The implementation of the agrarian legislation of the Russian empire in the latter half of the 19th - early 20th century: the practice of resettlement policy

Introduction. In the paper, the author analyzes the implementation of the agrarian legislation of the Russian Empire in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries and examines the practice of resettlement policy. The author concludes that the agrarian and resettlement policies merged into a single whole: the sale of plots gave the peasants the initial material capital, and the expansion of the resettlement movement and the consistent regulation by the state provided an opportunity for former community members to move to the vacant lands on the outskirts of the Russian Empire. The purpose is to show that resettlement was a large-scale part of the general agrarian policy aimed at improving the welfare of the Russian peasant economy. The methods of scientific cognition, comparative analysis, statistical, historical, and systemic analyses are used. Results. In the context of modern global transformations, it is extremely important to study different models of the development of marginal and annexed territories and their inclusion in the common legal space and economic life. Conclusions. The centuries-old neighborhood with other ethnic groups has become for Russia a colossal experience in the formation of a tolerant society.