According to one of two versions, serfdom was entrenched in Russia in the specifically set out law of 1592. In it the unequal rights of the landowner and the peasant were finally established, and serfdom in Russia was fixed at the official level. In another presentation, it arose gradually and led to the complete loss of any independence among the poor peasants. The tsarist manifesto abolished serfdom in 1861, February 19.
History of occurrence
As we noted, there are two versions of the origin of the concept. Between themselves, historians call them “index” and “indexless”. They begin in the middle of the 19th century. We learn what serfdom is based on two versions.
Adherents of the first version claim that in 1592 a law was passed on the final ban on the freedom of peasants. According to its results, peasants were forbidden to "travel" from one landowner to another. The whole family was forever assigned to the landowner and completely depended on him.
In the 16th century, no good paper was produced, and as a result, no documents that could confirm the authenticity of the first version existed. Therefore, some historians studying what serfdom in Russia adhere to the second version. In it, the consolidation of peasants by the landlords is described as a phased action that took several centuries.
Reliability of the first description of events
The so-called decree version was refuted by V. O Klyuchevsky. The researcher found records of peasants that date back to about 1620-1630. As a result of the analysis of the letters, Klyuchevsky found out that the peasants had an ancient right that allowed them to "defend themselves" from the landowner. This directly contradicts the first version, according to which serfs were fixed forever for one owner.
What is serfdom? Definition
In the explanatory dictionary of D. N. Ushakov two descriptions of the word are given. In order to simplify the concept, the article conveys a short translation of the text, but with the preservation of meaning.
- This is a social form of interaction, which obeys a single scheme "slave-slave owner."
- A noble worldview based on the ideology of serfdom.
Soviet scholars wondered what serfdom was. As a result, they agreed that this is a form of class inequality, characterized by the exploitative attitude of one person (landowner) to another (serf).