Peasants Riots
Should the riots by the peasants of the early modern era resemble a revolutionary movement to reorder society? During the early modern era in Europe, nobles treated the peasants with little to no respect and thought that the peasants would obliged to whatever they commanded. Peasants began to realize that they needed to stand up against the nobles and government in order to change their role. Peasant movements became revolutionary by going through with the idea of taking a stand and doing everything in their power to change their societal role. Poor working conditions and the government ordering troops to murder peasants caused the peasants to revolt against their government. Leaders of the riots, such as George Vend and Stepan Razin,
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A successful riot leader was Stenka Razin, who assembled a group of peasants to join him and fight against the Russian nobles to improve their social status. Razin and his followers marched to the fortress at Tsaritsyn and sieged it. After Razin and his men overtook the fortress, they “hung the governor, and distributed all the goods that belonged to the Tsar” to the peasants. Consequently, Razin fulfilled his promise to his followers by giving them all the riches confiscated at the fortress and completed his goal by successfully sieging the corrupt nobles’ fortress. Unlike the success Razin possessed in his revolt, these consequences led to George Vend’s revolt. After his riot, the German government imprisoned him, tortured him, and dishonored his whole family. George Vend’s wife Christina stated that the government, “banished her and her children innocent children from their manor, and forbade anyone in the community to provide shelter for her and her children” because of the actions of her husband. Furthermore, the government punished George Vend and his family and anyone who aided them because the German government wanted to set an example of what happens when someone riots against the government. Even though consequences followed Vend’s and Razin’s actions if they failed, they both knew their actions were necessary if the peasants wanted to improve their social
A successful riot leader was Stenka Razin, who assembled a group of peasants to join him and fight against the Russian nobles to improve their social status. Razin and his followers marched to the fortress at Tsaritsyn and sieged it. After Razin and his men overtook the fortress, they “hung the governor, and distributed all the goods that belonged to the Tsar” to the peasants. Consequently, Razin fulfilled his promise to his followers by giving them all the riches confiscated at the fortress and completed his goal by successfully sieging the corrupt nobles’ fortress. Unlike the success Razin possessed in his revolt, these consequences led to George Vend’s revolt. After his riot, the German government imprisoned him, tortured him, and dishonored his whole family. George Vend’s wife Christina stated that the government, “banished her and her children innocent children from their manor, and forbade anyone in the community to provide shelter for her and her children” because of the actions of her husband. Furthermore, the government punished George Vend and his family and anyone who aided them because the German government wanted to set an example of what happens when someone riots against the government. Even though consequences followed Vend’s and Razin’s actions if they failed, they both knew their actions were necessary if the peasants wanted to improve their social