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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2011
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
History
First Advisor
Aaron B. Retish
Abstract
The space that the Russian peasantry occupy in history is unique. During the hundreds of years that serfdom existed in Russia, peasants were controlled by landowners and their privileges nearly nonexistent. After their freedom was signed over to them in 1861 they were forced by necessity to purchase land at exorbitant prices charged by landowners. Though they were free, their plight remained. However, with Russia's industrializing efforts during the second half of the 19th century came opportunity. At the turn of the century, millions of Russian peasants made seasonal journeys to industrial centers for side work. Millions more left their villages for the army after the passing of the conscription bill in 1874. With this increased movement to and from the village, the collective identity of the peasantry began to shift and during the 1905 Revolution they actively fought for political change with a frequency previously unseen.
Recommended Citation
McDaniel, Sean Patrick, "Peasant revolution, peasant politics: russia's countryside 1905-07" (2011). Wayne State University Theses. 129.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/129