The capitalists are peasants - a new layer in the village

Peasant capitalists are agricultural producers who, in addition to their main work in the agrarian sector, also had money for trade and for entrepreneurship. This phenomenon is very interesting and revealing in the sense that capitalist relations originated and developed primarily in the city, and the village, as a rule, remained the center of agrarian relations. Therefore, the penetration of new economic elements into the peasant environment is proof of the high level of development of their economy.

Definition

The capitalist peasants are in essence a new layer of society that arose during the division of this class in the course of the development of industrial production. In the West European states, they appeared earlier than in our country, because the process of property and social stratification was much faster on the continent than in Russian society. The definition of this concept emphasizes the main characteristic feature of these social groups: the availability of capital, which they had the right to invest in various industries.

Prerequisites

The capitalist peasants are a class that has emerged as a result of the emergence of a new economic order. In European countries, serfdom was abolished quite early or in itself, as it hampered the development of industry, trade, hampered the formation of a market for free labor and labor. Initially, the urban strata of the population embarked on the bourgeois path of development, since it was cities that were the focus of new socio-economic relations. As they developed and spread, new trends also affected the village, where trade and commodity-money turnover also began to develop, which became the prerequisite for the emergence of this layer.

Features

The capitalist peasants are a special category of the population that has been drawn into the process of industrialization and accelerated industrial production. However, they had their own characteristics both in status and in organization of activity. The latter was reduced to the fact that they often became representative persons, a kind of agents of the new nobles and the bourgeoisie, speaking on their behalf while drafting various commercial and legal transactions. This is their difference from the bourgeoisie itself, who owned the largest capitals, who invested in production, becoming owners of factories, factories, manufactories, and so on. However, in order to understand who the capitalist peasants are, the definition of which also presupposes the fact that they, like the big bourgeoisie, participated in the production, it should be borne in mind that they had money that was put into circulation and had profit from it . However, this layer began its way of becoming and forming precisely with the provision of intermediary services.

In Russia

Our country has embarked on the path of industrial and industrial development in the 18th century. However, in this century serfdom still existed , which left a mark on this category of the population. It is necessary to take into account the fact that at the present time the empire was an agrarian country, and this is especially important for understanding who the capitalist peasants are. The definition of this term in relation to Russia has its own nuances. Since in our country capitalism developed with the participation of the state, which often acted as the initiator of the creation of the largest enterprises and their owner, this new way acquired specific features. It arose at a time when serfdom existed and even probably flourished, which, of course, severely restricted the private entrepreneurial initiative and hampered the establishment of a market for hired labor and free labor.

Activities

It is necessary to take into account the specifics of Russia's economic development in order to understand what capitalist peasants are. The definition of history means people who had the opportunity to have money and invest in production. In our country they mainly represented the interests of the landowners, on behalf of whom they made deals. However, they often had their own capital (from 50 to 120 thousand), which they invested in factory, factory and manufacturing. Sometimes such peasants were made even by large owners, for example, ships or whole enterprises, while remaining serfs.

They could also contain hotels, inns, inns, engaged in small retail trade. This activity was largely due to the decree of Catherine II on the free establishment of all kinds of industrial enterprises. However, most of the income went to the landowner, which had a negative impact on the development of capitalism in our country, hindering the free disposal of capital and labor. Thus, the term "capitalist peasants" as applied to Russian history has its own characteristics.