THE MODE OF LIFE OF THE DON PEASANTRY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY (settlements and dwellings)

Abstract

The paper studies the material culture of the Don peasants in the second half of the 19th century. The subjects of the study are settlements and homes of peasants, as well as the level of infrastructure for their development. The paper aims at revealing the features of peasants’ life on the Don; they constitute a separate category in the social structure of the Don, where the privileged position was occupied by Cossack servicemen. The author introduces some previously unpublished sources, materials, periodicals of the studied period, as well as the statistical data. Researching this topic is relevant for the study of social and cultural history, agrarian history ofRussiabased on the materials from the Russian South. It is concluded that the level of life of the peasant population was very low, the social infrastructure was poor. It is shown that in the post-reform period the active process of peasantry differentiation took place, which is also reflected in the material culture, the organization of mode of life.