The Emancipation of the Serfs
Russian Characters to Choose From 1) You are a member of the aristocracy. Do you feel your traditional life style may be challenged by the Emancipation Act? 2) You are a peasant. You have recently been liberated as a result of the Emancipation Act 1861. 3) You live in a remote corner of Russia. How has the Emancipation Act affected you? 4) You are a landowner. You are heavily in debt and can’t afford to invest in better farming methods or technology. 5) You are a foreign investor – a wealthy factory owner from the north of Britain. What do you want to know about Russia? 6) You are farm labourer who has moved to the city in search of work and a better standard of living. What have you found? 7) You are a factory worker and union member at the Putilov engineering works in St Petersburg. How are you feeling? 8) You are a tax collector for the government. How easy is your job? 9) You are a health inspector. You know about conditions in your city – St Petersburg – in the 1890s. 10)You are a member of the burzhui – the middle classes. Has life got significantly better for you? |
Role play presentation
Organise yourselves into groups of four. Each person will select a character from the list of characters from 1860’s Russia. You will then watch the You Tube video and read the attached reading. You are to make notes on how you would have thought your character would have responded and felt when the Emancipation Act in 1861 was invoked. Once your research is complete you will then with your group prepare a hypothetical theatrical discussion between your chosen Russian characters to present to the class. Watch the attached YouTube video and read about the emancipation act by following the below link. http://www.historytoday.com/michael-lynch/emancipation-russian-serfs-1861-charter-freedom-or-act-betrayal The following questions will help guide you on your journey. 1) How did the Emancipation Act affect Serf’s property ownership and legal rights? 2) What did the serf’s future economic prospects look like? 3) How were landowners and aristocrats socially and economically affected? 4) Was there a population shift in Russia, how did this affect the various Russian classes? 5 )Do you think the Emancipation Act of 1861 a success? |