Saifullina L. F. In the chaos of the Civil War: Peasant households in the Southern Urals (based on the data of the 1917 and 1920 censuses, Malaya Bashkiria) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №3. P. 72-87.

EDN: QJEPIB

Annotation

The article considers changes in the economic structure of the peasantry during the Civil War, based on the collections of household cards of the 1917 and 1920 AllRussian Agricultural Censuses from the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The author focuses on five settlements on the left bank of the Belaya River in the Sterlitamak district with the Russian agricultural peasantry, located at different distances from the theater of operations. In 1917–1920, in all selected settlements the number of farms increased, and there was a relative increase in the population. A decline in the number of working-age men (18–60 years old) was observed only in villages along the routes taken by opposing forces or where armed formations were stationed. Given the fact that by 1920, 19.3% of men were mobilized or volunteered for the front, the average reduction in the working-age male population was 26.2%. The sharp reduction in sown areas was caused by several factors (legislative ban on land leasing, natural and climatic conditions, etc.), with the greatest impact of the policy of War Communism, especially forced food procurement and the state grain monopoly. Based on the analysis of the agricultural censuses data, the study reveals a trend toward the “middling” of the peasantry during the Civil War. The decline in livestock farming among the peasantry manifested in a significant loss of cattle and small livestock (sheep and goats) and, to a lesser extent, horses that owners strove to preserve for the future as the primary source of draft power for their farms. No correlation was found between the reduction in sown areas or livestock numbers and the distance from the front line.

Keywords

All-Russian Agricultural Census, Sterlitamak uyezd, livestock farming, agriculture, cantons, peasantry, Little Bashkiria, household cards, RSFSR.  

About the author

Leyla F. Saifullina, PhD (History), Researcher, Department of History and Cultural History of Bashkortostan, Order of the Badge of Honour Institute of History, Language and Literature, Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Oktyabrya Prosp., 71, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan, 450054, Russia.
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Egorov A. K. Peasant unrest in the Volga Region in the summer of 1892 // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №3. P. 55-71.

EDN: OIHHWN

Annotation

The article considers the peasant unrest in the Volga Region during the cholera epidemic in the summer of 1892. Peasant uprisings began in communities along the Volga upstream — in the Astrakhan, Saratov, and Samara Provinces — soon after the cholera riots had ended in Astrakhan on June 22, 1892, and migrant workers had fled the city. Peasants refused to implement anti-cholera measures, denied officials and medical personnel entry to their villages and attacked those suspected of malicious intent against the people. The unrest was fueled by rumors of criminal abuse by officials and doctors who allegedly accepted bribes to kill people in hospitals or poisoned water and food supplies. The spread of rumors was facilitated by heavy shipping traffic on the Volga, which enabled potential instigators to move upriver quickly, which is why the 1892 riots broke out almost simultaneously in two main centers of unrest — in the Lower and Middle Volga regions. In 1892, there were two types of peasant riots by intensity and social composition: first, essentially a continuation of riots in the nearby cities of Saratov and Khvalynsk, which involved different social groups, both locals and migrants, and were characterized by extreme violence and many casualties; second, peasant unrest sparked by independent actions of the local population, without the involvement of outside elements, which was less aggressive and not accompanied by killings. Unlike seasonal workers and marginalized urban groups, the traditional peasantry of the Volga Region showed relative resilience to inflammatory rumors.

Keywords

Epidemic, cholera, rumors, poisoning, panic, violence, communication, transport routes, Volga Region.  

About the author

Alexander K. Egorov, PhD (History), Associate Professor, Petrozavodsk State University. Lenin St., 33, Petrozavodsk, 185910, Russia; Researcher, Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History, Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Pushkinskaya St., 11, Petrozavodsk, 185910, Russia.
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Sleptsova (Kyzlasova) I. S., Smurova O. V. Entrepreneurial activities of seasonal migrant workers from Kostroma in Saint Petersburg (1860s–1914): Informal practices within the formal economy // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №3. P. 32-54.

EDN: MZUPAO

Annotation

The article considers the entrepreneurship of seasonal peasant workers from the Kostroma Province in Saint Petersburg in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries, emphasizing the need for an interdisciplinary approach as such peasant activities combined norms of different social orders and cannot be explained by the classical economic theory. The suggested theoretical framework combines ideas of informal economy (T. Shanin), institutional approach (D. North), theory of habitus (P. Bourdieu), and concept of the “strength of weak ties” (M. Granovetter), which allows to consider the seasonal peasant workers’ practices as a socially embedded system in which informal institutions — regional and kin connections, reputation and mutual trust — played a key role. The study is based on the 50-volume “Reference Books on Members of the Saint Petersburg Merchant Class…” (1865–1916), which registered peasants engaged in entrepreneurship, and on “General Audit Journals”, which revealed their practices of avoiding official registration. The article describes the stages in life trajectories of seasonal migrant workers, mechanisms of community formation based on “elective affinity”, and transformation of social ethos in the urban environment. The authors identify three entrepreneurial strategies: adaptive, iterative (trial-and-error method), and experimental, based on the recombination of traditional elements in the new market conditions (path dependence), including diversification of activities and deviant practices (tax evasion, payment of fines). Thus, the “Reference Books” allow to reconstruct the integration of seasonal migrant workers into urban social groups; however, the data is incomplete due to the existence of an informal sector, which is why future research should draw upon fiscal and judicial documents to examine the relationship between formal and informal practices.

Keywords

Economic anthropology, informal economy, expolar economy, peasant mentality, network organization, imperial period.  

About the authors

Irina S. Sleptsova (Kyzlasova), Senior Researcher, N. N. Miklukho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Leninsky Prosp., 32a, Moscow, 119334, Russia.
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Olga V. Smurova, DSc (History), Independent Researcher. Stopani St., 48, Kostroma, 156022, Russia.
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Ishankhodjaeva Z. R. Labor resources from Uzbekistan in the development  of Russia’s Non-Black Earth Region (1975–1985) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №2. P. 100-118.

EDN: OJQHSC

Annotation

The article considers the role of labor resources from Uzbekistan in the development of Russia’s Non-Black Earth Region from 1975 to 1985 based on the materials from the National Archive of Uzbekistan, scientific literature, periodicals and normative-legal acts of the central and republican authorities of the USSR and the Uzbek SSR. The author describes the mechanisms of attracting and employing Uzbek labor resources in the all-Union program for the integrated development of agriculture in the NonBlack Earth Region. The article presents a detailed analysis of documents regulating resettlement, organization of labor and living conditions of Uzbek workers in new regions; of the goals, scope of participation and main directions of economic development within the program; of the problems of resettlers, including difficulties in adapting to the climatic and natural conditions of the Non-Black Earth Region, social and everyday challenges, organizational and managerial shortcomings in the implementation of the project; of such causes of these problems as insufficient local infrastructure, shortcomings in planning and implementing measures for social integration of resettlers, limited attention to their national-cultural features. The study provides a deeper understanding of the interregional migration in the USSR, revealing mechanisms of interaction between republics and regions and explaining social-economic and cultural consequences of the Soviet mobilization campaigns.

Keywords

Cooperation, economy, Non-Black Earth Region, land reclamation, irrigation, integrated development, land reclamation workers, engineers, workers.  

About the author

Zamira R. Ishankhodjaeva, DSc (History), Professor, Department of History of Uzbekistan, Mirzo Ulugbek National University of Uzbekistan. University St., 4, Almazar district, Tashkent, 100174, Uzbekistan.
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Kim Chang Jin. Harvest of joy: A study of the Soviet Uzbekistan Korean millionaire kolkhoz “Politotdel” (1925-1985) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №2. P. 81-99.

EDN: MMZZUJ

Annotation

This study is an attempt of understanding the unique nature of the Soviet kolkhoz, which was both an agricultural production unit and a core institution of rural community. The issue of “advanced (or millionaire) kolkhozes” is one of those revealing the limitations and advantages of the Soviet kolkhoz system. Moreover, the experience of “advanced kolkhozes” from the mid-1930s to the 1980s allowed peasants to develop a form of local socialism from below through the “harvest of joy” rather than the “harvest of sorrow”. The “Politotdel” was one of the most famous Korean millionaire kolkhozes not only in Uzbekistan but also in the Soviet Union for about thirty years from the late 1950s. In 1953, when Hwang Man Gum with a strong entrepreneurial spirit was elected its leader, the “Politotdel” reached a turning point and made a leap forward in a short period of time. Its secrets of success were labor discipline ensured by efficient labor organization and fair wages, cultivation of kenaf and cotton as profitable main crops, mechanization (purchase of large agricultural machines after reorganization of MTS — Machine and Tractor Stations), and a solid feed base for livestock (due to the record corn harvest). The “Politotdel” and other Korean millionaire kolkhozes in Central Asia accumulated common assets of the local community in cooperation with rural intellectuals. Kolkhoz leaders, mid-level executives and farmers of the “Politotdel” were not passive individuals who simply obeyed the rules of the state command economy — they were innovators who created the “Soviet-style commons led from below” by peaceful multi-ethnic communities in rural society of Uzbekistan for decades. Through the historical experience of the advanced kolkhoz one can understand those institutional and practical characteristics of the Soviet kolkhoz that are not captured in the general picture of “failed kolkhoz agriculture and rural reality”.

Keywords

Soviet kolkhoz, Korean millionaire kolkhoz, kolkhoz “Politotdel”, duality of kolkhoz, Korean struggle for recognition, commons, multi-ethnic peace community.  

About the author

Kim Chang Jin, DSc (Political Sciences), Professor, SungKongHoe University. Yeon Dongro, Guro Gu, Seoul, Korea.
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Laperdin V. B. The phenomenon of marginality among kolkhoz chairmen  in the Western Siberian Region in the 1930s // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №2. P. 67-80.

EDN: JTBVSF

Annotation

The article considers an understudied aspect of the social history of the Soviet countryside — the marginal position of kolkhoz (collective-farm) chairmen. Despite their high rank in the kolkhoz hierarchy, two categories of leaders had marginal positions in social structure. The first category consisted of “professionals” appointed by Soviet organizations — successful managers, who had proven their competence on other farms, joined district activists and were sent to rural areas; for them, work in kolkhoz was either a career dead end or a temporary decline in status. The second category consisted of the politically “unreliable” elected by the peasantry and considered by the authorities as alien elements; their career advancement attracted unnecessary attention and often resulted in social failure. The author emphasizes the opposite trajectories of social mobility of these two categories — downward and upward; however, despite different origins of their marginality, both groups shared a marginal position and uncertain status. Although their social trajectories were opposite, both categories faced similar challenges, primarily of external control. The study shows that in the 1930s the kolkhoz chairman position could serve not as a social elevator but as a social trap and reveals a paradox of social mobility in the Soviet countryside — when a formally high kolkhoz status exacerbated marginality rather than facilitated integration into Soviet society.

Keywords

Agrarian history, kolkhozes (collective farms), peasantry, kolkhoz society, adaptation, marginalization, Siberia.  

About the author

Vyacheslav B. Laperdin, PhD (History), Senior Researcher, Institute of History, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Nikolaeva St., 8, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
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Savinova T. A. Unknown IRTUR and its Head G.K. Riesenkampf: On the history of the development of Central Asia // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №2. P. 48-66.

EDN: HMVQLZ

Annotation

The article considers the origins, development, activities and liquidation of one of the first Soviet organizations created by V. I. Lenin’s decrees in 1918 — Directorate of Irrigation Works in Turkestan (IRTUR). The author aims at describing the grandiose tasks set for this institution and its head and the influence of complex historical conditions in Russia in 1914–1920 on their solution. The article focuses on the activities of the technical director and chairman of the IRTUR Board, an outstanding scientist and hydraulic engineer G. K. Riesenkampf, an author of some ambitious irrigation projects, including Golodnostepsky (Riesenkampf’s full biography is given, including the last tragic pages). The work of some of his colleagues in the IRTUR is also mentioned — soil scientist N. A. Dimo, economist B. K. Lodygin and architect F. O. Shekhtel. The article is based on archival documents from institutional funds and personal funds of hydraulic engineers from the Russian State Archive of Economics (RGAE), most of which are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.

Keywords

Irrigation, land reclamation, Hungry Steppe, Turkestan, Department of Land Improvements, B. K. Lodygin, F. O. Shekhtel.  

About the author

Tatyana A. Savinova, PhD (Economics), Head of the Department of Organizational and Planning Work, Russian State Archive of Economics. B. Pirogovskaya St., 17, bldg. 9, Moscow, 119435.
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Potemkina M.N., Kozhukhova E.L. “Garden beds near workshops”: Food self-sufficiency of metallurgical plants (1941–1945) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №1. P. 89-112.

EDN: GQSMPZ

Annotation

The article considers the interaction between industrial and agricultural sectors during the Great Patriotic War. The authors focus on the ways in which factories developed subsidiary farms, organized decentralized harvesting, individual and collective gardening, and identify reasons and prerequisites for this type of management, its mechanisms, and the impact of such practices on food supply of the population. On the example of the Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), a large defense enterprise, the authors consider the organizational measures taken by its management to ensure the sustainable development of agricultural units, evaluating the decisions made and the efficiency of cooperation with the agricultural sector. The authors argue that the government failed to solve the problem of food security before the war. The country’s leadership demanded a transition to food self-sufficiency, so industrial enterprises had to organize independent food production by creating subsidiary farms. The lack of management mechanisms for such activities often led to low efficiency of subsidiary farms unable to have a significant impact on solving the workers’ nutrition problems.

Keywords

Economic history of the USSR, industrial enterprises, labor supply departments, subsidiary farms of enterprises, state farms, the Urals, food supply, decentralized food sources.  

About the authors

Marina N. Potemkina, DSc (History), Professor, Department of World History, Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University. Prosp. Lenina, 38, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Region, 455000, Russia; Leading Researcher, Center for Economic and Social History, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Prosp. Vernadskogo, 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
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Ekaterina L. Kozhukhova, PhD Student, Department of World History, Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University. Prosp. Lenina, 38, Magnitogorsk, 455000, Russia.
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Sharapov S.V. Informal (expolar) economy of the collective-farm village in Western Siberia in 1939–1953 // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №1. P. 72-88.

EDN: GEDQPV

Annotation

The author applies T. Shanin’s concept of expolar economy to analyze the ways in which the collective-farm village adapted to the new round of the state mobilization policy in 1939–1953. The article presents various ways of craft resources “penetration” (including land, money, labor and draught power, inventory, equipment, machinery, livestock and all kinds of agricultural products) into the informal sector. They were unevenly redistributed among many “recipients” — local government structures, individual officials, non-agricultural enterprises, top management of collective farms, and peasants. The informal economy provided the state with an invaluable service by compensating for the shortcomings of centralized management, eliminating the gaps in the goods exchange between the city and the countryside, thus reducing the severity of food crisis and shortages of goods in both urban and rural areas. Resources outside the state control allowed collective farms to perform social assistance functions that the state did not provide to the peasantry. The collective-farm economy was rooted in the peasant social life. The expolar ties that held the collective-farm society together helped peasants survive under the aggressive mobilization policies of the state. 

Keywords

Collective farms, peasantry, survival, adaptation, agrarian policy, mobilization.  

About the author

Sergey V. Sharapov, PhD (History), Researcher, Institute of History, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Nikolaeva St., 8, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
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Lyapin D.A. Soil factor and historical-geographical development of rural settlements in the Central Black-Earth Region in the 17th – early 18th centuries // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №1. P. 55-71.

EDN: FIHGNB

Annotation

The article considers the location features of rural settlements in the BlackEarth Region in the 17th–18th centuries. The author focuses on the soil factor as affecting villages and hamlets in the formation of the anthropogenic landscape and on the Belgorod, Voronezh, Yeletsky, Kozlovsky and Shatsky uyezds as actively developed by the Russian population. The article is based on the data collected in the studies of rural settlements and compared on the basis of the soil type. By mapping the data, the author identifies the location features of rural settlements within the uyezds. Thus, settlements concentrated near areas with black soil were located on the banks of large and small rivers. In addition to the soil factor, military and water factors are also significant for the development of the anthropogenic landscape. In some uyezds, the military factor played a dominant role for a long time, while the soil composition was secondary. The location of settlements connected to black soil influenced the formation of new uyezds. Each uyezd relied on its own economic base — fertile black soil, which made it possible to support a large army and build military-defensive fortifications. Thus, the soil factor had a great impact on the history of the development of the Black-Earth Region, not only determining its anthropogenic landscape, but also providing food for a large army.

Keywords

Soils, black earth, peasantry, small landowners, rural settlements, historicalgeographical features, economic development, census books, Belgorod uyezd, Voronezh uyezd, Kozlovsky uyezd, Shatsky uyezd.  

About the author

Denis A. Lyapin, DSC (History), Leading Researcher, Bunin Yelets State University. Kommunarov St., 28, Yelets, Lipetsk Region, 399770, Russia. 
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