The Edict of Emancipation was declared on February 19, 1861. It stated that serfs were free from all duties and could own land, marry freely, and go to court. The serfs henceforth owned the houses that they lived in, and could purchase land from their landlord through the government.
The Serfs and Emancipation
Although serfs were no longer bound to landlords and owned land, life in many aspects was still the same. They were exploited by landlords like before who overvalued the land for sale, increasing their share from the government and increasing the serf's payments. The payments, called the redemption tax, to be made were to the government as compensation for the land gained. The redemption tax buried many serfs in debt. This severely limited their freedom. Another limit was that the commune or village became what was essentially a landlord. A communal council made decisions, and abandoning the commune was essentially forbidden. The real strength in the commune was that the land belonged to the commune, not the individual. The commune even demanded labor, much like a landlord, should a member not pay their redemption tax.
In the communal system, one had a chance to work their way up. Peasants were not equal in the commune, as one could be a day laborer or be as high up as to be semi-separate from the commune and rent land from the nobles. The latter such people had the chance to keep land in the family, not the commune.
Introduction
The Edict of Emancipation was declared on February 19, 1861. It stated that serfs were free from all duties and could own land, marry freely, and go to court. The serfs henceforth owned the houses that they lived in, and could purchase land from their landlord through the government.The Serfs and Emancipation
Although serfs were no longer bound to landlords and owned land, life in many aspects was still the same. They were exploited by landlords like before who overvalued the land for sale, increasing their share from the government and increasing the serf's payments. The payments, called the redemption tax, to be made were to the government as compensation for the land gained. The redemption tax buried many serfs in debt. This severely limited their freedom. Another limit was that the commune or village became what was essentially a landlord. A communal council made decisions, and abandoning the commune was essentially forbidden. The real strength in the commune was that the land belonged to the commune, not the individual. The commune even demanded labor, much like a landlord, should a member not pay their redemption tax.In the communal system, one had a chance to work their way up. Peasants were not equal in the commune, as one could be a day laborer or be as high up as to be semi-separate from the commune and rent land from the nobles. The latter such people had the chance to keep land in the family, not the commune.