COMPROMISE OF THR CONSERVATIVE ARISTOCRACY IN THE ABOLITION OF SERFDOM

Diao Xiyu

Aim.To explain the manifestations of compromise and powerlessness of the conservative aristocracy in the abolition of serfdom and to identify its causes. Methodology.The main content of the study is the analysis of texts on the problem of the struggle of the conservative aristocracy with the bureaucracy in the process of the abolition of serfdom. Results.The analysis showed that before 1861 the nobility as a privileged class of Russia was dependent on the tsarist regime and was both integrated and in conflict with the bureaucratic class. When Alexander II proposed reforms, the vast majority of the nobility took a conservative stance, and the 1857 decree, which the Tsar had always insisted was an attempt to satisfy the landlords' and peasants' demands for land, was opposed by the conservative nobility. They resisted the decree, but due to the unorganised nature of the nobility and their dependence on the tsar's government, resistance failed and the nobility accepted the abolition of serfdom. The conservative nobility sought to consolidate their economic and political position as much as possible during the reform, and the April Programme of 1858 represented the demands of the conservative nobility. The December Programme of 1858, put forward by Alexander II and Rostovtsev, signified a de facto rejection of the conservative-aristocratic programme. The peasant reform of 1861 reflected the weakness of the Russian aristocratic hierarchy and serfdom, the growing social contradictions that made it difficult for them to unite in the face of the abolition of serfdom. At the same time, it was the most important step in the fracture of Russia's agrarian system. Research implications. The results of the analysis can be used to study the interaction of the ruling class and social strata in the process of reforming the state.

Keywords:abolition of serfdom， Alexander II，state power， equilibrium， compromise， aristocracy