Skip to content
    History A-Level

    Social stratification and serfdom

    What Social stratification and serfdom means in History A-Level, as defined for AQA.

    Definitions of Social stratification and serfdom

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Social stratification and serfdom in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: AQA

    A highly stratified society where a small nobility dominated and over 80% of the population were peasants, with roughly 40% being privately owned serfs bound to the land.
    AQA · 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 – Trying to preserve autocracy, 1855–1894 (study guide)
    Peasants were legally bound to the land and their lords, stifling social mobility and commercial innovation.
    AQA · 1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682–1796 (A-level only) – Establishing authority, 1682–1707 (study guide)

    Topics that use Social stratification and serfdom

    Related terms

    Using Social stratification and serfdom in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise History questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All History A-Level terms