The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 1 The changing status and…

The idea

This topic examines how state policy reshaped the peasantry from 1855 to 1991. The 1861 abolition of serfdom freed peasants but tied them to land and redemption payments. Stolypin's reforms (1906–11) encouraged private farming and land consolidation to create a prosperous class. The 1917 Land Decree legitimised peasant seizures and abolished landlord property. The 1921 NEP replaced requisitioning with a tax in kind, allowing limited markets. Collectivisation (1928–32) forced peasants into kolkhozy and eliminated kulaks. After 1945, state farms (sovkhozy) expanded at the expense of collective farms (kolkhozy), increasing state control. Assess impact by comparing intended aims with outcomes for peasants' status, condition and productivity.

What earns the marks

• Explains the 1861 abolition of serfdom: peasants gained legal freedom but remained tied to the commune and burdened by redemption payments, limiting real improvement.
• Analyses Stolypin's reforms 1906–11: aimed to create a class of independent farmers; some prospered, but many peasants remained in repartitional communes and reform was incomplete.
• Assesses the 1917 Land Decree: legitimised peasant land seizures, redistributed land, but did not resolve rural poverty or increase productivity significantly.
• Evaluates NEP 1921: replaced grain requisitioning with a tax in kind, allowing peasants to sell surpluses; recovery followed, but tensions remained over pricing and procurement.
• Examines collectivisation 1928–32: forced consolidation into kolkhozy, dekulakisation, and state procurement; caused resistance, famine, and long-term inefficiency.
• Explains post-1945 increase in sovkhozy at the expense of kolkhozy: state farms expanded, often on marginal land, increasing state control but not necessarily improving output.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating the 1861 abolition as an immediate improvement for all peasants.

  Put it right: Recognise that redemption payments and communal constraints limited benefits for many.

• Assuming Stolypin's reforms transformed the entire peasantry.

  Put it right: Note that only a minority became independent farmers, and reform was cut short by his assassination and later war.

• Confusing kolkhozy and sovkhozy.

  Put it right: Kolkhozy were collective farms nominally owned by peasants, while sovkhozy were state farms where workers were employees.

• Overstating the success of NEP for peasants.

  Put it right: Acknowledge recovery but also the 'scissors crisis' and procurement difficulties that strained peasant-state relations.

Exam tips

• Plan essays by grouping policies chronologically or thematically (e.g., freedom vs control, economic vs political aims) to show change over time.
• Use precise dates and terms (e.g., 1861, 1906–11, 1917, 1921, 1928–32, sovkhoz, kolkhoz) to demonstrate secure knowledge.
• When assessing impact, weigh intended aims against actual outcomes for peasants' status, living standards and productivity, and reach a substantiated judgement.