History 356 Fall 2003
Study Questions, Week 14
Cracraft, pp. 494-503, Reiber, The Fragmented "Middle Ranks":
What is Rieber's thesis?
Was Russia a "class" society? Was it a "soslovie" society?
How does Rieber's point here relate to that made by Freeze in his essay on "The Soslovie
Paradigm" (week 9)?
Was the Russian government supportive of merchants and entrepreneurs? Explain.
Why does R. say that merchants suffered under the tsarist system?
What factors divided merchants?
Why were merchants not the core of a "middle class" in Russia?
What factors divided Russia's entrepreneurs?
What prevented entrepreneurs from constituting the core of a middle class?
In what ways were merchants and entrepreneurs responsible for their own social isolation?
According to Rieber, did Russia have a middle class? Explain.
How do Rieber's conclusions apply to Russia's political history?
Read also the essays by Kahan and Bonnell in Cracraft, pp. 442-454!