Table of Contents
(?)
Site Page Counts
Public: 510
Restricted: 677
Eventually, the serfs were liberated -- to a limited degree.
This chapter describes Divin in relationship to its larger neighbor to the north, Kobyrn. We learn about the public schooling in Divin in this light, and see some brief snapshots of the Divin community statistics in the late 19th century. We learn about the soils of the rergion, and the basic layout of the town of Divin streets, each named for the neighboring community to which it eventually connects.
The ruthless Polish landlord, Yagmin, continued to dominate the peasants of Divin.
Serfdom looked the same as common slavery. This chapter contains a detailed, contemporary accounting of Yagmin's holdings.
In 1861, the Tsarist government freed the serfs and distributed land to them-- in principle. But the landlords, including Yagmin in Divin, retained much power. They saw to it that the peasants received the poorest land. Corporal punishment of freed serfs continued for a while. The result was a revolt, which was put down.
The peasants could not win againt the power of the landlords. A new government appeared to represent their interests, but was heavily weighted in favor of the wealthy, who were supported by the central Polish power.
