Emancipation : the abolition and aftermath of American slavery and Russian serfdom / Peter Kolchin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kolchin, Peter, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Enslaved persons--Emancipation--United States.

Enslaved persons.

Serfs--Emancipation--Russia.

Serfs.

Slavery--United States.

Slavery.

Serfdom--Russia.

Serfdom.

Physical Description:

xiv, 547 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2024]

Summary:

"The two largest transitions from unfree to free labor of the many that occurred in Europe and the Americas during the nineteenth century took place in the United States and in Russia. Both occurred in the 1860s, and in both the former slaves and serfs strove to maximize their autonomy and freedom while the former masters worked to preserve as many of their prerogatives as possible. Both were partially--but only partially--successful. In this magisterial and long-awaited work, historian Peter Kolchin shows that a more radical break with the past was possible in the United States than in Russia, with the Southern freedpeople coming to enjoy republican citizenship, whereas Russian peasants remained subjects rather than citizens. Both countries saw conservative reactions triumph in the late nineteenth century. While this conservatism was common in most emancipations, it was especially strong in Russia and the American South, in part as a reaction against the major efforts to restructure the social order that went by the name of Reconstruction in the United States and the Great Reforms in Russia." -- Publisher's description.

Contents:

Introduction. Unfree labor in crisis

Part I. Process. Emancipation launched : preparation, process, terms

What kind of freedom?

The struggle continues : land, labor, and liberty

The politics of freedom

Part II. Consequences. Free labor

Free labor II : everyday life

Interpreting emancipation : change and continuity, hope and disillusionment.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Kolchin, Peter. Emancipation.

ISBN:

9780300273663

0300273665

OCLC:

1428037157