What is obrok and corvee? The main differences of duties

Modern society is spoiled by the benefits of civilization. Young people, waking up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee, turn on the laptop to read the latest news, reply to friends' letters, then leisurely gather for study or work. And did anyone wonder how the morning of 100, 200, 300 years ago began for the same girls and young men? Today not everyone will be able to correctly answer the question of what obrok and corvee service are, but in fact, some two centuries ago people practiced guilt, did not belong to themselves, ruined their health in foreign fields.

What is a quitrent?

For centuries, several definitions of this concept have appeared. Obrok first appeared at the beginning of the formation of Ancient Rus, when only taxes were introduced. Then princes from subordinates collected a tribute in the form of products, money, goods. Later this kind of duty appeared as the duty of the peasants to give part of the money or products to the feudal lords. The reform of 1861 abolished the grocery dues, and the money was saved for another two years.

In times of feudalism peasants were considered someone's property, therefore feudal lords could give in use not only concrete people, but also whole villages. Obrok can be compared with rent, that is, a nobleman gave another nobleman his possessions for use. In the 16th century, a state tax was introduced, the landowners paid their dues to the treasury. At the same time, the obrok spread to the peasants, only they paid it not to the state, but to the owner of the land on which they lived and used to grow food. People could pay with the master money, goods or their own labor.

What is corvee?

For three centuries (XVI-XIX centuries.) Existed corvee. The definition of this concept is very simple: the peasant paid for the rent of the land belonging to the feudal lord by his own labor. This is nothing more than one form of the development system. Barschina and obrok, in fact, are very similar. Since the poor could not always give tribute to the feudal lord in the form of money or food, because they themselves were left with nothing, the rich allowed them to repay labor.

What is obrok and corvee by nature? These are peculiar forms of payment of rent for land. Barshchina was only labored by physical labor, but it could be diverse: agriculture, hunting, fishing, gardening, cattle raising, etc. Nobody released this tribute, the work was absolutely free, the master paid nothing for it.

Amount of duties

In times of feudalism, local "Regulations" acted, which detailed the deciphering of what is obrok and corvee, and also in what amounts they are collected. The amount paid for the land varied according to its location. For example, peasants who lived near St. Petersburg paid 12 rubles, while Moscow and Yaroslavl paid only 10 rubles. The smallest amount - 9 rubles - was paid by the poor people of the Kursk and Voronezh provinces. Having paid tribute, the peasant not only could use the land of the landowner, but also freely dispose of his labor power.

Barshchina is a physical work performed by temporarily liable and serf peasants for the master. The amount of the duty was calculated based on the per capita supply of the person. For one plot of land, women worked for a month, and men worked for 40 days. At the same time, the feudal lord did not provide tools, the poor people had to come with their hoes, plows, shovels, fishing rods, etc. Women fell under the corvee at the age of 17 to 50, and men - from 18 to 55 years.

What is obrok and corvee? What is the difference?

Barshchina :

• Peasants with personal tools free labor on the land of the landlords.
• The poor could work not only at the master, but also at the monastery, church, educational institution.
• The duty was based on work with agriculture.
• Barschina is advantageous for the landlords who lived in the villages, since they themselves could determine the size of the excavations.
• The duty enslaved the peasants, it became widespread in Russia.

Obrok :

• The poor gave part of their produce or money from their crops.
• Tribute was not widespread, because not all poor people could give it.
• A person could engage in any business, not necessarily farming.
• The feudal lord could demand payment of the quitrent in advance.
• The duty was more suitable for noblemen who lived in cities.
• Peasants were theoretically free.

Cancellation of duties

In Russia, somehow very well settled obrok and corvee. Differences between these two obligations existed, but still they both made the peasants slaves, choked them, did not allow to develop. The intelligentsia tried to fight feudalism, but everything was futile, the landlords, like leeches, sucked forces out of the poor, exploiting them for their own ends. Serfdom was abolished in 1861, in 1863, and obrok. Nevertheless, it took several more decades to completely change the consciousness of people, to rebuild the economy in a new way and to destroy feudalism.