Implementation of land policy at the beginning of the 20th century (a case study of Orenburg Province)

Land policies and relations have remained an important issue for several centuries. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a vast range of unaddressed agricultural problems, which hindered the development of national economy. The Stolypin’s transformation program focused on conflict settlement in rural areas and peasantry growth was among the most outstanding reforms of that time. According to the law passed on June 14, 1910, peasants were given a right to buy and sell land, withdraw from the peasant community without the village assembly’s approval and manage the farm based on the new forms of land tenure, i.e., khutors and otrubs. The land management law passed on May 29, 1911, that completed the Stolypin’s land reform, simplified the transition to the otrub-based use of land. This law could not be applied in Orenburg Province where no active land management committees existed and the land was, in fact, unmanaged. The resettlement policy implemented in the region was also unable to meet the peasantry’s needs. The complex and chaotic nature of the resettlement process gave rise to new problems associated with land disputes between locals and new settlers. The effects of the land policies implemented in Orenburg Province were contradictory. The growth of private land ownership among peasants had a positive impact on agricultural development in the region. However, the reformation of land relations has affected a far smaller scope of lands than expected. The communal land ownership continued to prevail. As a result, agricultural reforms remained an important and key issue in Russian society.