Potemkina M.N., Kozhukhova E.L. “Garden beds near workshops”: Food self-sufficiency of metallurgical plants (1941–1945) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №1. P. 89-112.

EDN: GQSMPZ

Annotation

The article considers the interaction between industrial and agricultural sectors during the Great Patriotic War. The authors focus on the ways in which factories developed subsidiary farms, organized decentralized harvesting, individual and collective gardening, and identify reasons and prerequisites for this type of management, its mechanisms, and the impact of such practices on food supply of the population. On the example of the Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), a large defense enterprise, the authors consider the organizational measures taken by its management to ensure the sustainable development of agricultural units, evaluating the decisions made and the efficiency of cooperation with the agricultural sector. The authors argue that the government failed to solve the problem of food security before the war. The country’s leadership demanded a transition to food self-sufficiency, so industrial enterprises had to organize independent food production by creating subsidiary farms. The lack of management mechanisms for such activities often led to low efficiency of subsidiary farms unable to have a significant impact on solving the workers’ nutrition problems.

Keywords

Economic history of the USSR, industrial enterprises, labor supply departments, subsidiary farms of enterprises, state farms, the Urals, food supply, decentralized food sources.  

About the authors

Marina N. Potemkina, DSc (History), Professor, Department of World History, Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University. Prosp. Lenina, 38, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Region, 455000, Russia; Leading Researcher, Center for Economic and Social History, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Prosp. Vernadskogo, 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
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Ekaterina L. Kozhukhova, PhD Student, Department of World History, Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University. Prosp. Lenina, 38, Magnitogorsk, 455000, Russia.
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Sharapov S.V. Informal (expolar) economy of the collective-farm village in Western Siberia in 1939–1953 // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №1. P. 72-88.

EDN: GEDQPV

Annotation

The author applies T. Shanin’s concept of expolar economy to analyze the ways in which the collective-farm village adapted to the new round of the state mobilization policy in 1939–1953. The article presents various ways of craft resources “penetration” (including land, money, labor and draught power, inventory, equipment, machinery, livestock and all kinds of agricultural products) into the informal sector. They were unevenly redistributed among many “recipients” — local government structures, individual officials, non-agricultural enterprises, top management of collective farms, and peasants. The informal economy provided the state with an invaluable service by compensating for the shortcomings of centralized management, eliminating the gaps in the goods exchange between the city and the countryside, thus reducing the severity of food crisis and shortages of goods in both urban and rural areas. Resources outside the state control allowed collective farms to perform social assistance functions that the state did not provide to the peasantry. The collective-farm economy was rooted in the peasant social life. The expolar ties that held the collective-farm society together helped peasants survive under the aggressive mobilization policies of the state. 

Keywords

Collective farms, peasantry, survival, adaptation, agrarian policy, mobilization.  

About the author

Sergey V. Sharapov, PhD (History), Researcher, Institute of History, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Nikolaeva St., 8, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
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Lyapin D.A. Soil factor and historical-geographical development of rural settlements in the Central Black-Earth Region in the 17th – early 18th centuries // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №1. P. 55-71.

EDN: FIHGNB

Annotation

The article considers the location features of rural settlements in the BlackEarth Region in the 17th–18th centuries. The author focuses on the soil factor as affecting villages and hamlets in the formation of the anthropogenic landscape and on the Belgorod, Voronezh, Yeletsky, Kozlovsky and Shatsky uyezds as actively developed by the Russian population. The article is based on the data collected in the studies of rural settlements and compared on the basis of the soil type. By mapping the data, the author identifies the location features of rural settlements within the uyezds. Thus, settlements concentrated near areas with black soil were located on the banks of large and small rivers. In addition to the soil factor, military and water factors are also significant for the development of the anthropogenic landscape. In some uyezds, the military factor played a dominant role for a long time, while the soil composition was secondary. The location of settlements connected to black soil influenced the formation of new uyezds. Each uyezd relied on its own economic base — fertile black soil, which made it possible to support a large army and build military-defensive fortifications. Thus, the soil factor had a great impact on the history of the development of the Black-Earth Region, not only determining its anthropogenic landscape, but also providing food for a large army.

Keywords

Soils, black earth, peasantry, small landowners, rural settlements, historicalgeographical features, economic development, census books, Belgorod uyezd, Voronezh uyezd, Kozlovsky uyezd, Shatsky uyezd.  

About the author

Denis A. Lyapin, DSC (History), Leading Researcher, Bunin Yelets State University. Kommunarov St., 28, Yelets, Lipetsk Region, 399770, Russia. 
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Kanishchev V. V. Scientific legacy of V. P. Danilov and contemporary Peasant Studies in the Tambov Region. On the centenary of the scholar  // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №4. P. 135-145.

EDN: NJDLIU

Annotation

The first part of the article considers V. P. Danilov’s ideas about the history of the peasantry in the Tambov Province, focusing on his collaboration with Tambov historians to compile collections of documents and research articles, especially on the peasant movement in the Tambov Province in 1917–1921, and to study certain rural settlements in the Tambov Region. The second part of the article presents the results of the Tambov historians’ study of the agrarian history of the Tambov Province, presented as a continuation of Danilov’s legacy due to being based on his ideas and the use of information technologies. The electronic database on rural settlements in the Tambov Province confirmed Danilov’s observations about the reasonable consolidation of peasant communes during the egalitarian land redistribution and the long-term survival of settlements consisting of several homesteads. The analysis of historical maps and remote sensing data revealed natural factors that contributed to the preserved independence of certain settlements after repartition. The article also follows Danilov’s call to move from publishing previously unknown documents on the agrarian revolution in Russia to their analysis by describing the electronic database on the peasant movement from the second half of the 19th to the first third of the 20th centuries, highlighting findings of several studies based in this database.

Keywords

Historiography, agrarian history, Tambov Province, rural settlements, peasant communes, protests, information technology.  

About the author

Valery V. Kanishchev, DSc (History), Head of the Laboratory of Social History; Professor, Department of History and Philosophy, Tambov State University named after G. R. Derzhavin. Internatsionalnaya St., 33, Tambov, 392036, Russia.
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Ablazhey N. N., Kositsin M. A. Collective farms and land question: Land alienation and management in flood zones of the Ob and Irtysh hydroelectric power stations in the 1950s // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №4. P. 116-134.

EDN: KGGDXK

Annotation

Based on the materials of the Irtysh and Ob hydroelectric power stations built in the 1950s, the article considers the key aspects of policies and practices of land alienation and compensation for collective farms during hydraulic construction: the regulatory framework of land alienation for state needs and its practice in relation to collective farms; mechanisms of interaction between authorities and departments of different levels on land issue in flood zones; organization and implementation of land alienation and management. The authors provide data on the volume of exemptions and compensations to collective farms in the zones of the Ust-Kamenogorsk, Novosibirsk and Bukhtarma hydroelectric power plants, the construction of which created artificial reservoirs of various volumes and sizes mainly in agricultural areas. The authors identify several land reconstruction scenarios, which usually implied complete or partial compensation at the expense of other categories of state lands. Although the objective of developing hydropower took precedence over agricultural goals, the state provided for a system of measures to maintain the viability of collective farms as the main agricultural producers in flood zones.

Keywords

Hydroelectric power stations, Ob, Irtysh, artificial reservoirs, collective farms, land use, land alienation, compensation, land management.  

About the authors

Natalia N. Ablazhey, DSc (History), Leading Researcher, Institute of History, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Nikolaeva St., 8, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
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Maxim A. Kositsin, Junior Researcher, Institute of History, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Nikolaeva St., 8, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
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Chemakin A. A. “White Makhnovists”: Peasant rebels in Northern Taurida and Russian Army in 1920 // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №4. P. 92-115.

EDN: JXPIEV

Annotation

The article considers the interaction of the Russian Army of General P. N. Wrangel with Makhnovist detachments in Northern Tavria in the summer and autumn of 1920. Although Wrangel’s contacts with various insurgent groups (gangs) (mentioned in the movie “Wedding in the village of Malinovka”) are known to wider circles of the population, information about the “White Makhnovists” has not been systematized. The author revealed the names of about 15 atamans who went over to the Whites, and provides information about the most important of them (Volodin, Prochan, Grishin, Savchenko, Kravchaty, Ishchenko, Chaly) and Makhnovites who had contacts with the Russian Army (Chernyak), focusing on the number of the “White Makhnovists”, their appearance and symbols; examining the propaganda campaign of the Whites, who printed huge copies of proclamations on behalf of the Makhnovist atamans. The article mentions the betrayal of the majority of the detachments, their defection to the side of the Reds, the Makhnovists’s alliance with them, and the fate of the “White Makhnovists” atamans. The author concludes that, on the one hand, the “White Makhnovists” ensured the Russian Army relative peace in the rear and loyalty of the peasants in Northern Tavria; on the other hand, the very fact of the alliance between the Whites and the “bandits” demonstrated the weakness of the Wrangelists.

Keywords

Civil War, Russian army, “White Makhnovists”, Makhnovshchina, rebels, partisans, Northern Tavria, P. N. Wrangel, N. I. Makhno, V. G. Volodin, N. Chaly, V. F. Belash.  

About the author

Anton A. Chemakin, PhD (History), Associate Professor, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Neb. 7–9, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russia. 
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Isyangulov Sh. N. Family divisions in the South Ural village in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №4. P. 72-91.

EDN: HATXCK

Annotation

The article considers the dynamics of family divisions in rural areas of the Orenburg and Ufa Provinces in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centurits. The author shows that most family divisions in the Southern Urals in the post-reform period were carried out without the permission of the rural assembly, and legislative measures could not stop fragmentation of farms. The author presents the prevalence rate of family divisions (per 1,000 average annual population) among various groups of the peasantry in the Ufa Province in 1880. Bashkirs, free grain farmers and mining peasants had the highest rate of family divisions, former landowner peasants had the lowest, while the figures for the former state and specific peasants turned out to be average. The article explains the main reasons for family divisions as described in the sources: quarrels, cramped quarters and polygamy boiled down to the natural cycle of family development. The author emphasizes that military and political factors had a great influence on the rate of family divisions, whether it was the peasant reform of 1861, introduction of universal military service in 1874, Stolypin agrarian reform, liquidation of family property or destruction of the peasant community. The deterioration of the economic situation of the peasant economy due to famine, crop failures and wars hindered the fragmentation of farms.

Keywords

Family divisions, Southern Urals, peasantry, causes, factors, rural gathering.  

About the author

Shamil N. Isyangulov, PhD (History), Senior Researcher, Department of Contemporary History of Bashkortostan, Order of Honor Institute of History, Language and Literature, Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Prosp. Oktyabrya, 71, Ufa, 450054.
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Round table of the Russian Peasant Studies for the 100th anniversary of Professor Viktor Petrovich Danilov // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №3. P. 153-181.

EDN: JQSTCB

Annotation

On March 25, 2025, a round table of the Russian Peasant Studies for the 100th anniversary of the outstanding agricultural historian, Professor Viktor Petrovich Danilov (1925–2004), was held. The participants noted the contribution of V. P. Danilov to the Russian and world historiography, shared personal memories of him and work with him, and discussed current issues of agricultural and social history. The following participants made presentations: Alexander V. Zhuravel, Historian, Independent Researcher; Viktor V. Kondrashin, DSc (History), Professor, Chief Researcher, Head of the Center for Economic History of the Institute of Russian History, RAS; Igor A. Kuznetsov, PhD (History), Senior Researcher, Center for Economic and Social History, RANEPA; Alexander V. Gordon, DSc (History), Chief Researcher, Head of the East and Southeast Asia Sector, INION RAS; Elena A. Tyurina, PhD (History), Head of the Russian State Archive of Economics; Igor N. Slepnev, PhD (History), Senior Researcher, Center for Economic History of the Institute of Russian History, RAS; Elena V. Danilova; Vladislav O. Afanasenkov, Junior Researcher, Center for Economic and Social History, RANEPA. The discussion was moderated by Alexander M. Nikulin, PhD (Economics), Editor-in-Chief of the Russian Peasant Studies, Head of the Center for Agrarian Studies, RANEPA. 

Keywords

Round table, outstanding agricultural historian, Viktor Petrovich Danilov, Russian and world historiography, shared personal memories, current issues of agricultural and social history.

About the authors

Alexander V. Zhuravel, Historian, Independent Researcher. Profsoyuzov St. 1, Bryansk, 241022, Russia.
Viktor V. Kondrashin, DSc (History), Chief Researcher, Head of the Center for Economic History, Institute of Russian History, Russian Academy of Sciences. Dmitry Ulyanov St., 19, Moscow, 117292, Russia.
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Igor A. Kuznetsov, PhD (History), Senior Researcher at the Center for Economic and Social History, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Vernadskogo Prosp., 82, building 1, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
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Alexander V. Gordon, DSc (History), Chief Researcher, Head of the East and Southeast Asia Sector, Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences. Nakhimovsky prosp., 51/21, Moscow, 117418, Russia.
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Elena A. Tyurina, PhD (History), Scientific Director of the Russian State Archive of Economics. B. Pirogovskaya St., 17, Moscow, 119435, Russia.
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Igor N. Slepnev, PhD (History), Senior Researcher of the Center for Economic History, Institute of Russian History, Russian Academy of Sciences. Dmitry Ulyanov St., 19, Moscow, 117292, Russia.
Elena V. Danilova, independent researcher. Boris Galushkin St., 17, Moscow, 129301, Russia.
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Vladislav O. Afanasenkov, Junior Researcher at the Center for Economic and Social History, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Vernadskogo Prosp., 82, building 1, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
E-mail: erpaison@ gmail.com
Alexander M. Nikulin, PhD (Economics), Head of the Center for Agrarian Studies, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Vernadskogo Prosp., 82, bldg. 1, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
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Kim G. N. The failure of Korean sericulture in Russian and Soviet Primorye // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №3. P. 133-152.

EDN: JGTXSO

Annotation

In the 19th century, in the Russian Empire sericulture developed in Kuban, Northern Caucasus, Stavropol, Turkestan and Far Eastern Primorye. In Korea, neighboring the Russian Far East, sericulture was borrowed from ancient China: some Korean settlers were skilled in sericulture — from growing mulberry trees to producing silk fabric. Although the main economic activity of Korean peasants was agriculture, in Russia they continued some other traditional activities. With the establishment of the Bolshevik power, sericulture became a collective-farm production in the mainstream of agricultural collectivization. However, sericulture ceased to exist for the following objective reasons: climate in Primorye, remoteness from silk-spinning centers, lack of infrastructure for producing silk fabric and, most importantly, the Communist Party and Soviet government directives for the development of sericulture in southern regions and the deportation of Koreans to Kazakhstan and Central Asia in 1937. Nevertheless, the history of Korean sericulture in Primorye deserves special study. The article is based on archival documents, published materials, newspapers in Russian and Korean, and studies of the history of Koreans in the Russian Far East: localization of mulberry plantations; methods and economy of sericulture (production and trade) in the domestic and foreign markets; reasons for failure of sericulture in Soviet Primorye. 

Keywords

Sericulture, Primorye, Koreans, artel, mulberry, silkworm, cocoons, silk weaving, export.

About the author

German N. Kim, DSc (History), Professor, Head, Institute of Asian Studies, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University; Karasai Batyr St., 95, Almaty, 050060, Kazakhstan.
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Semenyuk A. S. Geography of peasant surnames in the Vileysky uyezd according to the 1795 revision lists // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №3. P. 117-132.

EDN: JFXYAJ

Annotation

The study of geography of surnames reveals the historical-spatial features of word formation in different territories. The article presents the results of the geoinformation mapping of surnames in the Vileysky uyezd of the Minsk Governorate based on the 1795 revision lists and a family (yard) as a minimal research unit. The author created a geodatabase with vector layers in the ArcGIS 10.3 software package: yards (surnames) were added to their local settlements; after digitization, peasant secondary surnames with the most common formants were divided into layers with the attribute selection operation. Thus, the most common formants of surnames in the Vileysky uyezd were -ovich, -evich, -ich, -its, -sky, and -tsky. There were many surnames with formants -onok, -yonok and -ik, -chik, the former were localized mainly in the northern and eastern parts of the uyezd, and the latter were relatively evenly distributed. The Simpson index adapted for anthroponymic research allowed to identify the types of settlements with greater (Vileyka town, miasteczki) and lesser (villages) diversity of formants of peasant surnames. Of all the population groups, peasant surnames have the largest number of identified formants, which testifies to their arbitrary choice and freedom of word formation, not limited by the social status as the surnames of gentry and clergy.

Keywords

Geography of surnames, Vileysky uyezd, productivity of formants, geoinformation mapping, historical geography, revision lists, Simpson’s diversity index, social groups, settlements.

About the author

Alexander S. Semenyuk, PhD (Geography), Associate Professor, Faculty of Geography and Geoinformatics, Belarusian State University. Nezavisimosti Av., 4, Minsk, 220030, Belarus.
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