The Institutional Framework of Russian Serfdom PDF
Preview The Institutional Framework of Russian Serfdom
This page intentionally left blank The Institutional Framework of Russian Serfdom Russianruralhistoryhaslongbeenbasedona‘PeasantMyth’,originat- ing with nineteenth-century Romantics and still accepted by many historians today. In this book, Tracy Dennison shows how Russian societylookedfrombelow,andfindsnothinglikethecollective,redis- tributive,andmarket-aversebehaviouroftenattributedtoRussianpeas- ants.Onthecontrary,theRussianruralpopulationwasasintegratedinto regionalandevennationalmarketsasmanyofitswestEuropeancoun- terparts.Serfdomwasaloosegarmentthatenableddifferentlandlordsto shapeeconomicinstitutions,especiallypropertyrights,inwidelydiverse ways.Highlycoerciveandbackwardregimesonsomelandlords’estates existedsidebysidewithsurprisinglyliberalapproximationstoaruleof law.Thisbookpaintsavividandcolourfulpictureoftheeverydayreality ofruralRussiabeforethe1861abolitionofserfdom. tracy dennison is Associate Professor of Social Science History at theCaliforniaInstituteofTechnology.Herworkhasreceivednumerous prizes,includingthePollardPrizeawardedbytheInstituteforHistorical Research at the University of London, and the Economic History Association’sAlexanderGerschenkronPrize. Cambridge Studies in Economic History EditorialBoard PAULJOHNSONLaTrobeUniversity SHEILAGHOGILVIEUniversityofCambridge AVNEROFFERAllSoulsCollege,Oxford GIANNITONIOLOUniversitàdiRoma‘TorVergata’ GAVINWRIGHTStanfordUniversity CambridgeStudiesinEconomicHistorycomprisesstimulatingandaccessibleeco- nomichistorywhichactivelybuildsbridgestootherdisciplines.Booksintheseries will illuminate why the issues they address are important and interesting, place theirfindingsinacomparativecontext,andrelatetheirresearchtowiderdebates andcontroversies.Theserieswillcombineinnovativeandexcitingnewresearch byyoungerresearcherswithnewapproachestomajorissuesbyseniorscholars.It willpublishdistinguishedworkregardlessofchronologicalperiodorgeographical location. Acompletelistoftitlesintheseriescanbefoundat: www.cambridge.org/economichistory The Institutional Framework of Russian Serfdom Tracy Dennison cambridge university press Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown, Singapore,SãoPaulo,Delhi,Tokyo,MexicoCity CambridgeUniversityPress TheEdinburghBuilding,CambridgeCB28RU,UK PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress, NewYork www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521194488 ©TracyDennison2011 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2011 PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata Dennison,T.K.(TracyK.),1970– TheinstitutionalframeworkofRussianserfdom/T.K.Dennison. p. cm.–(Cambridgestudiesineconomichistory) Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-0-521-19448-8(hardback) 1. Serfdom–Russia–History. 2. Peasants–Russia–Economicconditions. 3. Peasants–Russia–Socialconditions. 4. Russia–Rural conditions. 5. Russia–Economicconditions–To1861. 6. Russia–Commerce–History. 7. Landtenure–Russia–History. 8. Rightofproperty–Russia–History. 9. Agriculture–Economicaspects– Russia–History. 10. Agriculture–Socialaspects–Russia– History. I. Title. II. Series. HD714.D46 2011 306.30650947–dc22 2010043705 ISBN978-0-521-19448-8Hardback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor accuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredto inthispublication,anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuch websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate. Itisaverybadpolicytowanttochangebylawswhatshouldbechanged bycustoms. —ArticleXXIXofCatherineII’sNakaz Thisarticleseemstomakenorms(moeurs)independentoflaws.Ithink thatnormsderivefromlaws...Normsaregoodwhenthelawswhichare observedaregoodandbadwhenthelawswhichareobservedarebad. Therearenonormswhengoodorbadlawsarenotobserved. —DiderotonArticleXXIXoftheNakaz Contents Listoffiguresandtables page viii Preface xi Anoteonthevalueoftherouble xv Anoteontransliteration xvii Listofabbreviations xviii Glossary xix Map:Yaroslavl’andsurroundingprovinces xx 1 WhyisRussiadifferent?Culture,geography,institutions 1 2 Voshchazhnikovo:amicrocosmofnineteenth-century Russia 29 3 Householdstructureandfamilyeconomy 50 4 Theruralcommune 93 5 Landandpropertymarkets 132 6 Labourmarkets 149 7 Creditandsavings 181 8 Retailmarketsandconsumption 199 9 TheinstitutionalframeworkofRussianserfdom 213 Bibliography 234 Index 251 vii Figures and tables Figure 3.1 Householdsizeversusallotmentsize,1858 page81 Tables 2.1 VillagesontheVoshchazhnikovoestate,1834,1850 31 2.2 Seed/yieldratiosfortheVoshchazhnikovoestate,1841–54 35 3.1 Agestructure,villageofVoshchazhnikovo,1816–58 55 3.2 Meanhouseholdsize,villageofVoshchazhnikovo, 1816–58 63 3.3 Householdstructure,villageofVoshchazhnikovo, 1816–58 66 3.4 Householdstructure,Mishino,1814–58 67 3.5 Householdstructure,Petrovskoe,1814–56 67 3.6 Householdstructure,Voshchazhnikovo,1816–58 69 3.7 Singulatemeanageatmarriage,Mishino,1782–1858 72 3.8 Averageageatfirstmarriage,Petrovskoe,1813–56 72 3.9 Singulatemeanageatmarriage,villageof Voshchazhnikovo,1816–58 73 3.10 Proportionofserfsnevermarried,villageof Voshchazhnikovo,1816–58 75 3.11 PercentageofmalesinvillageofVoshchazhnikovonever havingbeenheadsofhousehold,1816–58 78 3.12 TenlargesthouseholdsinVoshchazhnikovo,thenumberof adultmalesineach,andthesizeofeachhousehold’s communalallotment,1858 82 3.13 ToptenhouseholdsinVoshchazhnikovobycommunal allotmentsize,1858 83 3.14 BottomtenhouseholdsinVoshchazhnikovobycommunal allotmentsize,1858 83 viii
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