The abolition of serfdom and the situation of the post-Reform peasantry in Russia in the assessments of V. P. Meshchersky

Abstract

Relevance. The article attempts to present an assessment by the influential conservative publicist and publicsher of the magazine "Citizen" V. P. Meshchersky of the events of the abolition of serfdom and the post-reform situation of the Russian peasantry. Turning to the study of this question allows us to expand the understanding of existing opinions about the problem under study.The purpose of the study is to analyze, on the basis of modern achievements of historical science, the assessments of the abolition of serfdom and the post-reform status of the peasantry by the influential Russian publicist V. P. Meshchersky.Objectives: to analyze the sources and historiography on the topic under study; to focus on the socio-political views of Prince V. P. Meshchersky and their uniqueness, or, on the contrary, typical for the environment of domestic conservatives of the second half of the XIX century; to try to reconstruct, on the basis of his assessments, the perception by an influential publicist of the events of the abolition of serfdom and the prevailing post-reform situation of the peasantry.Methodology. The presented research is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, consistency, which are closely interrelated with the dialectical method, as well as on general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization.Results. The conducted research allowed us to focus on the significant interest of Prince V. P. Meshchersky in the peasant issue, the abolition of serfdom and its practical implementation. At the same time, remaining a representative of the noble class, he largely expressed his thoughts on the post-reform situation of the peasantry from the point of view of the interests of landowners, emphasizing that in conditions of political immaturity of the broad masses of the population and lack of experience in independent economic activity, many peasants are waiting for ruin and impoverishment.Conclusion. Vladimir Petrovich Meshchersky's views on the abolition of serfdom and the post-reform situation of the peasantry mostly coincided with the opinions of other representatives of the conservative camp, except for the editorial office of the newspaper "Vesti". They were largely the result of his worldview on the paternalistic nature of relations between landlords and serfs, so the prince, being a staunch supporter of the liberation of the peasants, was dissatisfied with its implementation in practice. He based his conclusions on what he saw during numerous trips around the country.