UNHELD POLEMIC OR SOME PROBLEMS OF AGRARIAN DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIA AT THE FIRST THIRD OF XX CENTURY IN WORKS OF A. V. OSTROVSKY
The article studies creative heritage of the expert on the Russian agrarian history of post-reform Russia A. V. Ostrovsky. The author notes that this work is at initial stage and regards it as a relevant task. The importance of this research is confirmed by the fact that conclusions of A. V. Ostrovsky about agrarian development of the European Russia have the defining value for the concept of the Russian revolutions and collectivization in the USSR. The article analyzes disagreements concerning the assessment of the Decree of November 9, 1906, which arose in 1980s between A. V. Ostrovsky, on the one hand, and G. P. Zhidkov and A. S. Zaboyenkova, on the other. The author notes that Ostrovsky believed this Decree, which started Stolyp-in's agrarian reform, didn't have the radicalism attributed to it in literature and assumed gradual transformation of the peasant community. Ostrovsky proved this conclusion by the fact that the Decree allowed the peasants who left community to keep on using undivided lands of community. Based on the analysis of the articles of G. P. Zhidkov and A. S. Zaboyenkova, the author claims their objections unconvincing and makes the assumption that for this reason A. V. Ostrovsky refrained from full-scale controversy with the opponents. The article declares that the assessment of the Decree of November 9 given by A. V. Ostrovsky was an important part of his concept of agrarian development of Russia in late 19th - the irst third of the 20th century, which was formulated in a number of articles and a posthumously published monograph. The author proves that A. S. Zaboyenkova's opinion concerning the legal aspects of Stolypin reform stated in her recent articles are conformable to earlier stated judgments of A. V. Ostrovsky, and disagreements concerning the possibility of transition in Russia from repartition community (peredelcheskaya obschina) to community-mark are no more than misunderstanding.