Peasants

Categories / Population/Social Classes
PEASANTS, a social group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population. Until 1917, the peasant class was one of the social classes that made its members dependent on their place of inhabitancy and work. In 1869, there were 207,000 peasants in St. Petersburg (142,800 men and approximately 64,200 women)- or 31% of the population. In 1897 there were 745,900 (451,400 men and over 29,400 women) - 59% of the population. In 1910 there were over 1.3 million peasants, making up 69% of the population. The predominance of men is explained by the fact that men came to St. Petersburg for seasonal work (see seasonal workers), leaving their families behind in the villages. Peasants worked freelance, doing general work in factories or on building sites. Among the peasants living in St. Petersburg were mostly Russians (mainly from the upper Volga region and north west Russia). In 1869 they made up 95% of the peasant population, in 1897 – 87.3%, Belarusians – 4.4%, Poles- 2.4%, Estonians - 1%, Latvians and Lithuanians – 1.1%, Finns in St. Petersburg Province - 0.8%, Tartars – 0.6%. In the 1930s in light of industrial development, the inflow of immigrants from the villages to Leningrad increased (about 50% of these remained in the city permanently and, depending on their profession in the census, as workers or servants). In 1959 peasants (or "collective farmers and affiliated handicraftsmen") made up little more than 1% of Leningrad's population, in 1979 - 0.4%.

Reference: Юхнева Н. В. Этнический состав и этносоциальная структура населения Петербурга, вторая половина XIX - нач. XX в.: Стат. анализ. Л., 1984. С. 38-39, 142-163.

A. Y. Chistyakov. Юхнева Н. В. Этнический состав и этносоциальная структура населения Петербурга, вторая половина XIX - нач. XX в.: Стат. анализ. Л., 1984 Otkhodniki
Labourers
Servants
Russians
Belarusians
Poles
Estonians
Latvians
Finns
Tartars