The peasant movement in the southern regions of the Nizhny Novgorod province in March-October of 1917

Introduction. This article is devoted to the topic related to the events of February and October revolutions of 1917. At present, the problems that affect these events in the historical science, still, are debatable. Based on local specific historical and local history material, the authors tried to consider the origins of peasant movements in the southern regions of the Nizhny Novgorod province in March-October 1917. The purpose of the article is to review the background and identify the features of peasant activity in the several agricultural districts of the Nizhny Novgorod province, which, as it is known, was one of the centers of the revolutionary events of 1917. Materials and Methods. To obtain objective results in the study of this problem, the authors of the article used a variety including traditional and modern principles and methods of scientific knowledge, which allow us to consider the problems of economic, social and political development of the southern regions of the Nizhny Novgorod province in March-October of 1917. To obtain a sufficient aggregate of historical facts, search methods were used (identification, selection, criticism of this material). In the work, both special-historical and general scientific methods are used: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, comparative-historical, chronological. The variety and scope of the subject of research necessitates of the complex application of various methods for its study. In their work, the authors also rely on the logical method of historical reconstruction. Results. In this article the authors emphasize the main problem related to the peasants’ interest in revolutionary changes - the unresolved agrarian question. Attempts to find a solution to this question were made by the tsarist governments, but unsuccessfully. Still, in agriculture, there was a shortage of land, the backwardness of agricultural production, the bulk of the peasants were in a state of landlessness and dispossession. Discussion and Conclusions. In general, a comparative analysis of documents relating to the period of the Provisional Government and characterizing the situation in Arzamas, Sergach, Lukoyanovsky, Knyagininsky and other counties made it possible to conclude that the agrarian movement received a special dimension here in July, 1917. The most important prerequisite for agrarian disorders in the southern regions of the Nizhny Novgorod province was the preservation of landlord landownership, associated with it the exploitation of the peasantry, shortage of land, etc. But then the riots did not fade, but grew ever more, causing much trouble among the nobles and landlords. The proposed conclusions provide the prerequisites for further study of the problem of agrarian appearances during the revolutions of 1917 in the content and scientific plans, and the materials presented by the authors can be used to develop lecture courses on national history, local lore, and to compile scientific popular publications.