasants to Siberia.

In 1765 the landowner receives the right to exile the peasants not only to Siberia, but also to hard labor.

In 1767 peasants were strictly forbidden to file petitions (complaints) against their landlords personally to the empress or emperor.

In 1783 serfdom extends to the Left-bank Ukraine.

As you can see, the dependence of the peasants on the landowners was constantly expanding, and, consequently, their situation worsened: the landowners began to sell and buy serfs, marry and marry at their own discretion, which we read about in the works of Russian classic writers.

Under Peter I, serfdom continued to be strengthened, which is confirmed by several legislative acts (revisions, etc.). Revision tales- documents reflecting the results of audits of the taxable population of the Russian Empire in the 18th - the first half of the 19th centuries, carried out for the purpose of per capita taxation of the population. Revizsky tales were lists of names of the population, which indicated the name, patronymic and surname of the owner of the yard, his age, name and patronymic of family members indicating age, relation to the head of the family.

Feather with which Alexander II signed the Decree on the abolition of serfdom. State Russian Museum

In cities, revision tales were compiled by representatives of the city administration, in the villages of state peasants - by elders, in private estates - by landowners or their managers.

In the intervals between revisions, the revision tales were updated. The presence or absence of a person at the time of the current registration was recorded, and in the case of absence, the reason was recorded (died, on the run, resettled, in soldiers, etc.). All clarifications of revision tales related to the next year, therefore, each “revision soul” was considered cash until the next revision, even in the event of a person’s death, which allowed the state, on the one hand, to increase the collection of per capita tax, and on the other hand, created conditions for abuse, about which we read in N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls".

Under Peter, a new class of possession serfs, attached to factories and factories, is also being created.

And Catherine II to her favorite nobles and numerous favorites gave about 800 thousand state and specific peasants.

Serfdom was beneficial to most of the nobility, but the Russian tsars understood that, in essence, it still differed little from slavery. Both Alexander I and Nicholas I spoke about the need to abolish this system, but it was only abolished by Alexander II in 1861, for which he received the name Liberator.

News of the abolition of serfdom

Enslavement of people in Russia existed in the eleventh century. Even then, Kievan Rus and the Novgorod Republic widely used the labor of unfree peasants, who were called serfs, serfs and purchases.

At the dawn of the development of feudal relations, the peasants were enslaved by attracting them to work on the land that belonged to the landowner. For this, the feudal lord demanded a certain fee.

The origin of serfdom in Russia

"Russian Truth"

Historians are inclined to think that the dependence of peasants on feudal lords originated during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, when the main code of laws was Russkaya Pravda, which clearly delimited social relations between the strata of the population.

During the Mongol-Tatar yoke, feudal dependence somewhat weakened due to the split of Russia. In the 16th century, the peasants had some freedom, but they were forbidden to move from place to place until the payment for the use of the land was made. The rights and obligations of the peasant were prescribed in the contract between him and the owner of the land.

Here you are, grandmother, and St. George's Day!

With the reign of Ivan III, the situation of the peasants deteriorated sharply, as he began to restrict their rights at the legislative level. First, the peasants were forbidden to move from one feudal lord to another except for a week before and a week after St. George's Day, then they were allowed to leave it only in certain years. Often the peasant became an indebted debtor, continuing to borrow bread, money, agricultural implements from the landowner and falling into bondage to his creditor. The only way out of this situation was to flee.

Serf - means attached

There was decree, according to which fugitive peasants who did not pay for the use of the land were to look for and to return to their place of residence and work. At first, the term for detecting the fugitives was five years, then, with the accession of the Romanovs and the coming to power of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, it increased to fifteen, and finally fixed the dependence of the peasants on the “Cathedral Code” of 1649, which ordered the peasant to stay for life in the locality to which it was attached according to the results of the census, that is, it became “strong”. If a peasant "on the run" married off his daughter, the found family in full force was returned to the former landowner.

At the turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries. For centuries, the sale and purchase of serfs between landowners became commonplace. The serfs lost their legal and civil rights and ended up in slavery.

Souls - living and dead

Most serfdom became tougher during the time of Peter I and Catherine I. I. Relations between the peasant and the landowner were no longer built on the basis of an agreement, they were fixed by a government act. Both serfs and purchases moved into the category of serfs, or souls. Estates began to be inherited along with souls. They were powerless - they were allowed to marry, sell, separate parents from children, use corporal punishment.

Interesting to know: on the Ugra River under Prince Ivan III.

Attempts to alleviate the fate of the serfs

The first attempt to limit and subsequently abolish slavery was made by the Russian emperor Paul I in 1797.

In his "Manifesto on the Three-Day Corvee", the sovereign introduced legal restrictions on the use of serf labor: for the benefit of the royal court and the masters, one had to work three days a week with an obligatory Sunday day off. Three more days remained for the peasants to work for themselves. On Sunday, it was prescribed to attend an Orthodox church.

Taking advantage of the illiteracy and lack of enlightenment of the serfs, many landlords ignored the tsarist legislative act and forced the peasants to work for weeks, often depriving them of a day off.

Serfdom was not widespread throughout the state: it was not in the Caucasus, in the Cossack regions, in a number of Asian provinces, in the Far East, Alaska and in Finland. Many progressive nobles began to think about its abolition. In enlightened Europe, slavery did not exist, Russia lagged behind European countries in terms of socio-economic development, because the lack of labor of civilian workers hampered industrial progress. Serfdoms fell into decay, and among the serfs themselves, discontent grew, turning into riots. These were the prerequisites for the abolition of serfdom.

In 1803 In the year Alexander I issued the Decree on Free Plowmen. According to the decree, the peasants were allowed to conclude an agreement with the landowner for a ransom, according to which it was possible to obtain freedom and a land plot in addition. If the obligations given by the peasant were not fulfilled, he could be forcibly returned to the master. At the same time, the landowner could release the serf free of charge. They began to prohibit the sale of serfs at fairs, and later, when selling peasants, it was not allowed to separate families. However, Alexander I managed to completely abolish serfdom only in the Baltic states - the Baltic provinces of Estland, Livonia and Courland.

The peasants increasingly hoped that their dependence was temporary, and endured it with Christian fortitude. During the Patriotic War of 1812, when he hoped to triumphantly enter Russia and see the serfs who met him as a liberator, it was they who gave him a powerful rebuff, uniting in the ranks of the militia.

Emperor Nicholas I also tried to abolish serfdom, for which special commissions were created at his direction, the law “On obligated peasants” was issued, according to which the peasants had the opportunity to be liberated by the landowner, the latter had to allocate a plot of land. For the use of the allotment, the peasant was obliged to bear the duty in favor of the landowner. However, this law was not recognized by the bulk of the nobles who did not want to part with their slaves.

Historians explain the indecisiveness of Nicholas I in this matter by the fact that after the Decembrist uprising, he was afraid of the rise of the masses, which, in his opinion, could happen if they were given the long-awaited freedom.

The situation worsened more and more: the economic situation in Russia after the war with Napoleon was precarious, the labor of the serfs was unproductive, and in the famine years the landowners also had to support them. The abolition of serfdom was not far off.

"Destroy from above"

With accession to the throne in 1855 Alexander I. I., son of Nicholas I, there have been significant changes. The new sovereign, who was distinguished by political far-sightedness and flexibility, immediately began to talk about the need to resolve the peasant issue and carry out reforms: “It is better to destroy serfdom from above than it will begin to be destroyed from below.”

Understanding the need for the progressive movement of Russia, the development of the capitalist system in the state, the formation of the labor market for hired workers and at the same time maintaining the stable position of the autocratic system, Alexander I. I. in January 1857 created the Secret Committee, later renamed the Main Committee for Peasant Affairs, which began preparations for the gradual emancipation of the serfs.

Causes:

the crisis of the serf system;
lost, after which popular unrest intensified;
the need for the formation of the bourgeoisie as a new class.

The moral side of the issue played a significant role: many nobles with advanced views were outraged by a relic of the past - legalized slavery in a European state.

There was a broad discussion in the country of the planned peasant reform, the main idea of which was to provide the peasants with personal freedom.

The land still had to remain in the possession of the landlords, but they were obliged to provide it for the use of the former serfs for serving the corvee or paying dues, until they could finally redeem it. The agrarian economy of the country was to be made up of large landowners and small peasant farms.

The year of the abolition of serfdom is 1861. It was this year, on February 19, on Forgiveness Sunday, on the sixth anniversary of the accession to the throne of Alexander I. I., the document “On the most merciful granting to serfs of the rights of the state of free rural inhabitants” was signed - the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom.

The main provisions of the document:

Alexander II personally proclaimed the Manifesto before the people in the Mikhailovsky Manege in St. Petersburg. The sovereign began to be called the Liberator. Yesterday's serfs, freed from the guardianship of the landowner, the peasant reform of 1861 allowed them to move to a new place of residence, marry of their own free will, study, get a job, and even move into the bourgeois and merchant classes. From that moment, scientists believe, the peasants had surnames.

Consequences of the reform

However, the enthusiasm with which the manifesto was greeted quickly faded. The peasants expected complete emancipation and were disappointed that they had to wear the label of "temporarily obliged", demanding land allotments for them.

Feeling cheated, people began to organize riots, to suppress which the king sent troops. Within six months, more than a thousand uprisings broke out in different parts of the country.

The land plots allocated to the peasants were not large enough to feed themselves and receive income from them. On average, one farm accounted for three acres of land, and five or six were required for its profitability.

The landowners, deprived of free labor, were forced to mechanize agricultural production, but not everyone was ready for this, and many simply went bankrupt.

The so-called courtyard people, who had no property and were not allocated land, were also released. They were at that time about 6 percent of the total number of serfs. Such people found themselves practically on the street, without a livelihood. Someone went to the cities and got a job, and someone took the path of crime, hunting for robbery and robbery, engaging in terrorism. It is known that two decades after the proclamation of the Manifesto, members of the Narodnaya Volya from among the descendants of former serfs killed the sovereign-liberator Alexander I. I. .

But in general the reform of 1861 was of great historical significance:

Market relations, characteristic of a capitalist state, began to develop.
Formed new social strata of the population - the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
Russia took the path of transformation into a bourgeois monarchy, which was facilitated by the adoption by the government of other important reforms, including the Constitution.
Plants and factories, industrial enterprises began to be rapidly built in order to stop the dissatisfaction of people and their jobs. In this regard, there has been an increase in industrial production, which put Russia on a par with the leading world powers.

Serfdom is a special system of legal relations that has existed since the beginning of the 11th century and consisted in the dependence of the peasant on the landowner.

The essence of serfdom in Russia

Under serfdom, there were a number of laws that stated that a peasant was assigned to a certain piece of land, sometimes completely depriving him of his personal space and limiting his right to freedom. Serfdom in Russia was introduced in 1649. The local system that existed before that time was a rigid form of rental relations, but not serfs. Its essence was that the peasant rented a piece of land from the landowner, and worked on it until the harvest, as a result, he gave part of the profit in the form of "rent". The peasant did not have the right to leave until the moment he paid in full, according to the contract. But after that, he could go anywhere he wanted. That is why this system could not be called serf.

Beginning in 1649, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued the Cathedral Code - a new set of adopted laws. They established the transition of the peasants, who work on the land of the landowner, to his power. From that moment on, they had no right to leave work on his land or move to another owner. If the land passed from one landowner to another, then the workers were transferred along with it. Even a nobleman could sell his serf to another owner. The main essence and difference between serfdom and slavery is that the owner must without fail provide the purchased peasant with allotment and the necessary property. And most importantly, the owner had no right and no power to encroach on the life of his workers. In the middle of the 18th century, serfdom intensified in Russia: landowners were given the right to sell workers as recruits, and then exile them to Siberia for hard labor.

In what year was serfdom abolished in Russia

Of course, serfdom was very beneficial to representatives of the nobility, but still it was not much different from slavery, and the Russian tsars understood this. Even during the reign of Nicholas the First and Alexander the First, there were talks about the abolition of this system. But only during the reign of Emperor Alexander II the Liberator in 1861, serfdom was finally abolished in Russia.

Reasons for the abolition of serfdom in Russia

Naturally, there were a number of subjective and objective reasons for the abolition of serfdom, since a crisis had come, meaning the impossibility of further development and progress.

Economic reasons (low productivity of serf labor; the complete lack of rights and freedom of workers became an obstacle to the development of capitalism).
Political (there was a threat of losing the status of a Great Power).
Social (the discontent of the peasants and their numerous riots; the immorality of the system; more than one case was recorded when the peasants attempted on the life of the landowners).