새로운 농업정책의 채택과 스톨리핀의 농업개혁사상

Abstract

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century agrarian crises forced Russian government to reexamine its previous agranan policy that had mainly reinforced peasant communities. Accordingly Russian government laid the foundation for a new agrarian policy which would be later materialized by the Stolypin agrarian reform. However, Tsar Nicolas II and conservative higher officials were still obssesed with preserving peasant communities, while reckoning the economic priority of farmers (khutorianel. Their attitude was fundamentally changed after extensive peasant uprisings ensued by the Revolution of 1905, especially after the October manifest. The Witte government prepared for measures to improve peasants' land tenure system, along with the Kutler project that proposed a forced appropriation of lands of nobility. Nicolas II resolutely opposed the Kutler project while accepting provisions for improving peasants' land tenure system. The Witte government immediately submitted a provision to the State Council that allowed peasants to retreat from their communities, but did not succeed in legalizing the new agrarian policy due to a strong opposition from the State Council. In sum, Stolypin did not playa decisive role in adopting the new agrarian policy, later known as "Stolypin's agrarian reform". Stolypin had thought it essential to cultivate farmers (khutorianel long before becoming Minister of Interior. As Minister of Interior, Stolypin not only executed the new agrarIan policy according to Article 87 of State Fundamental Law, but also led the June 3 coup d'etat in order to revise the election law of State Duma. He propelled the new agrarian policy with his authority and resolution, because he believed that the private ownership of lands was compatible with human nature and that it would improve wellbeing of peasants. He also tried to make the new policy acentral axis of his domestic policies, because he had no doubt that it would provide his country with a strong socio-economic basis of the new political system and promise "Great Russia".