Serfdom 1861

When was serfdom abolished

1861

How many private serfs were there

22 million

Why did Nicholas 1 not remove serfdom?

He believed it would cause more harm than good for the country

Why did Alexander 2 abolish serfdom? (USE THE QUOTE)

It is better to abolish serfdom from above, then to wait for that time when it starts to abolish itself from below

Political causes for emancipation 1

1. Less resistance from nobles, who feared an uprising

Economic causes for emancipation 8

1. Crimean War (CW) showed how society was economically backwards

2. Treasury ran up a huge deficit

3. Serfdom satisfied less of the economic needs of the empire

4. Serfs ran away in hundreds/thousands

5. Small landlords could barely feed serfs

6. No incentive for serfs to produce more than needed (no money)

7. Serfs unable to try new farming methods as it was done cooperatively

8. Serfs used to mortgage estates

Social causes for emancipation 6

1. Unrest growing between serfs and masters

2. Peasant disturbances grew ominously in number, overwhelmingly concentrated on private estates

3. War shown how society economically backwards

4. Alexander 2 quote

5. Rural unrest made significant impact on gov policy

6. Peasant uprisings increased in length, bitterness, and military effort needed to put them down

Moral causes 2

1. Alexander 2 recognized evil in serfdom

2. Liberal, western ideas influenced some of alexanders advisors