One of the important results of the reform of 1861

Alexander II

Contrary to the existing erroneous opinion that the vast majority of the population of pre-reform Russia consisted of serfdom, in reality the percentage of serfs to the entire population of the empire remained almost unchanged at 45% from the second revision to the eighth (that is, from to), and to the 10th revision ( ) this share fell to 37%. According to the 1859 census, 23.1 million people (of both sexes) out of 62.5 million people who inhabited the Russian Empire were in serfdom. Of the 65 provinces and regions that existed in Russian Empire for 1858, in the three above-mentioned Ostsee provinces, in the Land of the Black Sea Host, in the Primorsky region, the Semipalatinsk region and the region of the Siberian Kirghiz, in the Derbent province (with the Caspian region) and the Erivan province there were no serfs at all; in 4 more administrative units (Arkhangelsk and Shemakhinsk provinces, Zabaikalsk and Yakutsk regions) there were no serfs either, with the exception of a few dozen courtyard people (servants). In the remaining 52 provinces and regions, the proportion of serfs in the population ranged from 1.17% (Bessarabian region) to 69.07% (Smolensk province).

Causes

In 1861, a reform was carried out in Russia that abolished serfdom and laid the foundation for the capitalist formation in the country. The main reason for this reform was: the crisis of the feudal system, peasant unrest, especially intensified during the Crimean War. In addition, serfdom hindered the development of the state and the formation of a new class - the bourgeoisie, which was limited in rights and could not participate in government. Many landowners believed that the liberation of the peasants would give positive result in the development of agriculture. The moral aspect played an equally significant role in the abolition of serfdom - in the middle of the 19th century there was "slavery" in Russia.

Reform preparation

The government's program was outlined in the rescript of Emperor Alexander II on November 20 (December 2) to the Vilna Governor-General V. I. Nazimov. It provided: the destruction of personal dependence peasants while maintaining all the land in the ownership of the landowners; providing peasants a certain amount of land for which they will be required to pay dues or serve corvee, and over time - the right to buy out peasant estates (a residential building and outbuildings). In order to prepare peasant reforms, provincial committees were formed, within which a struggle began for measures and forms of concessions between liberal and reactionary landowners. The fear of an all-Russian peasant revolt forced the government to change the government program peasant reform, whose projects have changed several times in connection with the rise or fall of the peasant movement. In December it was adopted new program peasant reform: granting peasants the possibility of redemption of land allotment and the creation of bodies of peasant public administration. Editorial commissions were created in March to consider the drafts of provincial committees and develop a peasant reform. The project, drawn up by the Editorial Commissions at the end, differed from that proposed by the provincial committees with an increase in land allotments and a decrease in duties. This caused dissatisfaction with the local nobility, and in the project allotments were somewhat reduced and duties increased. This direction in changing the draft was preserved both when it was considered in the Main Committee on Peasant Affairs at the end, and when it was discussed in the State Council at the beginning.

On February 19 (March 3, old style) in St. Petersburg, Alexander II signed the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom and the Regulations on peasants leaving serfdom, which consisted of 17 legislative acts.

The main provisions of the peasant reform

Main act - " General position about the peasants who came out of serfdom "- contained the main conditions of the peasant reform:

peasants received personal freedom and the right to freely dispose of their property;
the landowners retained ownership of all the lands that belonged to them, but they were obliged to provide the peasants with “estates” and a field allotment for use.
For the use of allotment land, the peasants had to serve a corvée or pay dues and did not have the right to refuse it for 9 years.
The size of the field allotment and duties had to be fixed in charter letters of 1861, which were drawn up by the landowners for each estate and verified by peace mediators.
The peasants were given the right to buy out the estate and, by agreement with the landowner, the field plot, before this they were called temporarily liable peasants.
the structure, rights and obligations of the bodies of peasant public administration (rural and volost) courts were also determined.

Four "Local Regulations" determined the size of land plots and duties for their use in 44 provinces of European Russia. From the land that was in the use of the peasants before February 19, 1861, cuts could be made if the per capita allotments of the peasants exceeded top size, established for a given area, or if the landowners, while maintaining the existing peasant allotment, had less than 1/3 of the entire land of the estate.

Allotments could be reduced by special agreements between peasants and landlords, as well as upon receipt of a donation. If the peasants had smaller allotments in use, the landowner was obliged to either cut the missing land or reduce duties. For the highest shower allotment, a quitrent was set from 8 to 12 rubles. per year or corvee - 40 male and 30 female working days per year. If the allotment was less than the highest, then the duties decreased, but not proportionally. The rest of the "Local provisions" basically repeated the "Great Russian", but taking into account the specifics of their regions. The features of the Peasant Reform for certain categories of peasants and specific regions were determined by the “Additional Rules” - “On the arrangement of peasants settled on the estates of small landowners, and on the allowance for these owners”, “On people assigned to private mining plants of the department of the Ministry of Finance”, “On peasants and workers serving work at Perm private mining plants and salt mines”, “About peasants serving work at landowner factories”, “About peasants and courtyard people in the Land of the Don Cossacks”, “About peasants and courtyard people in the Stavropol province”, “ About Peasants and Household People in Siberia”, “About people who came out of serfdom in the Bessarabian region”.

The “Regulations on the arrangement of courtyard people” provided for their release without land, but for 2 years they remained completely dependent on the landowner.

The “Regulations on Redemption” determined the procedure for the redemption of land by peasants from landlords, the organization of the redemption operation, the rights and obligations of peasant owners. The redemption of the field plot depended on an agreement with the landowner, who could oblige the peasants to redeem the land at their request. The price of land was determined by quitrent, capitalized from 6% per annum. In the event of a ransom under a voluntary agreement, the peasants had to make an additional payment to the landowner. The landlord received the main amount from the state, to which the peasants had to repay it for 49 years annually in redemption payments.

"Manifesto" and "Regulations" were promulgated from March 7 to April 2 (in St. Petersburg and Moscow - March 5). Fearing dissatisfaction of the peasants with the terms of the reform, the government took a number of precautionary measures (redeployment of troops, secondment of the imperial retinue to the places, appeal of the Synod, etc.). The peasantry, dissatisfied with the enslaving conditions of the reform, responded to it with mass unrest. The largest of them were the Bezdnensky performance of 1861 and the Kandeev performance of 1861.

The implementation of the Peasant Reform began with the drafting of charters, which was basically completed by the middle of the city. On January 1, 1863, the peasants refused to sign about 60% of the charters. The price of land for redemption significantly exceeded its market value at that time, in some areas by 2-3 times. As a result of this, in a number of regions they were extremely striving to receive donation allotments, and in some provinces (Saratov, Samara, Yekaterinoslav, Voronezh, etc.) a significant number of peasants-gifts appeared.

Under the influence of the Polish uprising of 1863, changes took place in the conditions of the Peasant Reform in Lithuania, Belarus and the Right-Bank Ukraine: the law of 1863 introduced compulsory redemption; redemption payments decreased by 20%; peasants, landless from 1857 to 1861, received their allotments in full, previously landless - partially.

The transition of peasants to ransom lasted for several decades. K remained in a temporary relationship 15%. But in a number of provinces there were still many of them (Kursk 160 thousand, 44%; Nizhny Novgorod 119 thousand, 35%; Tula 114 thousand, 31%; Kostroma 87 thousand, 31%). The transition to redemption was faster in the black-earth provinces, where voluntary transactions prevailed over mandatory redemption. Landowners who had large debts, more often than others, sought to speed up the redemption and conclude voluntary deals.

The abolition of serfdom also affected the appanage peasants, who, by the "Regulations of June 26, 1863", were transferred to the category of peasant proprietors by means of compulsory redemption on the terms of the "Regulations of February 19". On the whole, their cuts were much smaller than those of the landowning peasants.

The law of November 24, 1866 began the reform of the state peasants. They retained all the lands that were in their use. According to the law of June 12, 1886, the state peasants were transferred for redemption.

The peasant reform of 1861 led to the abolition of serfdom in the national outskirts of the Russian Empire.

On October 13, 1864, a decree was issued on the abolition of serfdom in the Tiflis province, a year later it was extended with some changes to the Kutaisi province, and in 1866 to Megrelia. In Abkhazia, serfdom was abolished in 1870, in Svaneti - in 1871. The terms of the reform here retained serfdom survivals to a greater extent than according to the "Regulations of February 19". In Armenia and Azerbaijan, the peasant reform was carried out in 1870-83 and was no less enslaving than in Georgia. In Bessarabia, the bulk of the peasant population was made up of legally free landless peasants - tsarans, who, according to the "Regulations of July 14, 1868", were allocated land for permanent use for service. The redemption of this land was carried out with some derogations on the basis of the "Regulations on Redemption" on February 19, 1861.

Literature

Zakharova L. G. Autocracy and the abolition of serfdom in Russia, 1856-1861. M., 1984.

Links

The most merciful Manifesto of February 19, 1861, On the abolition of serfdom (Christian reading. St. Petersburg, 1861. Part 1). Online Heritage of Holy Russia
Agrarian reforms and the development of the rural economy of Russia - an article by Doctor of Economics Adukova

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Peasant reform of 1861
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See what the "Peasant Reform of 1861" is in other dictionaries:

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PEASANT REFORM- 1861, the main reform of the 1860s and 70s, which abolished serfdom in Russia. Conducted on the basis of the "Regulations" February 19, 1861 (published March 5). Peasants received personal freedom and the right to dispose of their property. The landowners kept ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

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Abolition of serfdom. AT 1861 In Russia, a reform was carried out that abolished serfdom. The main reason for this reform was the crisis of the serf system. In addition, historians consider the inefficiency of the work of serfs as a reason. The economic reasons also include the overdue revolutionary situation as an opportunity to move from the everyday discontent of the peasant class to peasant war. In the context of peasant unrest, especially intensified during Crimean War, government, led by Alexander II, went to the abolition of serfdom

January 3 1857 a new Secret Committee on Peasant Affairs was established, consisting of 11 people 26 July minister of the interior and committee member S. S. Lansky a formal draft of the reform was presented. It was proposed to create noble committees in each province with the right to make their own amendments to the draft.

The government program provided for the destruction of the personal dependence of the peasants while maintaining all the land in the property landowners; providing peasants with a certain amount of land for which they will be required to pay quitrent or serve corvée, and over time - the right to buy out peasant estates (a residential building and outbuildings). Legal dependence was not eliminated immediately, but only after the transition period (12 years).

AT 1858 to prepare peasant reforms, provincial committees were formed, within which a struggle began for measures and forms of concessions between liberal and reactionary landowners. The committees were subordinate to the Main Committee for Peasant Affairs (transformed from the Secret Committee). The fear of an all-Russian peasant revolt forced the government to change the government's program of peasant reform, the drafts of which were repeatedly changed in connection with the rise or fall of the peasant movement.

December 4 1858 a new program of peasant reform was adopted: giving the peasants the opportunity to buy out land allotments and the creation of peasant public administration bodies. The main provisions of the new program were as follows:

getting peasants personal freedom

providing peasants with plots of land (for permanent use) with the right to purchase (specially for this, the government allocates a special credit)

approval of a transitional ("urgently obligated") state

February 19 ( March, 3rd) in 1861 in St. Petersburg, Emperor Alexander II signed the Manifesto " On the most merciful granting to serfs of the rights of the state of free rural inhabitants" and , consisting of 17 legislative acts.

The manifesto was published in Moscow on March 5, 1861, in Forgiveness Sunday in Assumption Cathedral Kremlin after liturgy; at the same time it was published in St. Petersburg and some other cities ; in other places - during March of the same year.

February 19 ( March, 3rd) 1861 Petersburg, Alexander II signed Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom and Regulations on peasants leaving serfdom, consisting of 17 legislative acts. The Manifesto “On the most merciful granting to serfs of the rights of the status of free rural inhabitants” dated February 19, 1861 was accompanied by a number of legislative acts (22 documents in total) concerning the issues of the emancipation of peasants, the conditions for their redemption of landowners' land and the size of redeemed allotments in certain regions of Russia.

Peasant reform of 1861 On February 19, 1861, the emperor approved a number of legislative acts on specific provisions of the peasant reform. Were accepted central and local regulations, which regulated the procedure and conditions for the release of peasants and the transfer of land plots to them. Their main ideas were: the peasants receive personal freedom and before the conclusion of a redemption deal with the landowner, the land was transferred to the use of the peasants.

The allocation of land was carried out by voluntary agreement between the landowner and the peasant: the first could not give a land plot less than the lower norm established by the local regulation, the second could not demand an allotment larger than the maximum norm provided for in the same provision. All land in thirty-four provinces was divided into three categories: non-chernozem, chernozem and steppe.

The shower allotment consisted of a manor and arable land, pastures and wastelands. Land was allocated only to males.

Disputable issues were resolved through the mediation of a mediator. The landowner could demand a forced exchange of peasant allotments if minerals were discovered on their territory or the landowner was going to build canals, piers, and irrigation facilities. It was possible to transfer peasant estates and houses if they were in unacceptable proximity to the landowners' buildings.

Ownership of the land was retained by the landowner until the redemption transaction was completed, the peasants for this period were only users and " temporarily liable " . During this transitional period, the peasants were freed from personal dependence, taxes in kind were canceled for them, the rates of corvee (thirty to forty days a year) and cash dues were reduced.

The temporary state could be terminated after a nine-year period from the date of issue of the manifesto, when the peasant refused to put on. For the rest of the mass of peasants, this provision only lost force in 1883, when they were transferred to the state owners.

The redemption agreement between the landowner and the peasant community was approved by the mediator. The estate could be redeemed at any time, the field allotment - with the consent of the landowner and the entire community. After the approval of the contract, all relations (landlord-peasant) were terminated and the peasants became owners.

The subject of property in most regions was the community, in some areas - the peasant household. In the latter case, the peasants received the right of hereditary disposal of land. Movable property (and immovable property previously acquired by the peasant in the name of the landowner) became the property of the peasant. Peasants received the right to enter into obligations and contracts by acquiring movable and immovable property. The lands granted for use could not serve as collateral for contracts.

Peasants received the right to engage in trade, open enterprises, join guilds, go to court on an equal footing with representatives of other classes, serve, and leave their place of residence.

In 1863 and 1866 the provisions of the reform were extended to appanage and state peasants.

The peasants paid a ransom for the estate and field land. The ransom sum was based not on the actual value of the land, but on the amount of dues that the landowner received before the reform. An annual six percent capitalized quitrent was established, which was equal to the pre-reform annual income (fee) of the landowner. Thus, the redemption operation was based not on the capitalist, but on the former feudal criterion.

The peasants paid twenty-five per cent of the redemption amount in cash upon completion of the redemption transaction, the rest of the amount the landowners received from the treasury (in cash and securities), her peasants had to pay, along with interest, for forty-nine years.

The police fiscal apparatus of the government had to ensure the timeliness of these payments. The Peasants' and Nobles' Banks were formed to lend to the reform.

During the period of "temporary obligation" the peasants remained a legally isolated estate. The peasant community bound its members with a mutual guarantee: it was possible to leave it only by paying off half of the remaining debt and with a guarantee that the community would pay the other half. It was possible to leave the "society" by finding a deputy. The community could decide on the mandatory purchase of land. The gathering permitted family divisions of the land.

Volost gathering decided by a qualified majority questions: on the replacement of communal land use by district, on the division of land into permanently inherited plots, on redistribution, on the removal of its members from the community.

Warden was the actual assistant to the landowner (during the period of temporary existence), could impose fines on the guilty or subject them to arrest.

Volost court was elected for a year and decided minor property disputes or considered for minor misdemeanors.

A wide range of measures was envisaged to be applied to the debtors: taking away income from real estate, giving it to work or guardianship, forced sale of the debtor's movable and immovable property, taking away part or all of the allotment.

The noble nature of the reform manifested itself in many ways: in the procedure for calculating redemption payments, in the procedure for the redemption operation, in privileges when exchanging land plots, etc. When redeeming in the black earth regions, there was a clear tendency to turn the peasants into tenants of their own allotments (the land there was expensive), and in the non-chernozem - a fantastic increase in prices for the redeemed estate.

During the redemption, a certain picture emerged: the smaller the redeemed allotment, the more you had to pay for it. Here, a hidden form of redemption was clearly manifested not of the land, but of the personality of the peasant. The landowner wanted to get from him for his freedom. At the same time, the introduction of the principle of compulsory redemption was a victory of the state interest over the interest of the landowner.

The unfavorable consequences of the reform were the following: a) the allotments of the peasants decreased in comparison with the pre-reform ones, and the payments, in comparison with the old dues, increased; c) the community has actually lost its rights to use forests, meadows and water bodies; c) the peasants remained a separate class.

Peasant reform of 1861

Causes

In 1861, a reform was carried out in Russia that abolished serfdom and marked the beginning of the capitalist formation in the country. The main reason for this reform was: the crisis of the feudal system, peasant unrest, especially intensified during the Crimean War. In addition, serfdom hindered the development of the state and the formation of a new class - the bourgeoisie, which was limited in rights and could not participate in government. Many landowners believed that the emancipation of the peasants would give a positive result in the development of agriculture. An equally significant role in the abolition of serfdom was played by the moral aspect - in the middle of the 19th century, "slavery" existed in Russia.

Reform preparation

The program of the government was outlined in the rescript of Emperor Alexander II on November 20, 1857 to the Vilna Governor-General V. I. Nazimov. It provided:

the destruction of the personal dependence of the peasants while maintaining all the land in the ownership of the landowners;
providing peasants with a certain amount of land, for which they will be required to pay dues or serve corvee, and over time - the right to buy out peasant estates (a residential building and outbuildings).

In 1858, provincial committees were formed to prepare peasant reforms, within which a struggle began for measures and forms of concessions between liberal and reactionary landowners. The fear of an all-Russian peasant revolt forced the government to change the government's program of peasant reform, the drafts of which were repeatedly changed in connection with the rise or fall of the peasant movement.

In December 1858, a new program of peasant reform was adopted: giving the peasants the opportunity to buy out land allotments and creating organs of peasant public administration.

February 19 (March 3, old style) 1861 in St. Petersburg, Alexander II signed the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom and the Regulations on peasants leaving serfdom, which consisted of 17 legislative acts.

The main provisions of the peasant reform

The main act - "The General Regulations on Peasants Who Have Emerged from Serfdom" - contained the main conditions for the peasant reform:

peasants received personal freedom and the right to freely dispose of their property;
the landowners retained ownership of all the lands that belonged to them, but they were obliged to provide the peasants with “estates” and a field allotment for use.

For the use of allotment land, the peasants had to serve a corvée or pay dues and did not have the right to refuse it for 9 years.

The peasants were given the right to buy out the estate and, by agreement with the landowner, the field allotment; until this was done, they were called temporarily liable peasants.

Four "Local Regulations" determined the size of land plots and duties for their use in 44 provinces of European Russia. From the land that was in the use of the peasants before February 19, 1861, cuts could be made if the per capita allotments of the peasants exceeded the highest size established for the given locality, or if the landowners, while maintaining the existing peasant allotment, had less than 1/3 of the entire land of the estate.

Allotments could decrease under special agreements between peasants and landowners, as well as upon receipt of a donation allotment. If the peasants had smaller allotments in use, the landowner was obliged to either cut the missing land or reduce duties. For the highest shower allotment, a quitrent was set from 8 to 12 rubles. per year or corvee - 40 men's and 30 women's working days per year. If the allotment was less than the highest, then the duties decreased, but not proportionally.

The features of the Peasant Reform for certain categories of peasants and specific regions were determined by the “Additional Rules” - “On the arrangement of peasants settled on the estates of small landowners, and on the allowance for these owners”, “On people assigned to private mining plants of the department of the Ministry of Finance”.

"Regulations on the arrangement of courtyard people"provided for their release without land, but for 2 years they remained completely dependent on the landowner.

"Redemption clause"determined the procedure for the redemption of land by peasants from landowners, the organization of the redemption operation, the rights and obligations of peasant owners. The redemption of the field plot depended on an agreement with the landowner, who could oblige the peasants to redeem the land at their request. The price of land was determined by quitrent, capitalized from 6% per annum. In the event of a ransom under a voluntary agreement, the peasants had to make an additional payment to the landowner. The landlord received the main amount from the state, to which the peasants had to repay it for 49 years annually in redemption payments.

The "Manifesto" and "Regulations" were made public from March 7 to April 2. Fearing dissatisfaction of the peasants with the terms of the reform, the government took a number of precautionary measures (redeployment of troops, secondment of the imperial retinue to the places, appeal of the Synod, etc.). The peasantry, dissatisfied with the enslaving conditions of the reform, responded to it with mass unrest.

The editorial committees were closed in October 1860, and from the day they closed, work began immediately on the Main Committee. He worked for two whole months; among its members there were intractable differences, so that Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, who, due to the illness of Prince. Orlov was appointed chairman of the committee just at that moment, he was put in a very difficult position, since on some issues it was not possible to form a majority for a long time. There were few members, only 10 people, and they were divided into three or four groups, and not one of them had an absolute majority.

The main question concerned the methods and norms for allocating land to the peasants. When discussing this issue, a stubborn group was formed under the leadership of M. N. Muravyov, Minister state property, to which the chief of the gendarmes, Prince. V. A. Dolgorukov and, for the most part, the Minister of Finance A. M. Knyazhevich, and in the beginning, the Minister of the Court and Destinies gr. VF Adlerberg, who then, however, lagged behind. This group, which sought to restore the norms of allotments and their assessments drawn up in the provincial committees, seeing that it would not succeed in carrying out its point of view, began to try to transfer the matter to the localities, pointing out that the editorial commissions had changed the resolutions of the provincial committees too much without sufficient grounds. These members urged that only the general principles reforms, indicating that the peasants should be provided with land plots, and in what amount and according to what standards duties should be determined for these plots - this group recognized it as necessary to decide on the ground. Actually, the project that they presented was written by the then rising luminary of the noble party, on which the then "feudal lords" and serfs placed their hopes, P. A. Valuev, who shortly before transferred to the service from the governors to the Ministry of State Property, and then, shortly after the issuance of the Regulations on February 19, appointed by the Minister of the Interior.

But this group in the Main Committee could not muster a majority, and four votes remained on the side of the drafts adopted by the drafting committees; but still there was no absolute majority here either, since the book. P. P. Gagarin, who wanted the landless liberation of the peasants, and c. Panin, who challenged many of the decisions of the editorial commissions, stubbornly held to his opinions. In order to somehow form a majority, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich used extraordinary efforts to persuade Count Panin to his side, who, among other things, disputed the norms of allotments drawn up by editorial commissions in many counties.

Finally, to convince Mr. Panin, a special private conciliation commission was even formed, where Konstantin Nikolayevich invited many members of the former editorial commissions and left them to convince Panin (in the presence of the Grand Duke) of the accuracy of their calculations. In the end, however, they had to make some concessions to Panin, reducing in a number of districts the norms proposed by the editorial commissions - sometimes by a quarter, sometimes by half a dozen - after which Panin abandoned the rest of his objections and agreed to join the majority (five votes to four ).

Thanks to this, finally, an absolute majority was formed in the Main Committee (half + 1), and two months after the start of these sessions, the issue here was resolved relatively successfully, in the sense that the decisions of the editorial commissions did not undergo any fundamental changes.

The sovereign himself was present at the last meeting of the Main Committee, and since all the members of the Council of Ministers who were not members of the Main Committee were present at the same place by special invitation, the sovereign, addressing him and flatteringly commenting on the work of the editorial commissions, indicated that, now postponing the case to the Council of State, he would not allow any delay in its decision, and immediately appointed deadline end of its review on February 15, so that it can be in time for the start of field work. “This,” said Emperor Alexander, “I desire, I demand, I command!”

When the consideration of the case began in the State Council, and the members of the council were given only ten days to familiarize themselves with it, the meetings of the council were opened by Emperor Alexander himself on January 28, 1861. Here, in a long, detailed and extremely energetic speech, he outlined the entire course of the peasant case - and in previous reigns, and especially since the development of the peasant reform began, - confirmed the need for a quick consideration of it in the State Council and said, among other things, addressing the members of the council: “Views on the presented work may be different. Therefore, I will gladly listen to all different opinions, but I have the right to demand one thing from you: that you, putting aside all personal interests, act not as landowners, but as state dignitaries, invested with my confidence. At the same time, he reaffirmed that he demanded that by mid-February the matter be over.

Indeed, by February 17, the members of the State Council managed to complete the consideration of the entire case. The sovereign on each issue immediately gave his resolutions, joining the opinion of the majority or minority. At the same time, he often had to agree with the opinion of 8 against 35 votes in order to support the decision of the editorial commissions. In the end, he supported them on all counts.

By February 17, the case was finally decided. At the same time, only one new proposal was adopted in the State Council, made by Prince P.P. Gagarin, who here continued to support his opposition to the decisions of the editorial commissions, stubbornly standing on the point of view of the landless liberation of the peasants with the granting to the landowners of the right to voluntarily resolve the issue of leaving the peasants with those or other land holdings. In the end, having been defeated on all counts, the prince proposed that the landowners should be given, in those cases when they had an agreement with the peasants about this, to allocate to them instead of the allotment that they use or which is due to them according to approved norms, put on, reduced to one fourth of the highest, or specified, allotment established for a given locality, but on the other hand for nothing without any reward for it. The State Council unanimously agreed to this, and the sovereign approved it. Hence the so-called quarters, or, more commonly, "beggarly""orphans" free allotments. The peasants were often later tempted by the opportunity to receive this, although small, but free allotment, and this, of course, greatly increased the spread of land shortages in many, especially in the steppe, provinces, where there was still a lot of land in 1861 and where the peasants therefore did not particularly value the allotment it belongs to them.

On February 19, 1861, the provisions were signed by the sovereign, which were worked out by the editorial commissions and with relatively minor changes passed through the Main Committee and the State Council, and with them a manifesto was signed, which was drawn up in very solemn terms by the Moscow Metropolitan Filaret. Initially, the manifesto was instructed to write Yu.F. Samarin, but they did not agree with his project, and therefore this project was transferred in the form of material to Filaret, who compiled the final text. Filaret himself was an opponent of liberation in the form in which it was carried out, and took up this work not very willingly.

Monument to Tsar-Liberator Alexander II in Moscow near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

The progress of work in the Main Committee and in the State Council for the consideration of draft regulations developed by editorial commissions is set out in article d. A. Popelnitsky in "Russian Thought" for 1911, No. 2. Compare also information about this in the third volume of foreign "Materials" D. P. Khrushchev, reprinted in part by I. I. Ivanyukova(“The fall of the fortress, rights”, p. 390 et seq.); information given in volume III (part 2) of the book N. P. Semenova"The liberation of the peasants under the imp. Alexander II”, p. 749 and next, and in “Materials for the biography of the book. V. A. Cherkassky, vol. I, part 2. M., 1903, pp. 214 et seq., as well as in the notes of gr. P. A. Valuev.

Serfdom existed in Russia much longer than in other countries. European states, and over time acquired forms that could actually identify it with slavery.

The development of bills on the abolition or liberalization of serfdom was carried out as early as the beginning of the 19th century. However, a number historical events, in particular Patriotic War and the uprising of the Decembrists, somewhat suspended this process.

Only Alexander II returned to the issues of reforming the peasant sphere in the second half of the 19th century.

Development of the peasant reform

The new Russian tsar, already in the first years of his reign, faced a growing socio-economic crisis, which could only be averted by the abolition of serfdom. In 1858, a special committee was set up by the emperor to develop a reform.

For two years, members of the committee collected information around the country about the real situation of the landlord peasants. Based on the data obtained in 1860, the active training manifesto for the emancipation of the serfs.

The beginning of reformism caused conflicting attitudes in society: part of the nobility and landlords were actually deprived of the main source of their income and actively impeded the peasant reform.

The enlightened aristocracy, the merchants and the working class, on the contrary, supported the policy of the emperor. Famous public figures and philosophers Herzen, Ogarev, Dobrolyubov, Chernyshevsky advocated for the reform.

Implementation and results of the reform

The people are liberated, but are the people happy?
Nikolai Nekrasov

On February 19, 1861, Alexander II solemnly signed the Manifesto, which granted personal freedom to all peasants dependent on the landlords. The manifesto included 17 laws that regulated the property, economic, social and political rights of the former serfs.

The freedom granted to the peasants in the first few years was to be purely nominal, people were obliged to work for a certain period of time (not clearly regulated by law) for the landowner in order to obtain the right to use the land plot.

For peasants with money (which represented isolated cases), they were given the opportunity to buy from the landowner right amount earth. Sometimes the land for the peasants was redeemed by the state, in which case they were obliged to pay an annual quitrent to the state treasury.

Former serfs, despite the fact that they received freedom, were drawn into a new dependence, from which many were unable to free themselves. Some peasants who had small cash left the village and started looking better life in industrial cities.

Many peasants managed to earn the required amount of money and emigrate to Canada, where land was provided to the settlers free of charge. Peasants who retained the desire to engage in agriculture already in the spring of 1861, anti-government protests were organized.

The unrest continued until 1864, then abruptly subsided. Historical meaning peasant reform. The reform played a significant role in the social and economic development of the state, and also contributed to the strengthening of positions in the international arena.