Emancipation of the Serfs
At a glance:
- Series: Chronology of European History
- Categories: Government and Politics, Social Issues, Reform, and Protest, Economics
- Subcategories: Laws, Acts, Legislation, Czars, Tsars, Feudalism, Serfs, Peasants
- Curriculum: 19th Century European History, Russian/Former Soviet States History
- Geographical Location: Russia, Europe
- Date: March 3, 1861 (February 19 by Julian calendar)
Article abstract: The emancipation of the serfs fundamentally alters the political, social, and economic relationships that have upheld the czarist system in Russia for more than two centuries.
Summary of Event
Serfdom developed in Russia as an integral part of the Russian political system. Serfdom in medieval Europe had meant that the peasant belonged to the land; when title to the land changed hands, the peasant went with it. In Russia, however, serfdom was virtually indistinguishable from slavery because the peasants could be legally separated from...
[The entire page is 1311 words long]
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