Egorov A. K. Peasant unrest in the Volga Region in the summer of 1892 // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №3. P. 55-71.

EDN: OIHHWN

Annotation

The article considers the peasant unrest in the Volga Region during the cholera epidemic in the summer of 1892. Peasant uprisings began in communities along the Volga upstream — in the Astrakhan, Saratov, and Samara Provinces — soon after the cholera riots had ended in Astrakhan on June 22, 1892, and migrant workers had fled the city. Peasants refused to implement anti-cholera measures, denied officials and medical personnel entry to their villages and attacked those suspected of malicious intent against the people. The unrest was fueled by rumors of criminal abuse by officials and doctors who allegedly accepted bribes to kill people in hospitals or poisoned water and food supplies. The spread of rumors was facilitated by heavy shipping traffic on the Volga, which enabled potential instigators to move upriver quickly, which is why the 1892 riots broke out almost simultaneously in two main centers of unrest — in the Lower and Middle Volga regions. In 1892, there were two types of peasant riots by intensity and social composition: first, essentially a continuation of riots in the nearby cities of Saratov and Khvalynsk, which involved different social groups, both locals and migrants, and were characterized by extreme violence and many casualties; second, peasant unrest sparked by independent actions of the local population, without the involvement of outside elements, which was less aggressive and not accompanied by killings. Unlike seasonal workers and marginalized urban groups, the traditional peasantry of the Volga Region showed relative resilience to inflammatory rumors.

Keywords

Epidemic, cholera, rumors, poisoning, panic, violence, communication, transport routes, Volga Region.  

About the author

Alexander K. Egorov, PhD (History), Associate Professor, Petrozavodsk State University. Lenin St., 33, Petrozavodsk, 185910, Russia; Researcher, Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History, Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Pushkinskaya St., 11, Petrozavodsk, 185910, Russia.
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