Identifier
etd-11162005-111803
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
History
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
The problems of social and economic reform were at the center of academic and political activities of Maksim M. Kovalevskii (1851-1916), a prominent Russian historian and sociologist. The comparative study of rural communal institutions led him to conclude that the village commune remained a viable social and economic institution in late imperial Russia. Although he believed firmly in private agriculture, he criticized the Stolypin land reform for attempting to pressure peasants to separate from communes. Kovalevskii argued that in a country dominated by communal traditions the state must not destroy the collective economy by legislative fiat. He urged Russian policy-makers to support the village commune instead of destroying it and pointed to substantial evidence of the commune's economic potential. Recent studies have confirmed Kovalevskii's assertions that communal economic arrangements in the post-Emancipation Russian village were flexible enough to allow for innovation and improvement. Kovalevskii's analysis challenges us to revise our understanding of rural communal institutions and of the general dynamic of social and economic change.
Date
2005
Document Availability at the Time of Submission
Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.
Recommended Citation
Badredinov, Evgeny, "Problems of modernization in late imperial Russia: Maksim M. Kovalevskii on social and economic reform" (2005). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2170.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2170
Committee Chair
Thomas C. Owen
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.2170