Economic Aspects of the Development of Peasant Household in Russia During the World War I

Abstract

Development features of peasant household of some Russian provinces during World War I are described in the paper. World War I had a great impact on Russian agriculture. Military recruitment, requisition of horses and cattle, lack of agricultural tools, machines and fertilizers, transport difficulties had a negative impact on agriculture. About 7.5 million people were taken from agriculture in the first year of war. About 6 million of people were called on military service in the second and third year. As a result, a large number of households were without male work power. Women, old men and teenagers had a major role in agriculture due to a lack of male work power. Agriculture lost a great number of horses. They were taken into the army. 3167 thousand of horses were in the army according to records for September 1, 1917. This is 10% of all livestock of horses in the country. A large number of cattle were confiscated during the war.  This had a great impact on agriculture of the southern and western provinces. A great requisition was in middle-class households and in poor households. However, despite a number of negative economic factors connected with the war, country economy had necessary human resources, material and technical resources, showing steady increase in work productivity and crop yield. Political events of critical period in the history of Russia in the beginning of the 20th century showed that the country was dependent on the peasantry. It was because the peasantry was the majority of population. Rural and army support played a great role in a victory of the Left in revolutionary events of 1917 and the subsequent Civil war.Agrarian revolution showed that Russian peasantry resolved complex problems of agrarian development by confiscatory and distributive actions. It was called «Black Repartition» in Russia.