...1. Why does the author say that "serfdom was always a brutal system and had long hindered Russia's development and by the mid-1850s it was also a badly corroded institution? do you know of any other place(s) where serfdom was also used? Cite your sources, no wiki! The author makes this claim because as Russia began moving towards a more capitalist economy in the 1850s, serfdom was ill-equipped for this type of economy. The serfs were not effective laborers due their illiteracy, and this caused their landlords put them in factories to work. However the landlords grew deeply in debt but did not want to give up their serfs. While types of serfdom were used across European countries, they were titled differently. For instance, in England they were referred to as neifs, or villeins,...
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...Serfs? Serfdom, a system of virtual slavery tying the Russian peasants to their landlords, was abolished in 1861 under the imperial demand of Tsar Nicholas II. This change was put in place for many reasons, including military defeat in Crimea, the economy and political system, which all contributed to the backwardness of Russia as a nation, as they prohibited the introduction of other major reforms. In my view, the most important cause of emancipation was the state of the economy, because the nature of serfdom prevented the country from catching up with the west, and the most important consequence was that the military was able to dramatically improve. One major reason that serfdom was abolished was because of the poor economic situation and general backwardness of the nation. Due to the nature of serfdom the economy was prevented from evolving; the serfs weren’t paid, so there could be no market, there could be no interest, and enterprise was prevented. This left Russia far behind the west, and with a struggling and starving workforce; they starved since the increasing famines and noble taxations left them with no food reserves. To combat this, they wanted to modernise agriculture, industry and railways to increase Russia’s economic strength. However, with serfdom in place, this was impossible to implement because serfs didn’t have money to invest in increasing agricultural efficiency, and the Government was reluctant to encourage industrialisation whilst serfdom survived...
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...‘With reference to these extracts and your understanding of the historical context, which of these two extracts provides the more convincing interpretation of the main contributors to Russia’s economic modernisation?’ Firstly, Extract A provides the interpretation that the emancipation of the serfs was the primary contributor Russia’s economic modernisation. This is evident when Falkus states ‘the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 removed a considerable barrier to industrial growth’. The extract states this as it goes on to say ‘serfdom was clearly incompatible with the requirements of an industrialising society’. This is supported by the facts that before emancipation, serfs were not allowed to leave their land and had to work for their Mir. Largely uneducated, there was no sense of prosperity within the serf’s population thus industrial modernisation could not occur. However, after emancipation, serfs were allowed to leave their land and go to prosperous environments such as cities (Moscow and St Petersburg), therefore industrialisation could thrive as now serfs believe there is opportunity for their lives to improve and not stay stagnant. On the other hand, although serfs could move from their land, redemption payments had to be paid. Thus any money earned from moving to cities and working in factories were largely deducted via these payments. This would imply that there was in fact no prosperous attitude as the emancipated serfs were just working to pay off debts and not...
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...Arguably peasants working conditions did change however to a limited extent from 1855 to 1964. This was due to government reforms during tsarist Russia that had significant effects on peasants such as Stolypin and Alexander’s reforms as this was first steps taken to improve peasantry. However their freedom, transportation and the right to own land was very limited, redemption payments were almost impossible and they were still bound to the Mir. Similar to the communist era under Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev from 1917 peasant working conditions did change as Lenin introduced the new economic policy that improved peasant working conditions financially, but war communism did not benefit the peasants at all, agriculture was very low and caused a huge feminine what effected work life. When Stalin came to power 1924 there was huge transformation in peasant working conditions due to the industrialisation of Russia where machinery and agriculture increased however peasants were practically treated as slave labour during the five-year plans. Khrushchev also changed peasant-working lives as peasants became freer after Stalin’s death, for example they were paid more for grain and the removal of the MTS in 1958 allowed farmers to buy their own machinery. Overall change was very limited in peasant working conditions until 1950’s as the majority of the population were no longer peasants, machinery and new methods of faming became advanced and those who were peasants, they started to get paid...
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...Intro: The Russian peasantry had long been oppressed under the title of serf. Being at the bottom of the social ladder, they had marginal rights and privileges under their oppressive landlords. However, as the rest of industrial Europe sped forward, Russia fell behind. From 1861 to 1866, the government began to emancipate these serfs, in hopes of creating an entrepreneurial class to industrialize and regain their former glory. Even so, the various classes perceived this momentous change for the peasants differently. The peasants thought the recent changes were not enough, and wanted more, while the upper class believed that the reforms were doing more damage than assistance, and each side proposed solutions that tried to compromise each opinion. 1st Paragraph: The peasants believed that the recent reforms in their favor were not enough, and wanted more. * Document 1 * Data shows how activities in Russia affected rebellions * During and after 1861 (when Alex II freed the serfs), the rebellions decrease * From 1891 (start of famines) to 1907 (which contained Russo-Japanese war and Bloody Sunday), rebellion drastically increases * Although serfs were emancipated and human bondage was abolished, the peasants wanted more and weren’t afraid to take action during hard times for Russia * Document 2 * Peasants communicating to Tsar Alex II * Blaming land owners for giving peasants the worst land, and standing by as the peasants starve ...
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...German Peasant Revolt DBQ The German peasants of the 1524-1526 revolts were caused by interpretations of Lutheran ideals, the peasants desires to break free from serfdom, and the general search for equality in the eyes of god. The response to the peasant revolts varied among the social, political, and religious affiliations, ranging from cruel condemnation to fervent support of their cause. The rebels organized swiftly and fought hard, this determination helped achieve social reform, which the most important German reformer, Martin Luther, was completely opposed to. Though the revolts were blamed on Lutheran reforms (Doc 1), Luther himself vehemently refuted the dispute (Doc 7). He refers to the peasants as dogs and is generally cruel towards their cause. Though a religious reformer, his dependence on the German nobility would not allow him to support the peasants; therefore his point of view is one in support of quelling the rebellions. The peasants may not have had the support of their greatest religious inspiration but they still drew on his word in order to justify their fight. The peasants claim that because all men are equal under the eyes of god, they have just as much divine right as the nobles do (Doc 3). These religious drives were set out in the Articles of The Peasants of Memmingen and would be responded to by the nobles, thus connecting Docs 3 and 4. The nobles would retort to the religious grounds of the peasants by ensuring them that their salvation was not...
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...Work in the 21st Century is very different to what it was in the Middle Ages. Today work is apart of everyday life, and therefore creating a rewarding standard of living. Not only is work needed to sustain the needs of an individual or family, people pride themselves on their work ethic, no matter what line of work they are in. “The fall of the Roman empire marked the beginning of a period generally known as the Middle Ages.” Whilst there are many positive aspects of work in recent centuries, in Medieval times workers were referred to as Peasants. Peasants were people who lead a tough and rigorous lifestyle. Men worked long hours in fields, planting seeds, and taking care of livestock, while women were delegated the household chores. Whilst this may sound comparable with today’s lifestyle, peasants had a poor standard of living because they were under the rule of the Lord. This meant they had to give back to the Lord. The church required 10% of everything the peasants produced. They believed in the Lord but work was still perceived as punishment by God for man’s original sin. Work was heavily despised due to the risk of death. Work in crops was standard for male peasants and if those crops failed, they were given harsh penalties. They were forces to eat grass, nettles and other plants. Many starved to death. Whilst work was potentially life threatening on a daily basis for peasants, it was the only way of life they were accustomed to. The higher level of society in the...
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...Castro 1 Jessica Castro Professor Kazarian Mosaic II 22 November 2013 Paper 2 - Thoreau on Work, Debt, and Slavery For this paper, I chose to focus on subject 7 of the syllabus which was Thoreau on Work, Debt, and Slavery. The first chapter of Walden, Thoreau states that his neighbors seem to work their lives away and are deeply in debt. Readers have come to read Thoreau’s book on stolen or borrowed time, robbing their employers of time. Readers are also imposing slavery upon themselves. These three claims relate to one another in the mode of economy. In order to acquire the necessities of life, man must work to make a living. In order to make a living, man must have money to acquire tools in order to make that living. If man does not have the means in which to acquire tools, he himself becomes the tool of production via labor power. Men who constantly work in order to produce these necessities daily are slaves to themselves and to those who employ them. One without the other leaves man without life’s necessities; thus, leading to his demise. In Walden, Thoreau claims: . . . my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, and cattle . . . Better if they had been born in the open pasture . . . might have seen with clearer eyes what field they were called to labor in (8). Castro 2 In this passage, Thoreau clearly provides an example of how man works his life away. The inherited land given to the new “serf of the soil” must be constantly...
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...Although feudalism is taught as a simple legal and military exchange between a lord and a vassal to children in middle school, in actuality it is more complex. Feudalism has been greatly debated by historians because the terms ambiguity has caused an inadequate evaluation of Medieval European social relationships. In “The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and Historians of Medieval Europe,” Elizabeth A.R. Brown rejects feudalism because it lacks a concrete definition that is accepted and implemented by all historians, and because feudalism is set as a standard to compare countries. Consequently, conflicting definitions and narrow analysis cause historians to inaccurately describe Medieval European society. Feudalism constantly causes confusion...
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...In the middle ages there were trades and one of those trades was being a carpenter . In the middle ages things were different and there are also similarities that are still the same today . In the middle ages there were guilds and if you weren't a noble person born into a family that was wealthy you had to make a living for yourself . That was finding a trade , you would go find a guild. A guild is where you go to find the necessary tools and skills to make it in life . The typical in and out everyday life for a carpenter is what you see today . They would be hired to work on people's houses everyday build things or they might have their own shop and hire other carpenters to help them finish projects . Even in the middle ages carpenters...
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...the negative implications of Russia’s system of serfdom that stifled economic and industrial growth, as well as Russia’s outdated and ineffective military that limited Russia’s presence in Europe and demonstrated her lacking industrial sector. Alexander was shown to be a keen reformer and managed to effectively tackle these problems, with his emancipation of the serfs, followed by his overseeing of successful economic and military reforms. Arguably the greatest problem that faced Russia in 1855 was the outdated and feudal – like system of serfdom which lagged far behind the social infrastructures of other major European nations. This system, in which over 23 million serfs were forced to work for their food and keep under private landowners, Nobles, and the state, was both economically inefficient (as Russia required a free labour force for industry and internal markets to grow) and attracted rising opposition to the Tsarist autocratic rule. For these reasons, Alexander decided to emancipate the serfs in an attempt to quell unrest and bring Russia “up to date”, famously stating: “It is better to abolish serfdom from above than to await the time when it will begin to abolish itself from below”. This shows that Alexander II saw the threat of grievances among the serfs with the ruling administration and wished to protect his own position from threatening opposition. This desire for self-preservation limited the success of the serfdom reform, as Alexander’s “Emancipation of the Serfs”...
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...The least important factor for the destruction of the Roman Empire was ___. (a) the rise of self-sufficient manors. (c) the widespread use of slaves. (b) lack of orderly succession to the throne. (d) military strength of the Germanics. The Frankish leader who defeated the Moors at the Battle of Tours was ___. (a) Clovis. (c) Charlemagne. (b) Pepin. (d) Charles Martel. Areas that Charlemagne united within his empire are now part of _____. (a) France and Germany. (c) England and Spain (b) Spain and Portugal. (d) Austria and Russia. An important result of Clovis’ conquests was the _____. (a) spread of Christianity in Europe (b) union of the Western and Eastern Roman empires (c) expulsion of the Moslems from western Europe (d) decline of feudalism in central Europe. The "Dark Ages" in western Europe refers to the period _____. (a) after the creation of the Feudal system (b) soon after the assassination of Julius Caesar (c) followed the collapse of the Roman Empire (d.) strengthening the central authority of Rome within the Empire. Which was not a result of the Germanic invasions of the Roman Empire? (a) Raising the level of civilization (c) Curtailing trade (b) Overthrowing the Roman government (d) Destroying many fine buildings The tithe was _____. (a.) an asylum for the poor. (c.) a monastic order. (b.) a tax levied by the Church. (d.) a special...
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...Feudalism In 1066, Feudalism was established in England by William the Conqueror, and lasted a couple hundred years. “[It] organized society during a violent and lawless time after the fall of the Roman Empire” (pg. 10), often known as the Medieval, or Dark, Ages. Feudalism “… developed an economic, military, and government system that has never been duplicated in any other time or place in the world” (pg. 9). Even though those three systems had been created, there were still many problems with the structure as a whole, such as taxing the poorest class. Within the Feudal system there was an order of power that started with the Pope, followed by the King, Nobles, Vassals (Knights), Freemen, Yeomen, servants, and, at the very bottom, peasants/serfs. “… [The King of] England, for example, divided [his] entire [kingdom] into fifty of sixty fiefs…” (pg.9), or parcels of land, and granted them to Nobles and Vassals, who would have then provided military services back to him in times of up rise. Not only did serfs work the land given to the Nobles and Vassals, but they also had large taxes placed on them by the King. These unreasonable taxes, along with the lack of a set body of laws led to a slow decline in Feudalism. Overall, Feudalism was a one-time system that “… helped European civilization lift itself out of the Dark Ages” (pg.10). It lasted just long enough for the economy to level out, and for a new system of military services to be...
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...Running head: The High-Middle Ages The High-Middle Ages xx xx World Civilization HIS-109 xx February xx,xxxx The High-Middle Ages This paper includes a few major events in the history of the High-Middle Ages; An era with war and conflict from Asia all the way to Europe and beyond. Peace and war continued throughout the High-Middle Ages yet wars lasted longer and several issues arose impacting both war and peace. This paper includes an explanation of the people affected in the High-Middle Ages consisting of, Christianity in Europe, the Crusades failure, the structure of a feudal society, and death beyond belief. Christianity surfaced through the beliefs of Jews and creating the rise of Christianity began. The expansion of Christianity during the reign of the Roman Empire threatened the Empire. The Empire wanted power and if Christians has all power the Roman Empire failed as leaders. This threat began the stages of persecution towards Christians and the aggravation ceased when Emperor Constantine obtained his Roman throne. Christianity held strong and dominated Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire. Christianity dominated people of both the poor and the rich. “Religious institutors including the Church and the monasteries became wealthy and influential given the fact that the state allocated a significant budget for religious activities”, (Newman, 2008, Para.1). Christianity dominated and Crusaders wanted nothing more than to take over the Holy Land promised...
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...Feudalism Feudalism was the medieval model of government predating the birth of the modern nation-state. Feudal society is a military hierarchy in which a ruler or lord offers mounted fighters a fief(medieval beneficium), a unit of land to control in exchange for a military service. The individual who accepted this land became a vassal, and the man who granted the land become known as his liege or his lord. The deal was often sealed by swearing oaths on the Bible or on the relics of saints. Often this military service amounted to forty days' service each year in times of peace or indefinite service in times of war, but the actual terms of service and duties varied considerably on a case-by-case basis. Factors such as the quality of land, the skill of the fighter, local custom, and the financial status of the liege lord always played a part. For instance, in the late medieval period, this military service was often abandoned in preference for cash payment, or agreement to provide a certain number of men-at-arms or mounted knights for the lord's use.In the late medieval period, the fiefdom often became hereditary, and the son of a knight or lesser nobleman would inherit the land and the military duties from his father upon the father's death. Feudalism had two enormous effects on medieval society.(1) First, feudalism discouraged unified government. Individual lords would divide their lands into smaller and smaller sections to give to lesser rulers and knights. These lesser noblemen...
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