The concepts of peasantry in Russia about land right in 1917

In the Russian pre-revolution period double land right of peasants existed: family and community. The rights for land lots were assigned to households by means of parceling and re-allotment inside community, either by the separation of Stolypin individual landowners. Early in 1917 peasants continued to buy out lands of landlords. In spring, 1917, the so called "Peasant revolution" was initiated. This revolution was characterized not only by judicial but also by moral meaning. Peasantry believed that the land right should be assigned only to those who cultivate lands. The notion of unentitled to land right was expanded to all "aliens", not members of community: landlords, farms’ owners demerged from community religious communities and the like, as well as peasants of neighboring. The concepts were outlined concerning the allotment of equal portion to all citizens from common "land property". The theorists of the peasant approach to the right, social revolutionists were against private land ownership and for partial buyout of lands by the state: private lands, urban lands, military lands with their subsequent transfer to peasants. Provisional Government aiming at compensation of insufficient sowing during the war planned to transfer arable lands to those who was able to cultivate them. Peasants exploited the situation and using methods of "peaceful" struggle (forced buyout, prohibition of works, absence from work, etc), and then by aggressive seizures and looting they defended their concept of land right. The community became an actor of the revolution. Management types in Russia were different. Rural population in addition to community peasants was comprised of Cossacks, livestock breeders, specialists in land management, and some other categories. There-fore, in meetings opinions were presented and decisions were adopted concerning the rights of local self-government to determine the procedures of land distribution. Final conclusion of the study is that the concepts of peasantry about land right, neglecting private land ownership and asserting the right of land management by peasant communities without state interference drove the revolution from political stage to radical social redistribution of property.