Law on Abolition of Compulsory Relations between Certain Estates of the Kalmyks as a Historical Source

Abstract

Introduction. The article provides a source analysis of the Law of 16 March 1892. Despite there are works dealing with the reform initiated by the act, there is no analysis of the document as a historical source. Goals. So, the paper attempts such a comprehensive insight into the Law. Materials and methods. The key method employed is that of source studies with due involvement of analysis and synthesis tools. The document is also examined with the use of techniques and approaches inherent to investigations of normative legal acts. Results. It is proper enough to identify the examined source as a law with legal force. Its adoption was determined by a number of socioeconomic and political prerequisites and reasons. The draft law was developed by committees and councils specially established within the Ministry of State Property. The preparatory process lasted for three decades to be attended by officials of most various levels. Furthermore, the nature and essentials of the Law were influenced by the events of 1881. The Law of 16 March 1892 was being implemented for almost three years but consequences of the reform to have intensified socioeconomic and sociopolitical processes in the region had far more significant and lasting effects. Historiography of the reform attests to that there still is an interest in the Law arising from its significance. Conclusions. The source analysis shows the Law of 16 March 1892 be classified as a public legislative act. Its development and adoption are integral to the reform process witnessed by Russia in the 1860s–1870s. The Law contributed to modernization of Kalmyk society and opened a new phase in Kalmyk history, changed lives of thousands of Kalmyk commoners granting them rights of free rural inhabitants. Undoubtedly, its significance as a historical source deserves particular attention and recognition.