Abolition of Serfdom in Russia: 1762-1907

It was in February 1861 that Tsar Alexander II issued the statutes abolishing the institution of serfdom in Russia. The procedures set in motion by Alexander II in time undid the ties that bound 22 million serfs and 100,000 noble estate owners. Rather than presenting abolition as an 'event' that happened in February 1861, The Abolition of Serfdom in Russia presents the reform as a process. It traces the origins of the abolition of serfdom back to reforms in related areas in 1762 and forward to the culmination of the process in 1907. Written in an engaging and accessible manner, the book provides : bull; bull;an up-to-date interpretation of this important development in Russian history, drawing on recent research by Russian and Western historians a document section containing selections from sources previously unavailable in English translation a glossary of specialist terms, a chronology of the main events, a who's who identifying the main people and a guide to further reading The Abolition of Serfdom in Russia shows how the reform process linked the old social, economic and political order of eighteenth-century Russia with the radical transformations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that culminated in revolution in 1917. It will be invaluable for students and teachers of courses on the history of Russia, Europe and rural societies. David Moon is Reader in Modern History at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

List of Table and Map.

Introduction to the Series.

Note on Translations.

Author's Acknowledgements.

Publisher's Acknowledgements.

Chronology.

Map.

I. BACKGROUND.

1. Introduction.
Historians and the Abolition of Serfdom.
The Structure of the Book.

II. ANALYSIS.

2. Serfdom In The Russian Empire.
The Russian State, the Nobility and Serfdom.
Serfdom in the Western Borderlands of the Russian Empire.
Noble Estates and the Peasant Villanges.
Conclusion.

3. A Crisis Of Serfdom?
An Economic Crisis?
'The Peasant Movement.'
Conclusion.

4. Further Causes Of Reform And Abolition.
Humanitarian Considerations.
State Interests.
Relations between the State and Nobility.
The Decembrist Revolt.
Conclusion.

5. Rural Reforms, 1762-1855.
Catherine the Great, the Nobility and Serfdom.
Protection.
Limited Reforms of Serfdom in Russia, 1801-48.
Reforms of Serfdom in the Western Borderlands.
Reforms of the Appanage and State Peasants.
Conclusion.

6. Military Reform And The Crimean War.
The Need for Military Reform.
Military Settlements.
Indefinite Leave and the Creation of Reserves.
The Crimean War, 1853-56.
From Defeat to Reform.
Conclusion.

7. Preparing To Abolish Serfdom, 1856-61.
Tentative First Steps.
The Government's First Programme.
The Provincial Committees of Noble Estate Owners.
The Government's Second Programme.
The Editing Commissions.
Final Hurdles.

8. The Terms of The Abolition Of Serfdom.
The Statues on the Abolition of Serfdom.
The Two-Year Transitional Period.
Temporary Obligation.
The Redemption Operation.
The Proclamation on the Abolition of Serfdom.
Conclusion.

9. Responses And Implementation, 1861-63.
The Tsar, his Brother and the Government.
The Intelligentsia.
The Nobility.
The Peasantry.
Implementation.
Popular Monarchism.
Conclusion.

10. The Reform Process, 1863-1907.
Temporary Obligation.
The Redemption Operation.
The End of the Reform Process.
Comparisons.
Conclusion.

11. The Impact Of The Abolition Of Serfdom.
The Wider Context.
Estate Owner-Peasant Relations.
Peasant Agriculture.
Peasant Living Standards.
The Position of the Nobility.
Public Opinion.
Conclusion.

III. CONCLUSIONS AND ASSESSMENTS.

12. Abolition and Aftermath.

IV. DOCUMENTS.

Glossary.

Who's Who.

Guide to Further Reading.

Bibliography.

Index.

What is included with this book?

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Abolition of Serfdom in Russia: 1762-1907

Summary

Table of Contents

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