Who are the registered peasants? This is an interesting question about the situation of peasants in Russia

Among the peasant class of the 18-19th centuries, the most diverse groups are distinguished. Of special interest are the settlement and registered peasants. This large part of the peasantry, which was officially considered the property of the state, in fact was subjected to severe exploitation by the owners of factories and manufactories.

The history of the appearance of the category of registered peasants

The 17th century in the history of Russia is the time of the birth of the first sprouts of capitalism. To the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich include the appearance of manufactories, including mining in the Urals. This fact is also associated with the emergence of such a concept as the attributable peasants. This is due to the need to use workers in new enterprises in the conditions of serfdom that was just finalized (in 1649). All the peasants of that period were divided into two large groups: serfs and black-capped (state) peasants .

The former could not freely engage in work, the latter reluctantly went to the mining works in connection with the severity of labor. In the face of the worst shortage of labor, entrepreneurs turned to the state for help. The last beginning was attributed to the factories of state peasants on the condition that the breeders would pay tribute to them for a poll tax and a quitrent. In the future, the practice of attribution has spread to state-owned factories.

The situation of peasants assigned to plants

Initially, the work of the peasants assigned to the factories was considered as corvée - that is, temporary assistance in auxiliary factory works, such as: to transport wood, coal, ore, iron. It was believed that the peasants will have to work out the amount that the breeders will pay to the state in order to pay their taxes. But gradually everything changed. The factory administration increasingly attracted peasants, many of them miners. These additional works were paid for, but at a minimum. The underprivileged peasants under Petr 1 began to receive a uniform payment throughout Russia for labor in the factories during the summer field work. A peasant with a horse - 10 cents, and a horseless - 5 cents. But, as usual in Russia, laws are not always executed. And since it was necessary to work for each "male soul", an adult family member could work for a whole year at the plant for an old father, young sons. After a while, the administration of the factories enshrined the right to punish the workers under their control. Pripyatnye peasants perceived this as enslavement. There are a lot of written sources with complaints about breeders, and a more weighty argument is their participation in anti-government movements, especially in the Emelian Pugachev uprising. Thus, the position of the peasants assigned to the plant can be fully equated with the serfdom.

Assessed peasants

Since 1649, the monopoly right of nobles and boyars to own peasants, including the possibility of their purchase and sale. But Peter 1 was faced with the need to help the nascent bourgeoisie in resolving the issue of the labor force for their factories. Therefore, in 1721 a law was promulgated allowing the peasants to buy for manufactories not to the nobles who arranged their private enterprises. This social group was called the sessional peasants. They could not be sold or pawned separately from the plant and used their labor for extraneous work. Thus, the feudal state solved the problem with a shortage of labor for the young Russian industry. So, in the 18th century, the acceded peasants are not sessional. In the future, the ratio of terms is changing.

Prisessnye and posessionnye peasants in the 19th century

By the end of the 18th century, the government had ceased the practice of attributing state peasants to the factories . This was due to constant unrest in the Urals and complaints against the owners. In 1807 Alexander I took a step towards the abolition of this group of peasants. Most of them were exempted from compulsory works in favor of the plant, it remained the necessary minimum to ensure continuous operation. Unfortunately, this provision only extended to the Urals. In accordance with the provision of 1807, the term "registered peasants" disappears. This, however, did not mean the eradication of the exploitation of the peasants at the factories completely. A limited number of peasants who remained in the submission of breeders, began to be called "indispensable workers." They officially became equivalent to the unemployed peasants. Only after the abolition of serfdom the Urals industry and other factories were forced to switch to civilian labor.

Some statistics

For the first time the fact of the registration of peasants to the factories dates back to 1633, and in the quantitative terms there were a little more than three hundred people. This process was most active in the first half of the 18th century, after the modernization of Peter. By the end of the 18th century this category numbered more than 312 thousand people. After the reform of 1861, more than 170,000 posessionist peasants received the will of the emancipating emperor.