DOCSLIB.ORG

On the Emerging Polish Diaspora and Its Development in Siberia in the First Half of the 19Th Century

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
On the Emerging Polish Diaspora and Its Development in Siberia in the First Half of the 19Th Century Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences 10 (2016 9) 2496-2506 ~ ~ ~ УДК 94:325.54(571.1/.5) On the Emerging Polish Diaspora and its Development in Siberia in the First Half of the 19th Century Vladimir N. Shaidurov* National Mineral Resources Mining University ‘Gornyi’ 2, 21st Line, Vasil’evskii Island, St. Petersburg, 199106, Russia Received 17.02.2016, received in revised form 22.04.2016, accepted 23.06.2016 The Russian and Polish historical sciences focus closely on studying the ways that the Polish diaspora emerged and evolved outside areas where they traditionally resided. Polish communities actively formed as the government had implemented its punitive policies since the late 13th century. One of the areas settled by many natives of Poland was Siberia. While historiography traditionally devotes much attention to the study of the Polish community in the second half of the 19th century, there are few works dealing with the community’s initial period in various Siberian provinces (guberniya). As a result, the article based on a variety of archival data is aimed at defining essential features characteristic of the Siberian Polish diaspora in the pre-reform period before the 1850s ‘Great Reforms’. Keywords: Polish community, Siberia, Tobol’sk province, Tomsk province, pre-reform period, 19th century, Polish uprisings, exile, police surveillance, economic and household activities. DOI: 10.17516/1997-1370-2016-9-10-2496-2506. Research area: history. Introduction One of historiographical peculiarities is Russian historical studies have long been that the overwhelming majority of researchers interested in the Siberian multi-ethnic society concentrated on a number of aspects, namely, formation process. The historical backgrounds addressing ‘the Polish question’ under the rule of of certain ethnic communities as well as their tsars Nicholas I and Alexander II, defining Poles’ economic, social and political activities have been place and their role in the national liberation and studied through various historical approaches both revolutionary movements, describing Poles in in the pre-revolutionary period and in the Soviet exile and hard labour. While these issues were times. However, no comprehensive description of analysed, as a rule, at a national level, locally Siberian communities has been given in scientific emerging Polish communities remained outside literature so far. the field of historical studies. © Siberian Federal University. All rights reserved * Corresponding author E-mail address: [email protected] – 2496 – Vladimir N. Shaidurov. On the Emerging Polish Diaspora and its Development in Siberia in the First Half of the 19th Century Although the Siberian Polish diaspora has had works and their life there, as well as compulsory a long history, the scope of its historiographical labour between the late 1830s and early 1840s. research cannot compete with the number of works on German and Jewish communities in the Discussion region. An analysis of theoretical sources on the The first Poles came to Siberian towns subject suggests that while Russian and Polish in the 17th century. Most of them belonged to scholars mainly studied the Siberian Polish the prisoners captured in Polish-Russian wars. community in the second half of the 19th century Historical studies reveal administrative and they did not write much about its life in the military correspondence concerning the question previous period. However, there are several works of captive Poles, Lithuanians, ‘German people’, handling various sides of Poles’ lives in the pre- Circassians, and Jews (Feld’man, 2005: 21). The reform years (Maksimov, 1900; Gerasimov, 1918; first Siberian Pole was Nikifor Chernigovskii Shostakovich, 1995; Fil’, 2002; Skubnevskii, 2009; mentioned in Siberian chronicles (Maksimov, Shaidurov, 2009; Shostakovich, 2009, et al). First 1900: 326). In historical sources, his name is of all, it is necessary to emphasize S. Maksimov’s associated with opening up lands near the Amur work Siberia and Hard Labour among them River. that was reprinted many times. According to B. Under the 1619 Truce of Deulino and Shostakovich, the book remained a study that all 1667 Truce of Andrusovo (the 1667 and 1672 the subsequent generations of scholars until the Moscow treaties), Russia and the Polish- late 1950s referred to (Shostakovich, 1995, 33). Lithuanian Commonwealth exchanged prisoners of war and sent Poles back to their homeland1. Statement of the problem As a result, the Siberian Polish diaspora and its solutions almost disappeared by the next century after The proposed article determines the main brief existence. The disappearance was also stages of the Polish diaspora development in contributed through policies regarding Polish Western Siberia, reveals their specific features, and Lithuanian captives in Siberia implemented analyses the civil status of Poles, and characterizes by the Russian government. According to S. the most important sources of their welfare and Maksimov, these people, along with Moscow types of economic activities they were involved Streltsy were conscripted into the Cossacks and in in the early 19th century. hence ‘completely disappeared’ in the social The paper is predominantly based on class (Maksimov, 1900: 327). Despite this, some archival documents available in the Russian State of the Poles left their mark in the 17th century Historical Archives (St. Petersburg), Tobol’sk history. For example, Jurii Kryzhanovskii was State Archives (Tobol’sk), and published materials the fur tribute collector (yasaq) from the Tungus (legislative acts, regulations and memoirs). The indigenous people of central and south-eastern latter include a source worth mentioning, that Siberia in 1677. His illegal actions provoked so is memoirs by Ju. Rucinski published in 2009 much concern and protest that the local people under the title of Konarshchik (konarshchik is a besieged the town of Okhotsk. That incident was member of the revolutionary Union of the Polish followed by an inquiry that revealed numerous people from the Kingdom of Poland movement abuses by Kryzhanovskii. Afterwards he was led by Szymon Konarski). The book portrays the sentenced to knout flogging and transported exiled Poles going across Siberia to Nerchinsk to Daur fortified town ostrog,( a Siberian type – 2497 – Vladimir N. Shaidurov. On the Emerging Polish Diaspora and its Development in Siberia in the First Half of the 19th Century of a fortified settlement for quartering troops ‘common culprits convicted of criminal offences’ surrounded with a stockade) (Ibid). (Maksimov, 1900: 340). The late 18th and mid-19th centuries brought The 1830s saw a fresh inflow of Poles to about the growing number of Poles related to the Siberia. As it was the case earlier, the upsurge exiled members in the Polish liberation movement was originated from displacement. However, this to the region. This period is divided into several time, most of the displaced were veterans of the stages. 1830-1831 Polish-Russian war and the members of The first period started in the mid-90s of various secret societies, e.g. The Commonwealth the 18th century. It was at that time when the part of the Polish People, that emerged in the of Polish confederates was exiled to Nerchinsk Kingdom of Poland after the uprising suppression works in Siberia. For instance, Decembrist N. (Shostakovich, 2009: 304). Lorer wrote in his memoirs about General S. It was those years that gave rise to a legal Leparskii who was a lieutenant (poruchik) in 1791 foundation for political exile. Thus, the period and escorted Polish prisoners. He performed this witnessed a number of documents formulated task so efficiently that his name was well-known that sealed the fate of the 1830-1831 uprising in the whole army (Lorer, 1988: 406-407). The participants. The most important papers included first month of Paul I’s reign already witnessed a resolution On the complete elimination of the the beginning of the amnesty announced personnel of the former Polish army of February according to the signed edict (imennoi ukase) of 14, 1832, an edict On the uprising that broke 29 November, 1796. The edict ordered the release out in three uezds of the Vilna province and on of all prisoners who ‘were captured in the Polish convicting all the aristocrats or Polish gentry uprisings and sentenced to punishment, prison who took part in that uprising under the field and exile’2. The responsibility for administering criminal law of 22 March, 1831, and Regulations the monarch’s will was allocated to the Senate on prisoners of war and defecting Polish soldiers which, for its part, was to pass corresponding of 31 May, 1831. Moreover, the Poles convicted ordinances to governors and district judges for their involvement in the November uprising (zemskii judge is a judge and state official in a and national liberation movement in the 1840- district, a provincial subdivision). In fact, not all 50s were subjected to the 1826 regulations that former confederates had an opportunity to return were reviewed in December 1834. The above to their initial place of residence or leave Russia. mentioned documents determined the future of It was necessary sometimes for St. Petersburg the captive Poles. Men were to serve in Siberian to interfere. For example, the 1797 order by the border battalions and boys became liable for Senate Prosecutor General Aleksei Kurakin future military service (cantonists)4. released several insurgents in the 1794 uprising During their
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Events and Land Reform in Russia
    3 TITLE: EVENKS AND LAND REFORM IN RUSSIA: PROGRESS AND OBSTACLES AUTHOR: GAIL FONDAHL University of Northern British Columbia THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SOVIET AND EAST EUROPEAN RESEARCH TITLE VIII PROGRAM 1755 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 PROJECT INFORMATION:1 CONTRACTOR: Dartmouth College PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Gail Fondahl COUNCIL CONTRACT NUMBER: 808-28 DATE: March 1, 1996 COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Individual researchers retain the copyright on work products derived from research funded by Council Contract. The Council and the U.S. Government have the right to duplicate written reports and other materials submitted under Council Contract and to distribute such copies within the Council and U.S. Government for their own use, and to draw upon such reports and materials for their own studies; but the Council and U.S. Government do not have the right to distribute, or make such reports and materials available, outside the Council or U.S. Government without the written consent of the authors, except as may be required under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 5 U.S.C. 552, or other applicable law. 1 The work leading to this report was supported in part by contract funds provided by the National Council for Soviet and East European Research, made available by the U. S. Department of State under Title VIII (the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983, as amended). The analysis and interpretations contained in the report are those of the author(s). EVENKS AND LAND REFORM IN RUSSIA: PROGRESS AND OBSTACLES Gail Fondahl1 The Evenks are one of most populous indigenous peoples of Siberia (with 30,247 individuals, according to a 1989 census), inhabiting an area stretching from west of the Yenisey River to the Okhotsk seaboard and Sakhalin Island, and from the edge of the tundra south to China and Mongolia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Property Rights to Be Reformed
    Chapter 2 The Property Rights to Be Reformed ‘‘Reform’’ makes sense only if there is a problem. Indeed, a problem did exist, and to understand it, it is important to examine the characteristics of ‘‘open fields,’’ repartition, and family tenure and to explore some of the theories of their origins. If these reflected some almost unchangeable attribute of the Russian character, then remedies such as Stolypin’s would have been naı¨ve; but the character explanation seems most unlikely. The next step is, then, to look at how these practices were likely to have inflicted serious productivity losses, and to ask why, if these losses were substantial, the peasants didn’t cure them through voluntary transactions among themselves or between individual peasants and their communes. Finally, this chapter explores some more general questions about peasants’ habits of mind, solidarity, and outlook on some of the key attributes of modernity such as law and property. Open fields ‘‘Open fields’’ mixed individual and collective ownership; while indi- vidual households owned tracts, many operations were collectively ................. 15954$ $CH2 10-09-06 08:53:25 PS PAGE 31 32 Liberal Reform in an Illiberal Regime controlled.1 In addition, each household possessed multiple, widely scattered plots. Although the two features—plot scattering and the mixture of individual and collective control—were conceptually in- dependent, they seem to have generally existed together. In mixing collective and individual control, open fields enabled farmers to use the same land for activities that were best conducted on different scales. Animals grazed over large tracts, reducing the costs of fencing and of keeping an eye on the animals.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ukrainian Weekly 1995
    INSIDE: • The public perception of economic reform in Ukraine — page 2. • Urbana conference spotlights minorities and diaspora — page 10. • Ukrainian stars on Broadway — page 1 1. 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIII No. 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 23, 1995 $1.25/$2in Ukraine UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH V0L0DYMYR DIES OBITUARY: Former political prisonerRio t police and mourners clash by Khristina Lew Citing sources close to the Cabinet of was elected UOC patriarch in 1993 Kyyiv Press Bureau ministers, Respublika reported on July 19 that President Leonid Kuchma, who was in JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Patriarch KYYIV - Riot police and participants Belarus at the time of the patriarchal funer­ Volodymyr (Vasyl Romaniuk), a politi­ of the funeral procession bearing the al, was contacted there regarding permis­ cal prisoner persecuted for his religious body of the late Patriarch Volodymyr sion for burial of the primate's earthly Romaniuk, head of the Ukrainian beliefs during decades of Soviet repres­ remains at St. Sophia Cathedral. Orthodox Church - Kyyiv Patriarchate, sion who later went on to be elected pri­ Respublika reported that the president did violently clashed twice on July 18. mate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church not grant permission. One member of the Ukrainian National —Kyyiv Patriarchate, died in Kyyiv on Metropolitan Filaret told a press con­ Assembly - Ukrainian National Self- Friday, July 14. He was 69 years old. ference on July 19 that neither Baikiv Defense Organization, a paramilitary The patriarch's secretary, the Rev. Cemetery nor St Volodymyr Cathedral, group, was killed during a confrontation Borys, told Reuters that the cause of death the seat of the UOC - KP, are appropri­ with Berkut forces, a special detachment of was a heart attack, his third in recent years.
    [Show full text]
  • Land Redistributions and the Russian Peasant Commune in the Late-Imperial Period
    Land Redistributions and the Russian Peasant Commune in the Late-Imperial Period Steven Nafziger1 Preliminary and Incomplete Comments welcome and encouraged. Version: December, 2004 1Department of Economics, Yale University, [email protected]. This paper forms part of a larger project on the economics of rural development in Russia between 1861 and 1917. Research for this project was supported in part by the Title VIII Combined Research and Language Training Program, which is funded by the U.S. State Department and admin- istered by the American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS. The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and do not necessarily express the views of either the State Department or American Councils. Further support from the Economic History Association, the Sasakawa Foundation, Yale’s Economic Growth Center, and the Yale Center for Interna- tional and Area Studies is very much appreciated. The comments and suggestions of Tracy Dennison, Daniel Field, Timothy Guinnane, Mark Harrison, Valery Lazarev, Carol Leonard, Jason Long, Angela Micah, Carolyn Moehling, Benjamin Polak, Christopher Udry, and partic- ipants at the 2004 World Cliometric Congress, the 2004 Economic History Association meet- ings, and seminars at Yale and Harvard Universities were extremely helpful. Errors remain the exclusive property of the author. Abstract This paper investigates the motivations for, and effects of, intra-community land re- distributions by Russian peasants in the 19th century. Scholars such as Alexander Gerschenkron have emphasized that such repartitions of arable land create negative investment and innovation incentives and played a major role in hampering rural de- velopment in the period after serfdom.
    [Show full text]
  • Indigenous Peoples in the Russian Federation
    INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION Johannes Rohr Report 18 IWGIA – 2014 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION Copyright: IWGIA Author: Johannes Rohr Editor: Diana Vinding and Kathrin Wessendorf Proofreading: Elaine Bolton Cover design and layout: Jorge Monrás Cover photo: Sakhalin: Indigenous ceremony opposite to oil facilities. Photographer: Wolfgang Blümel Prepress and print: Electronic copy only Hurridocs Cip data Title: IWGIA Report 18: Indigenous Peoples in the Russian Federation Author: Johannes Rohr Editor: Diana Vinding and Kathrin Wessendorf Number of pages: 69 ISBN: 978-87-92786-49-4 Language: English Index: 1. Indigenous peoples – 2. Human rights Geographical area: Russian Federation Date of publication: 2014 INTERNATIONAL WORK GROUP FOR INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS Classensgade 11 E, DK 2100 - Copenhagen, Denmark Tel: (45) 35 27 05 00 - Fax: (45) 35 27 05 07 E-mail: [email protected] - Web: www.iwgia.org This report has been prepared and published with the financial support of the Foreign Ministry of Denmark through its Neighbourhood programme. CONTENTS Introduction................................................................................................................................................................. 8 1 The indigenous peoples of the north ................................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Matters of definition .........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Rita Regina TRIMONIENĖ – Vietos Bendruomenės Ir Valdžios
    Vietos bendruomenės ir Valdžios komunikacijos problemos XVii a. antrojoje pusėje (pagal Šiaulių ekonomijos paVyzdį) rita regina trimonienė abstract in 1589, the sejm of the commonwealth of the two nations established the royal holdings (crown lands), called economijas, of Šiauliai, Hrodna, alytus, brest, kobrin and mahilioŭ in the grand duchy of lithuania. However, Šiauliai started to function as a royal economija only in 1619. at this time, it was the largest and richest royal holding in the grand duchy. the ar- 195 ticle deals with the relatively closed community of the Šiauliai economija in the second half of the 17th century. its unusual administrative system, with its relatively abundant community records, makes it possible to trace and discuss the following issues: how the local government had functioned and how it maintained relations with the community; how the local community and individual members used and dealt with decisions by the lithuanian central government; what rules of communication applied between different actors, the lithuanian central govern- ment, the Šiauliai economija government, and the local community. key words: grand duchy of lithuania, crown lands, Šiauliai economija, centre-periphery re- lations, administration, communication. anotacija 1589 m. abiejų tautų respublikos seimas Šiauliuose, gardine, alytuje, brastoje, kobrine ir mo- giliave įsteigė karališkąsias valdas, vadinamąsias ekonomijas, lietuvos didžiosios kunigaikš- tystės teritorijoje. Šiaulių ekonomija, pradėjusi realiai funkcionuoti 1619 m., tuo
    [Show full text]
  • Village Social Organisation and Peasant Action: Right-Bank Ukraine During the Revolution 1917-1923
    VILLAGE SOCIAL ORGANISATION AND PEASANT ACTION: RIGHT-BANK UKRAINE DURING THE REVOLUTION I9I7-I923 GRAHAM TAN PhD SCHOOL OF SLAVONIC AND EAST EUROPEAN STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF LONDON » UNIVERSITY ) " F J . LONOOf,' ' / ProQuest Number: U642459 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest U642459 Published by ProQuest LLC(2015). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ABSTRACT 2 VILLAGE SOCIAL ORGANISATION AND PEASANT ACTION: RIGHT’-BANK UKRAINE DURING THE REVOLUTION 1917-1923 The thesis studies the role of peasant village institutions in the revolution in Right-Bank Ukraine during 1917-1923. The two schools of study which have so far dominated discussion of the subject, the Soviet and the Ukrainian National, have failed to produce a balanced history of events or follow the recent progress made in studies of the Russian peasantry. The work studies events from a village-level perspective and is based on records from peasant meetings and local government institutions, gathered from recently declassified fonds in Ukrainian and Russian archives. The thesis begins by considering the roots of the region’s economic and political diversity and their effect on peasant society before 1917.
    [Show full text]
  • Territory, Enclosure, and State Territorial Mode of Production in the Russian Imperial Periphery
    Geogr. Helv., 74, 13–25, 2019 https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-74-13-2019 © Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. supported by Territory, enclosure, and state territorial mode of production in the Russian imperial periphery Vera Smirnova Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA Correspondence: Vera Smirnova ([email protected]) Received: 30 April 2018 – Revised: 22 October 2018 – Accepted: 9 December 2018 – Published: 16 January 2019 Abstract. After the imperial land consolidation acts of 1906, the Russian land commune became a center of territorial struggle where complex alliances of actors, strategies, and representations of territory enacted land enclosure beyond the exclusive control of the state. Using original documentation of Russian imperial land deals obtained in the federal and municipal archives, this study explores how the Russian imperial state and territo- ries in the periphery were dialectically co-produced not only through institutional manipulations, educational programs, and resettlement plans but also through political and public discourses. This paper examines how coalitions of landed nobility and land surveyors, landless serfs, and peasant proprietors used enclosure as con- duits for property violence, accumulation of capital, or, in contrast, as a means of territorial autonomy. Through this example, I bring a territorial dimension into Russian agrarian scholarship by positioning the rural politics of the late imperial period within the global context of capitalist land enclosure. At the same time, by focusing on the reading of territory from the Russian historical perspective, I introduce complexity into the modern territory discourse often found in Western political geographic interpretations.
    [Show full text]
  • Kyiv's Intellectual Environment on the Eve of the Valuev Directive, EWJUS
    Kyiv’s Intellectual Environment on the Eve of the Valuev Directive Valentyna Shandra National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Translated by Vitaly Chernetsky, Olena Ivanenko; emendated by Ksenia Maryniak Abstract: The article discusses the conditions which galvanized the intellectual community in Kyiv prior to the 1863 January Uprising (aka Polish Insurrection of 1863-64). It analyzes local press coverage of the language debate, and delves into the worldviews of its participants, including Mykhailo Maksymovych, Mykhailo Iuzefovych, Mykola Kostomarov, Ksenofont Hovors'kyi, and others. It identifies how and why the results of this debate influenced the issuance of the 1863 Valuev Directive, which banned the use of the Ukrainian language in print. Keywords: language debate, Kyiv intellectual community, Valuev Directive. n 29 June 1862, the Imperial Russian War Minister Dmitrii Miliutin O wrote to the Chief of Gendarmes Vasilii Dolgorukov: “I consider it necessary to convey to Your Excellency the secret information about the events in Kyiv shared with me by the Governor General of the Court of His Imperial Majesty, Count Sievers, adding that I personally read the attached note to His Majesty the Emperor” (Savchenko 183). What was it that impressed the count so much in Kyiv, which he visited in early 1862 as a representative of the War Ministry, observing military installations and the moods of the peasantry—leading to his report being shared not only with key members of the cabinet but also with Tsar Alexander II himself? In the streets of Kyiv he saw many young people, mostly students, in “Little Russian” dress. After gathering some information privately and consulting a report by the governor of Kyiv gubernia, Lieutenant General P.
    [Show full text]
  • Cooperative Networks and Collective Institutions: Opportunities and Dilemmas for Development on Russia’S Kamchatka Peninsula
    Cooperative Networks and Collective Institutions: opportunities and dilemmas for development on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula Drew Gerkey, Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University; USA Introduction In this report, I would like to describe a variety of contemporary contexts where cooperation emerges in response to challenges facing communities on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula. Drawing on the results of ethnographic fieldwork with collective institutions that coordinate salmon fishing and reindeer herding, I argue that the strategies used by various actors drawn to these institutions—including not only herders and fishers, but also community leaders, politicians, performance artists, activists, environmental groups and aid organizations—reveal a dynamic interplay between individual and collective interests. This interplay reflects cultural values of a moral economy that may be useful for international organizations seeking to develop meaningful partnerships with local resource users and their communities. A brief history of collective institutions in Kamchatka Among the indigenous inhabitants of Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, cooperation has remained an integral part of cultural, economic and political life, persisting despite dramatic transformations during the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. Reindeer herding and salmon fishing, the traditional economic activities of Koryak, Chukchi, Even, and Itel’men peoples, are inherently cooperative strategies that have been adapted to the harsh environments of the North, incorporated into the Soviet state economy, and are now being reinvented in uncertain social and environmental climates. In order to understand this process of reinvention, it is first important to reflect on how practices of herding and fishing have changed so dramatically over just a few generations. Perhaps due to the fact that herding and fishing rely on the coordinated efforts and talents of multiple individuals utilizing common resources, formal and informal collective institutions have continually played a key role.
    [Show full text]
  • Russian Serfdom, Emancipation, and Land Inequality: New Evidence
    Russian Serfdom, Emancipation, and Land Inequality: New Evidence Steven Nafziger1 Department of Economics, Williams College May 2013 Note to Readers: This long descriptive paper is part of an even larger project - "Serfdom, Emancipation, and Economic Development in Tsarist Russia" - that is very much a work in progress. As such, some obvious extensions are left out. I apologize for any inconsistencies that remain. Abstract Serfdom is often viewed as a major institutional constraint on the economic development of Tsarist Russia, one that persisted well after emancipation occurred in 1861 through the ways that property rights were transferred to the peasantry. However, scholars have generally asserted this causal relationship with few facts in hand. This paper introduces a variety of newly collected data, covering European Russia at the district (uezd) level, to describe serfdom, emancipation, and the subsequent evolution of land holdings among the rural population into the 20th century. A series of simple empirical exercises describes several important ways that the institution of serfdom varied across European Russia; outlines how the emancipation reforms differentially affected the minority of privately owned serfs relative to the majority of other types of peasants; and connects these differences to long-run variation in land ownership, obligations, and inequality. The evidence explored in this paper constitutes the groundwork for considering the possible channels linking the demise of serfdom to Russia’s slow pace of economic growth prior to the Bolshevik Revolution. JEL Codes: N33, Keywords: Russia, economic history, serfdom, inequality, land reform, institutions 1 Tracy Dennison offered thoughtful questions at the onset of this project. Ivan Badinski, Cara Foley, Veranika Li, Aaron Seong, and Stefan Ward-Wheten provided wonderful research assistance.
    [Show full text]
  • Land, Community, and the State in the North Caucasus: Kabardino-Balkaria, 1763-1991
    Land, Community, and the State in the North Caucasus: Kabardino-Balkaria, 1763-1991 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ian Thomas Lanzillotti Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Professor Nicholas Breyfogle, Advisor Professor Theodora Dragostinova Professor David Hoffmann Professor Scott Levi Copyright by Ian Thomas Lanzillotti 2014 Abstract The Caucasus mountain region in southern Russia has witnessed many of post- Soviet Eurasia’s most violent inter-communal conflicts. From Abkhazia to Chechnya, the region fractured ferociously and neighboring communities took up arms against each other in the name of ethnicity and religion. In the midst of some of the worst conflict in Europe since 1945, the semiautonomous, multiethnic Kabardino-Balkar Republic in the North Caucasus remained a relative oasis of peace. This is not to say there were no tensions—there is no love lost between Kabardians, Balkars, and Russians, Kabardino- Balkaria’s principal communities. But, why did these communities, despite the agitation of ethno-political entrepreneurs, not resort to force to solve their grievances, while many neighboring ones did? What institutions and practices have facilitated this peace? What role have state officials and state structures played in, on the one hand, producing inter- communal conflict, and, on the other hand, mediating and defusing such conflict? And why has land played such a crucial rule in inter-communal relations in the region over the longue durée? More than enhancing our knowledge of a poorly-understood yet strategically important region, the questions I ask of Kabardino-Balkaria are windows on larger issues of enduring global relevance.
    [Show full text]