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Emancipation of the Serfs - Coggle Diagram
Emancipation of the Serfs
Reasons for Emancipation
Economic Argument
Increasing amount of debt among landowners (no surplus)
Low level of economic activity (no bourgeoisie)
Military Argument
Loss of Crimean War
Unpopularity of conscription
Moral/Intellectual Argument
Serfdom is immoral
Emancipation was the first step for many left-wing intellectuals
Practical Argument
Feeling of discontent among the serfs
Slavery in the US
Results of Emancipation
Positive
Peasants
Wealthy peasant 'kulaks'
Serfs were able to sell thier land and move to cities where they could find jobs
Landowners
Landowners could use the payments to pay off debts and invest in their business (land sold at much higher price than market)
Wider aims
Industry and cities expanded
Increase in production and export of grain
Terrence Emmons: "the greatest single piece of state-directed engineering in modern European History before the 20th Century"
Negative
Peasants
Fell behind on their redemption payments; debt
Forced to sell their land; became migrant workers
Very high redemption payments and loss of communal land meant many families struggled to survive
Average holding of a peasant was too small to farm at a profit (no surplus)
Landowners
Some landowners were left more impoverished and with less land, increasing their resentment of the Tsar
Land disputes between landowners and peasants increased peasant unrest
John Grenville: "A cruel joke"
Westwood: "Alexander did little for the serfs"