Question

How were Russian peasants different from from other European peasants in the beginning of the 20th Century? (5 points)

Answer 1

S.No Russian peasants European peasants
1. Percentage of people employed in agriculture was high Percentage of people in agriculture was low
2. Peasants had no respect for nobility Peasants respected nobles and even fought for them
3. They wanted the land of the nobles as they cultivated most of the land They pooled their lands together and divided the benefits equally among the needy families



The working population in Russia was different from other countries in Europe before 1917 because not all Russian workers migrated from the villages to work in the industrial sector. Some of them continued to live in villages and went to work daily, to the towns. They were a divided group, socially and professionally, and this showed in their dress and manners too. Metal workers were the “aristocrats” of the working class because their occupation demanded more training and skill. Nevertheless, the working population was united on one front — strikes against work conditions and employer tyranny.

Answer 2

Russian peasants were different from other Euro

pean peasants in another way. They pooled their land

together periodically and their commune divided it

according to the needs of individual families. Russian

peasants were deeply religious. But except in a few

cases they had no respect for the nobility. In Russia,

peasants wanted the land of the nobles to be given to

them. Frequently, they refused to pay rent and even

murdered landlords. In 1902, this occurred on a large

scale in south Russia. And in 1905, such incidents

took place all over Russia.