Property and social differentiation of transbaikal peasantry in latter half of the XIXth - early XXth centuries

The article focuses on one of the major issues of regional agrarian history for the capitalist period - the period of material and social stratification of Transbaikal peasantry. The paper aims at analyzing the degree of class divisions among rural population of Transbaikal region. The absence of serfdom in the region and abundance of indigenous population resulted in a peculiar process of peasants’ disintegration are a key area of interest. Thereby the issue of Siberian peasants’ disintegration is not dealt by historians conclusively and still under debate. By addressing broad-ranging resources and published literature, the author accurately and conclusively shows the process of forming new social groups in the countryside - rural bourgeoisie (middle class) and rural proletariat. The materials concerning land lease, peasants’ seasonal work and the reasons for pushing these processes are of great interest. The information about the influence of Trans-Siberian railway on farm business in Transbaikalia and the entire regional economy is of great concern. The author concludes about the degree of Russian and Buryat peasants’ disintegration and the degree of Cossacks’ class stratification in Transbaikal region. The article’s novelty aims at addressing the archival material some parts of which are firstly introduced for scientific use.