SOCIAL INEQUALITY AND IDENTIFICATION CRITERIA OF FELLOW VILLAGERS IN NORTHERN VILLAGE OF THE 1920S
The distinctive features of the peasant’s social and psychological mindset, the village community’s views on social and material differences, the interpretation of wealth and poverty sources, the particular perception of exploitation are considered basing on the peasant community’s document analysis (letters to newspapers, complaints and petitions to authorities, community assembly minutes). Social differentiation criteria are revealed as exercised by peasants themselves and used by them to evaluate the social standing of fellow villagers; and social types that the village community’s members believed to exist are determined. The transformation of the village community’s views in the conditions of new social-political realia is shown.