Stolypin's reforms. Briefly

Stolypin carried out his reforms from 1906, when he was appointed prime minister until his death on September 5, which came from the bullets of assassins.

agrarian reform

In short, the main goal of Stolypin's agrarian reform was to create a wide stratum of wealthy peasants. In contrast to the 1861 reform, the emphasis was on the sole proprietor rather than the community. The former, communal form fettered the initiative of the hard-working peasants, but now, freed from the community and not looking back at the "wretched and drunk", they could dramatically increase the efficiency of their management. The law of 06/14/1910 stated that from now on, "every householder who owns allotment land on a communal basis may at any time demand the strengthening of his personal property, the part due to him from the designated land." Stolypin believed that the prosperous peasantry would become a real pillar of the autocracy. An important part of the Stolypin agrarian reform was the activity of the credit bank. This institution sold land to peasants on credit, either state-owned or purchased from landlords. Moreover, the interest rate on a loan for independent peasants was half that for communities. Through a credit bank, the peasants acquired in 1905-1914. about 9 and a half million hectares of land. However, at the same time, measures against non-payers were tough: the land was taken from them and again went on sale. Thus, the reforms not only made it possible to acquire land, but also encouraged them to actively work on it. Another important part of Stolypin's reform was the resettlement of peasants on free lands. The bill prepared by the government provided for the transfer of state lands in Siberia to private hands without redemption. However, there were also difficulties: there were not enough funds or land surveyors to carry out land management work. But despite this, migration to Siberia, as well as the Far East, Central Asia and the North Caucasus, was gaining momentum. The move was free, and specially equipped "Stolypin" cars made it possible to transport livestock by rail. The state tried to equip life in the places of resettlement: schools, medical centers, etc. were built.

Zemstvo

Being a supporter of zemstvo administration, Stolypin extended zemstvo institutions to some provinces where they did not exist before. It has not always been politically easy. For example, the implementation of the Zemstvo reform in the western provinces, historically dependent on the gentry, was approved by the Duma, which supported the improvement of the situation of the Belarusian and Russian population, which constituted the majority in these territories, but met with a sharp rebuff in the State Council, which supported the gentry.

Industry reform

The main stage in resolving the labor issue during the years of Stolypin's premiership was the work of the Special Meeting in 1906 and 1907, which prepared ten bills that affected the main aspects of labor in industrial enterprises. These were questions about the rules for hiring workers, accident and illness insurance, hours of work, and so on. Unfortunately, the positions of industrialists and workers (as well as those who incited the latter to disobedience and rebellion) were too far apart and the compromises found did not suit either one or the other (which was readily used by all kinds of revolutionaries).

national question

Stolypin was well aware of the importance of this issue in such a multinational country as Russia. He was a supporter of the unification, and not the disunity of the peoples of the country. He suggested creating a special ministry of nationalities, which would study the characteristics of each nation: history, traditions, culture, social life, religion, etc. - so that they would flow into our huge state with the greatest mutual benefit. Stolypin believed that all peoples should have equal rights and duties and be loyal to Russia. Also, the task of the new ministry was to be counteracting the internal and external enemies of the country, who sought to sow ethnic and religious discord.

Agrarian transformation (briefly - Stolypin's reform) is a generalized name for a whole range of activities that have been carried out in the field of agriculture since 1906. These changes were led by P. A. Stolypin. The main goal of all activities was to create conditions for attracting peasants to work on their land.

In the past, the system of such transformations (the reforms of P. A. Stolypin - briefly) was criticized in every possible way, today it is customary to praise it. At the same time, no one wants to fully understand it. It should also not be forgotten that Stolypin himself was not the author of the agrarian reform, it was only part of the general system of reforms conceived by him.

Stolypin as Minister of the Interior

The relatively young Stolypin came to power without much struggle and labor. His candidacy was nominated in 1905 by Prince A. D. Obolensky, who was his relative and chief prosecutor of the Synod. The opponent of this candidacy was S. Yu. Witte, who saw another person as the Minister of the Interior.

Having come to power, Stolypin failed to change the attitude of the Cabinet of Ministers. Many officials never became his like-minded people. For example, V. N. Kakovo, who held the post of Minister of Finance, was very skeptical about Stolypin's ideas regarding the solution of the agrarian issue - he spared money for this.

In order to protect himself and his family, Stolypin, at the suggestion of the tsar, moved to the Winter Palace, which was reliably guarded.

The most difficult decision for him was the adoption of a decree on courts-martial. He later admitted that he was forced to bear this "heavy cross" against his own will. Stolypin's reforms are described below (briefly).

General description of the modernization program

When the peasant movement began to decline by the autumn of 1906, the government announced its plans regarding the agrarian issue. The so-called Stolypin program began with a decree dated 09.11.1906. Stolypin's agrarian reform followed, briefly described in the article.

While still the governor of Saratov, the future minister wanted to organize assistance for the creation of strong individual farms for peasants on the basis of state lands. Such actions were supposed to show the peasants a new path and encourage them to abandon communal land ownership.

Another official, V. I. Gurko, developed a project whose goal was to create farms on peasant lands, and not on state lands. The difference was significant. But even this Gurko considered not the most important. Its main goal was to secure allotment land in the ownership of the peasants. According to this plan, any member of the peasant community could take away his allotment, and no one had the right to reduce or change it. This would allow the government to split the community. The Stolypin reform (briefly - agrarian) was required by the unfavorable situation in the empire.

The situation in the country on the eve of the reform

In 1905-1907, as part of the revolution, peasant unrest took place in Russia. Together with problems within the country in 1905, Russia lost the war with Japan. All this spoke of serious problems that needed to be addressed.

At the same time, the State Duma begins its work. She gave the go-ahead to the reforms of Witte and Stolypin (briefly - agrarian).

Directions

The transformations were supposed to create strong economic allotments and destroy the collective ownership of land, which hampered further development. It was necessary to eradicate obsolete class restrictions, to encourage the purchase of land from landowners, to increase the turnover for running one's own economy through lending.

Stolypin's agrarian reform, which is briefly described in the article, was aimed at improving allotment land ownership and practically did not concern private property.

Main stages of modernization

By May 1906, a congress of noble societies was held, at which D. I. Pestrzhetsky made a report. He was one of the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who was developing an agricultural project. His report criticized possible land transformations. It stated that throughout the country the peasants had no problems with a lack of land, and the nobles had no reason to alienate it. Some cases of land shortage were proposed to be solved by buying allotments through a bank and resettlement to the outskirts of the country.

The report caused ambiguous judgments of the nobles on this matter. The views on the reforms of Witte and Stolypin (briefly - agrarian reform) were just as ambiguous. There were also those (Count D. A. Olsufiev) who offered to compromise with the peasants. This meant selling them land, keeping the bulk of it. But such reasoning did not meet with support or even sympathy from the majority of those present.

The only thing on which almost everyone at the congress was unanimous was the negative attitude towards the communities. K. N. Grimm, V. L. Kushelev, A. P. Urusov and others attacked the peasant communities. Regarding them, the phrase was heard that "this is a swamp in which everything that could be in the open gets stuck." The nobles believed that for the benefit of the peasants, the community must be destroyed.

Those who tried to raise the question of the alienation of landowners' lands received no support. Back in 1905, when the manager of land management, N.N. Kutler, suggested that the tsar solve the problem of the lack of land for the peasants in this way, the ruler refused him and dismissed him.

Stolypin was also not an adherent of the forced expropriation of land, believing that everything goes on as usual. Some of the nobles, fearing a revolution, sold their land to the Peasant Bank, which divided it into small plots and sold it to those peasants who were cramped in the community. This was the main point of Stolypin's reform briefly.

During 1905-1907, the bank bought more than 2.5 million acres of land from the landowners. However, the peasants, fearing the liquidation of private land ownership, practically did not make land purchases. During this time, only 170 thousand acres were sold by the bank. The activities of the bank caused discontent among the nobles. Further, land sales began to increase. The reform began to bear fruit only after 1911.

The results of Stolypin's reforms

Briefly statistics on the results of the agrarian reform:

  • more than 6 million households have filed an application for fixing allotments in private ownership;
  • by the February Revolution, about 30% of the land was transferred to the ownership of peasants and partnerships;
  • with the help of the mediation of the Peasants' Bank, the peasants acquired 9.6 million acres;
  • landlord farms lost their significance as a mass phenomenon; by 1916, almost all land sowings were peasants.

Early 20th century in Russia heyday of anarchy, terror, popular unrest. The empire demanded decisive steps and immediate action from statesmen. Significant transformations took place, Stolypin's reforms became widely known - let us briefly dwell on his main undertakings. After the dissolution of the first Duma, the government was headed by a man who was ready to change the situation. What was the essence of Stolypin's agrarian reform.

In contact with

Initial stages of activity

Stolypin Petr Arkadyevich (1862-1911) - comes from a noble family. Graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the St. Petersburg Imperial University. He entered the service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he worked for 3 years. Moved to the Department of Rural Industry and Agriculture. Since 1902, he served as governor of the Grodno province. A year later, he was transferred to the post of governor of the Saratov province. Grodno formed the main principles of the Stolypin agrarian reform.

Occupying high positions, Pyotr Arkadievich devoted most of his time and energy to solving the problems of educating peasants and farming. This caused irritation and misunderstanding among many contemporaries. He was a fierce opponent. During the rallies, which resulted in the Civil War of 1905 - 1907, he took to the streets, spoke to the rebels.

Important! Stolypin's methods of government led to a sharp reduction in the uprisings in Saratov.

The efforts and talent of the steward attracted the attention of Nicholas II. In 1906, the emperor appointed the Saratov governor Minister of the Interior. Soon he becomes chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire.

These events determine the initial period of the first measures of agrarian reform: October 9, 1906, the day the decree was issued on the free exit of peasants from landlord farms, went down in history.

In new positions, Pyotr Stolypin unfolds a tough policy of combating crime and terrorism.

In the midst of the revolution, he proposes a number of bills, but speaks of the need to calm the unrest before the reforms begin.

Entrepreneurship development

In the economy, attempts were made to give freedom to enterprising peasants, and a large role in the implementation of this undertaking was played by agrarian reform Stolypin.

Prerequisites

The basis for the transformation of the state was the economic and political situation that developed at the beginning of the 20th century. High-ranking officials saw Russia's development paths too differently. After the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, the crisis reached a critical point. One-time uprisings turned into massive revolutionary movement. It interfered. It was necessary to urgently carry out a number of economic, administrative, legal, agrarian reforms in the country, which became the main task of Pyotr Stolypin.

There were a number of problems:

  • remnants of relations between landowners and peasants have been preserved;
  • workers' dissatisfaction with working and leisure conditions grew;
  • demanded a solution to the national question;
  • most of the peasants were illiterate;
  • general anarchy reigned within the country;
  • violent extremist organizations have become active.

All reforms pursued one goal - gradually make Russia a powerful power, and the agrarian revolution was supposed to help in this. He made the increase in the number of prosperous peasants in the territory of the state the main tool for implementing his plan.

Solving the land issue

In the countryside, a rather difficult situation has developed in the agricultural sector, which could not but cause concern for the government of the country:

  • the complete decline of agriculture in the countryside;
  • total poverty of the population;
  • a decrease in the number of peasant lands, as some peasants lost their allotments;
  • the peasant communities denied the landlords' property rights to the land.

After the community became the key form of peasant self-government. The land belonged to the community, and allotments were provided to peasant families. In fact, these were landed estates of landlords. The owner of the dress could be changed if he lost his solvency. Human relations within societies prevailed, the redistribution of land took place by agreement. But the idea that today I am the owner of the land, and tomorrow - someone else, did not leave the farmers. This caused growing discontent.

At the turn of the century, the birth rate increased sharply, especially among rural residents. Between 1861 and 1913 the population of the state increased by 2.5 times. The peasants needed land more and more, and there was less and less of it. On average, in the Russian Empire, by 1900, the provision of allotments was halved. Along with the reduction of land holdings per capita, the number of households increased. By 1905, this figure had increased by 3.5 million. Attempts by the authorities to deal with family divisions did not bring positive results.

The economic reforms that took place under Alexander II involved several investment programs.

Most people chose the minimum package. It included free donation, in the amount of ¼ of the standard and could not provide for his family. Inequality worsened. Successful peasants bought up landowners' lands.

Insufficient land and lack of property rights were the main reasons for the aggravation of conflicts. This formed the basis of the goals that the agrarian reform of Stolypin, who then held the post of prime minister, was designed to achieve.

The situation was complicated by the phenomenon of striped land - the plots of landlords and peasants were on the same field across the strip. There was no proper distribution of sowing, forest, meadow areas.

The essence of change in agriculture

The agrarian policy of Pyotr Stolypin pursued two main goals:

  1. Short-term - the cessation of unrest that arose due to land conflicts.
  2. Long-term - stable development of the peasantry and agriculture.

Their achievement involved a set of measures:

  • major event - transfer of ownership of land individual householders;
  • eradication of vestiges of class relations within communities;
  • development of a credit system;
  • preferential resale of purchased landowners' farms and lands;
  • development of educational, consulting agronomic programs;
  • support for peasant associations and cooperatives.

There are also more specific goals of agrarian reform:

  • preservation of the landlord economy;
  • addressing the issue of lack of land;
  • the eradication of the herd feeling of farmers;
  • instilling a sense of ownership in farmers;
  • creation of a solid foundation of supreme power in the countryside;
  • increase in the rate of development of agricultural production.

Collectives of communities formed turmoil. It was necessary to get rid of them. The prime minister hoped for an improvement in the condition of the peasants. He talked about the power that is at the bottom of society, tried to support the autocracy.

Stolypin's agrarian reform did not apply to Bashkir and Cossack land holdings.

The reform made it possible for anyone who wished to leave the community. A person applied, and the land was assigned to him. Given the population of European Russia, land areas were allocated in Siberia.

Of the 3.5 million peasants who wished to move, about five hundred thousand refused, due to the difficulty of developing a new space. Peak activity of petitions occurred in 1909-1910, then went into decline.

What has been done

What were the results of Stolypin's agrarian reform. The easiest way to get acquainted with the data of 1916:

  • more than 6 million households declared their desire to acquire land as property;
  • almost 1.5 million people became sole proprietors;
  • 8.1% of the area (9.65 million acres) was added to the total size of allotments;
  • 25.2 million acres were issued;
  • peasant holdings accounted for 89.3% of the land and 94% livestock; the need for large-scale landlord lands disappeared.

This is an important transformation organized by Peter Arkadyevich. But it failed. The author hoped for a comprehensive implementation of the reform, spoke of the need to maintain calm within the country. These two factors in twenty years could have a positive impact on the development of the state. The ill-conceived employment of the peasants who moved to the city also played a role. Stolypin's agrarian reform was suspended by a decree of the Provisional Government of June 28 (July 11, new style), 1917.

Other changes

The measures of the Stolypin reform, in short, assumed complete transformation of the state touched absolutely all spheres of life.

Local government

Part of the western provinces was governed by volost gatherings, so Stolypin's activities in this direction are determined as an attempt to introduce zemstvo institutions. This would help the regions realize their agricultural potential.

Like all the reforms that Stolypin tried to carry out, this bill found its opponents and supporters. But most importantly - it was against the law.

The Poles who inhabited the Kyiv, Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Podolsk provinces could not be allowed to power. On this basis, the State Council rejected the initiative.

Countering terrorism

The reasons for resorting to the Stolypin reforms of the judicial process were weighty - mass terrorist attacks, robberies, robberies. On August 12, 1906, terrorists attacked the dacha of Pyotr Arkadyevich. His children and about a hundred other people suffered, 30 of whom died. The emperor introduces a regulation on courts-martial. They were given the right to consider cases as soon as possible. Two days were allocated for trials, 24 hours for bringing the sentence into effect. The Prime Minister determined innovation as a necessity in the current situation.

Power structures and legal proceedings

Bill " On the transformation of the local court” included a number of measures to reduce the cost and accessibility of services for the population. The goal was to revive the magistrates' courts. Emphasis was placed on the independence of the authority from the volost, peasant, zemstvo authorities. It was an attempt to exclude legal proceedings from random decisions, to lead to a rationalization of the process. It was proposed to introduce the responsibility of high-ranking officials for illegal actions and bureaucracy, determine the rights of the person under investigation.

Reform measures that Stolypin managed to carry out.

Table 1

the date Economic reforms
19.08.06 Anti-terror law comes into force
August 1906 Empowering the Peasants' Bank to resell lands
05.10.06 The rights of peasants and other estates are partially equalized
14 — 15.10.06 Launch of a broad lending system
9.11.06 Decree on free exit from the community
December 1907 Accelerating the resettlement of peasants to and in Siberia, through incentives
10.04.08 Introduction of a compulsory primary education program
31.05.09 Adoption of the law on the Russification of Finland
14.06.10 Expansion of opportunities to get out of the landed estates
14.03.11 The emergence of zemstvos in the western provinces

Stolypin carried out his reforms from 1906, when he was appointed prime minister until his death on September 5, which came from the bullets of assassins.

agrarian reform

In short, the main goal of Stolypin's agrarian reform was to create a wide stratum of wealthy peasants. In contrast to the 1861 reform, the emphasis was on the sole proprietor rather than the community. The former, communal form fettered the initiative of the hard-working peasants, but now, freed from the community and not looking back at the "wretched and drunk", they could dramatically increase the efficiency of their management. The law of 06/14/1910 stated that from now on, "every householder who owns allotment land on a communal basis may at any time demand the strengthening of his personal property, the part due to him from the designated land." Stolypin believed that the prosperous peasantry would become a real pillar of the autocracy. An important part of the Stolypin agrarian reform was the activity of the credit bank. This institution sold land to peasants on credit, either state-owned or purchased from landlords. Moreover, the interest rate on a loan for independent peasants was half that for communities. Through a credit bank, the peasants acquired in 1905-1914. about 9 and a half million hectares of land. However, at the same time, measures against non-payers were tough: the land was taken from them and again went on sale. Thus, the reforms not only made it possible to acquire land, but also encouraged them to actively work on it. Another important part of Stolypin's reform was the resettlement of peasants on free lands. The bill prepared by the government provided for the transfer of state lands in Siberia to private hands without redemption. However, there were also difficulties: there were not enough funds or land surveyors to carry out land management work. But despite this, migration to Siberia, as well as the Far East, Central Asia and the North Caucasus, was gaining momentum. The move was free, and specially equipped "Stolypin" cars made it possible to transport livestock by rail. The state tried to equip life in the places of resettlement: schools, medical centers, etc. were built.

Zemstvo

Being a supporter of zemstvo administration, Stolypin extended zemstvo institutions to some provinces where they did not exist before. It has not always been politically easy. For example, the implementation of the Zemstvo reform in the western provinces, historically dependent on the gentry, was approved by the Duma, which supported the improvement of the situation of the Belarusian and Russian population, which constituted the majority in these territories, but met with a sharp rebuff in the State Council, which supported the gentry.



Industry reform

The main stage in resolving the labor issue during the years of Stolypin's premiership was the work of the Special Meeting in 1906 and 1907, which prepared ten bills that affected the main aspects of labor in industrial enterprises. These were questions about the rules for hiring workers, accident and illness insurance, hours of work, and so on. Unfortunately, the positions of industrialists and workers (as well as those who incited the latter to disobedience and rebellion) were too far apart and the compromises found did not suit either one or the other (which was readily used by all kinds of revolutionaries).

national question

Stolypin was well aware of the importance of this issue in such a multinational country as Russia. He was a supporter of the unification, and not the disunity of the peoples of the country. He suggested creating a special ministry of nationalities, which would study the characteristics of each nation: history, traditions, culture, social life, religion, etc. - so that they would flow into our huge state with the greatest mutual benefit. Stolypin believed that all peoples should have equal rights and duties and be loyal to Russia. Also, the task of the new ministry was to be counteracting the internal and external enemies of the country, who sought to sow ethnic and religious discord.

Speaking in the Second State Duma on May 10, 1907, Russian Prime Minister P. A. Stolypin ended his speech on the agrarian issue with a policy statement: “The opponents of statehood would like to choose the path of radicalism, the path of liberation from the historical past of Russia, liberation from cultural traditions. They need great upheavals, we need Great Russia!” Less than a month later, on June 3, 1907, the Second Duma was dissolved, and a new electoral law was adopted, which increased the representation of right-wing and center parties. The Third State Duma, elected under this law, showed great readiness to cooperate with the executive branch. The ability to rely on two majorities - the Left-Octobrist (Octobrists and Cadets) and the Right-Octobrists (Octobrists and Monarchists) - allowed Stolypin's government until 1910-1911. pursue a very consistent policy. The current system of power is often called the June 3rd monarchy.



Stolypin proposed a program that combined the following areas: ensuring social stability and law and order (including the use of emergency police measures, the establishment of courts-martial, etc.); carrying out agrarian reform; measures to encourage industrial growth; transformations in the political and social spheres (improving the life of workers, establishing personal immunity, recognizing the right of workers to participate in strikes, tax reform, etc.). The goal was to modernize the economy, social and political system of Russia while maintaining the monarchy, state integrity, and inviolability of property rights.

The central direction of domestic policy was agrarian reform. Peasant land shortages, generally primitive agricultural technology, low quality indicators of agricultural production, a high level of discontent and social tension, lack of money, the preservation of a semi-subsistence economy - all this is the revolution of 1905-1907. made clear. The revolutionary parties (Socialist-Revolutionaries) proposed to abolish landownership and distribute land on an equal footing among the peasants. The extreme rightists demanded that the status quo be preserved and limited to harsh measures to pacify the peasants. Stolypin's government, relying on a project developed at the beginning of the 20th century. S. Yu. Witte, chose his own course of reforms (decree of November 6, 1906 and law of July 14, 1910).

His idea was to stimulate the development of agrarian entrepreneurship, the market, create farms, strengthen the layer of small and medium-sized owners, improve the welfare of the Russian village, and reduce social tension. Stolypin strongly opposed the taking of land from the landowners: "The nationalization of the land seems disastrous for the country." He relied on the prosperous, hardworking, independent peasantry: "We must give him the opportunity to strengthen the fruits of his labors and give them inalienable property."

The peasants received permission to leave the community together with the land, to unite separate strips of their allotment in one place (cut), transfer their yard (farm) to it, buy land, and expand their economy. The land ceased to be communal and turned into the personal property of the peasants.

The government, through the Peasant Bank, provided financial assistance to peasants leaving the community to purchase land from landlords who wanted to sell it.

The government encouraged the resettlement of peasants from overpopulated Central Russia to Siberia, Central Asia, and the Far East. All class restrictions for peasants were abolished.

The results of the reform cause controversy among contemporaries and historians. On the one hand, impressive results were achieved: more than 25% of the peasants left the community, more than 15% of the allotment land became their personal property, the peasants bought almost 10 million acres of land from the landlords, strong farming-type farming emerged, the productivity of agriculture increased significantly, the use of machines has increased several times. On the other hand, the resettlement policy did not bring the expected results: many of the settlers, having encountered insurmountable difficulties, returned to their native places, and the overpopulation of the central provinces persisted. Painful was the reaction of many peasants to attempts to introduce entrepreneurial principles into the rural environment and minimize the importance of communal traditions. Arson, damage to inventory and property of the kulaks who left the community reflected the discontent of very significant sections of the peasantry. At the same time, the idea of ​​"black redistribution" did not disappear from the mass consciousness. Both the poor and the rich dreamed of the landowner's land.

The agrarian reform was not completed. Stolypin talked about the twenty years needed to carry it out. But on September 1, 1911. the prime minister was killed by a terrorist. August 1, 1914 Russia entered the First World War. In February 1917, the monarchy fell, and the Provisional Government announced its rejection of the Stolypin reform.

The life of an outstanding reformer was tragic: the left stigmatized him for his "Stolypin ties" and military courts, the right accused him of betraying the interests of the monarchy. With the assassination of Stolypin, the government actually abandoned attempts to modernize the country. Stormy industrial boom 1909-1913 by the beginning of the war had exhausted itself, which went in 1907-1910. the decline of the revolutionary movement has acquired a new dynamic, elected in 1912, the IV State Duma, opposition sentiment prevailed. The war revealed the fragility of the successes achieved.

Bibliography:

1. N. Werth "History of the Soviet State" Moscow "Progress" 1992
2. I. D. Kovalchenko "Stolypin agrarian reform"; "History of the USSR" Moscow 1992
3. I. V. Ostrovsky "P. A. Stolypin and his time" Novosibirsk 1992
4. M. Rumyantsev "Stolypin agrarian reform: prerequisites, tasks and results"; "Questions of Economics" No. 10 Moscow 1990
5. Collection of speeches "Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin"; "We need a great Russia" Moscow "Young Guard" 1990

Synopsis on the history of Russia

P.A. Stolypin(1862-1911). In 1906-1911. Stolypin - Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of the Interior. Principles of activity: appeasement and reforms, - "Give the state 20 years of internal and external peace, and you will not recognize today's Russia", "You need great upheavals, but we need great Russia." Made a bet on the bottoms. Neither the government nor the court understood Stolypin. In 1911, he was killed at a performance in the Kyiv opera, where the sovereign was (the killer is Bagrov: the son of a lawyer, landowner; he was associated with the Social Democrats, Socialist-Revolutionaries, anarcho-communists, but worked for the secret police; he was hanged).

Reform of 1861- the first stage of the transition to the individualization of land ownership and land use. But the abolition of serfdom did not lead to the progress of private property. In the 1980s and 1990s, the government sought to plant communal structures in the countryside, which, in the future, contradicted free peasant property. The reforms initiated by P.A. Stolypin could overcome these difficulties. His concept offered a way for the development of a mixed, multi-structural economy, where state forms of economy had to compete with collective and private ones.

Elements of his program- the transition to farms, the use of cooperation, the development of land reclamation, the introduction of a three-stage agricultural education, the organization of cheap credit for the peasants, the formation of an agricultural party that would really represent the interests of the small landowner.

Stolypin puts forward a liberal doctrine of the management of the rural community, the development of private property in the countryside and the achievement, on this basis, of economic growth. With the progress of the market-oriented peasant economy of the farm type, in the course of the development of land purchase and sale relations, a natural reduction in the landowner's land fund should have occurred. The future agrarian system of Russia was presented to the prime minister in the form of a system of small and medium-sized farms, united by local self-governing and not numerous in size noble estates. On this basis, the integration of two cultures - noble and peasant - was to take place.

Stolypin stakes on "strong and strong" peasants. However, it does not require universal uniformity, unification of forms of land tenure and land use. Where, due to local conditions, the community is economically viable, "it is necessary for the peasant himself to choose the method of using the land that most suits him."

The agrarian reform consisted of a complex of successively carried out and interconnected measures.

Peasant bank.

On a grand scale, the Bank carried out the purchase of lands with their subsequent resale to peasants on preferential terms, intermediary operations to increase peasant land use. He increased credit to the peasants and significantly reduced its cost, and the bank paid a higher interest on its obligations than the peasants paid it. The difference in payment was covered by subsidies from the budget.

The bank actively influenced the forms of land ownership: for peasants who acquired land as sole property, payments were reduced. As a result, if until 1906 the bulk of the buyers of land were peasant collectives, then by 1913 79.7% of the buyers were individual peasants.

The destruction of the community and the development of private property.

For the transition to new economic relations, a whole system of economic and legal measures was developed to regulate the agrarian economy. The Decree of November 9, 1906 proclaimed the predominance of the fact of sole ownership of land over the legal right to use it. The peasants could now allocate the land that was in actual use from the community, regardless of its will.

Measures were taken to ensure the strength and stability of working peasant farms. So, in order to avoid land speculation and concentration of property, the maximum size of individual land ownership was limited by law, and the sale of land to non-peasants was allowed.

The law of June 5, 1912 allowed the issuance of a loan secured by any allotment land acquired by peasants. The development of various forms of credit: mortgage, reclamation, agricultural, land management - contributed to the intensification of market relations in the countryside.

In 1907 - 1915. 25% of households declared about separation from the community, but 20% - 2008.4 thousand households actually separated. New forms of land tenure became widespread: farms and cuts. As of January 1, 1916, there were already 1221.5 thousand of them. In addition, the law of June 14, 1910 considered it unnecessary for many peasants to leave the community, who were only formally considered community members. The number of such households amounted to about one third of all communal households.

Resettlement of peasants in Siberia.

By decree of March 10, 1906, the right to resettle peasants was granted to everyone without restrictions. The government allocated considerable funds for the costs of settling settlers in new places, for their medical care and public needs, for laying roads. In 1906-1913, 2792.8 thousand people moved beyond the Urals. The scale of this event also led to difficulties in its implementation. The number of peasants who failed to adapt to new conditions and were forced to return was 12% of the total number of migrants.

The results of the resettlement campaign were as follows. First, during this period, a huge leap was made in the economic and social development of Siberia. The population of this region increased by 153% during the years of colonization. If before resettlement to Siberia there was a reduction in sown areas, then in 1906-1913 they were expanded by 80%, while in the European part of Russia by 6.2%. In terms of the rate of development of animal husbandry, Siberia also overtook the European part of Russia.

cooperative movement.

The loans of the peasant bank could not fully satisfy the demand of the peasant for money goods. Therefore, credit cooperation, which has gone through two stages in its movement, has received significant distribution. At the first stage, administrative forms of regulation of small credit relations prevailed. By creating a qualified cadre of small credit inspectors, and by allocating substantial loans through state banks for initial loans to credit partnerships and for subsequent loans, the government stimulated the cooperative movement. At the second stage, rural credit associations, accumulating their own capital, developed independently.

As a result, a wide network of small peasant credit institutions, loan savings banks and credit associations was created that served the money circulation of peasant farms. By January 1, 1914, the number of such institutions exceeded 13,000.

Credit relations gave a strong impetus to the development of production, consumer and marketing cooperatives. Peasants created artels, agricultural societies, consumer shops, etc. on a cooperative basis.

agricultural activities.

One of the main obstacles to the economic progress of the countryside was the low culture of agriculture and the illiteracy of the vast majority of producers who were accustomed to working according to the general custom. During the years of the reform, large-scale agro-economic assistance was provided to the peasants. Agro-industrial services were specially created for the peasants, who organized training courses on cattle breeding and dairy production, democratization and the introduction of progressive forms of agricultural production. Much attention was paid to the progress of the system of out-of-school agricultural education. If in 1905 the number of students in agricultural courses was 2 thousand people, then in 1912 - 58 thousand, and in agricultural readings - 31.6 thousand and 1046 thousand people, respectively.

The results of the reforms.

The results of the reform were characterized by a rapid growth in agricultural production, an increase in the capacity of the domestic market, an increase in the export of agricultural products, and the trade balance of Russia became more and more active. As a result, it was possible not only to bring agriculture out of the crisis, but also to turn it into the dominant feature of Russia's economic development.

The gross income of all agriculture in 1913 amounted to 52.6% of the total GDP. The income of the entire national economy, due to the increase in the value of products created in agriculture, increased in comparable prices from 1900 to 1913 by 33.8%.

The differentiation of types of agricultural production by regions has led to an increase in the marketability of agriculture. Three-quarters of all raw materials processed by industry came from agriculture. The turnover of agricultural products increased by 46% during the reform period.

Even more, by 61% compared with 1901-1905, the export of agricultural products increased in the prewar years. Russia was the largest producer and exporter of bread and flax, a number of livestock products. So, in 1910, the export of Russian wheat amounted to 36.4% of the total world export.