State support for agriculture in the era of P. A. Stolypin and modern reality

Introduction. The study of historical and legal development of agrarian relations in Russia is of great importance for the theory and practice of the development of modern social relations in the field of agriculture. The agrarian reforms implemented by the prominent political figure, Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin, generalized into a single historical experience, can be the basis for determining the potential and directions for the development of modern agrarian relations, the degree of their liberalism and understanding the role of the state in this process. The identified shortcomings and advantages of such reforms will make it possible to determine the historical role of the reformer P. A. Stolypin in these transformations and trace the evolution of the Russian state in the socio-economic sphere. Theoretical analysis. The article examines the main ideas, directions and results of the agrarian reform of P. A. Stolypin and analyzes its origins and causes. The provisions of the agrarian reform are considered in the context of state support for agriculture and those measures in this direction that were conceived and implemented on Stolypin's initiative. Empirical analysis. The study demonstrated that at the end of the 19th century in Russia a whole complex of political, legal, social and economic problems was formed, the solution of which depended not only on the development of the Russian state, but also on its legal personality. Most of these problems were related to the agricultural sector of the economy and the legal status of the peasantry, the largest social group of Russian citizens at that time. The main directions of Stolypin’s agrarian reform were: endowing peasants with the right to own land in order to form a large class of new effective land owners, as well as introducing market mechanisms into this process, including lending with state support to potential land buyers. Results. It was revealed that certain areas of Stolypin’s reforms, their course and results did not have unconditional recognition among his contemporaries. Their harsh criticism sounded in modern times. The author identifies the reasons for the failures of Stolypin agrarian reforms and concludes that they were more objective in nature, were due to historical and organizational reasons and did not always depend on the will of the reformer. The author highlights that Stolypin's progressive and innovative approach to the development of social relations in Russia provided him with a long historical memory as a great reformer who was not indifferent to the future of Russia and its people. The conceptual ideas of the reformer are still relevant, and his ideas are promising for the modern transformation of agrarian relations.

Stolypin, agrarian reform, land ownership of peasants, state support for agriculture