Rural Life in Russia.        The Russian Countryside: A Historical View

An Izba is a traditional Russian house, typically found in the countryside. These simple log homes were the heart of rural life, built close to the road and surrounded by a yard with a garden, hay shed, and barn, all enclosed by a simple fence. Made mainly from local pine logs, Izbas didn’t use nails due to the high cost of metal. Instead, builders used basic tools like axes and knives, and the gaps between the logs were filled with river clay, similar to log cabins in North America.

Inside, the Russian stove was the central feature, taking up a large part of the space. It was used for heating, cooking, and even sleeping on, as many people slept on the stove's plaster top or shelves above it instead of using beds. The samovar, a metal container, was used to boil water for tea, often placed in the center of the room.

The outside often had decorative wood carvings around the windows, adding beauty to the simple structure.

Today, many rural houses still feature elements of the old Izba, like the wooden structure and Russian stove, though modern homes have replaced some features. Despite changes over time, the Izba’s charm and practicality remain an important part of Russian culture.

1. Kievan Rus (9th–13th centuries)

In Kievan Rus, villages were tight-knit communities where people farmed for survival. Families used basic tools, clearing small plots of forest to grow food. It was a simple, communal life, where people also hunted, fished, and kept bees.

3. The Rise and Institutionalization of Serfdom (17th–19th centuries)

By the 17th century, serfdom was in full swing. Rural life was controlled by landlords who owned both the land and the labor of the peasants.  Rural communities had few rights, and serfs lived in often harsh conditions. Agricultural technology was limited, and crop yields remained low.

• Peter the Great (late 17th century) increased taxes on peasants and demanded more agricultural production to fund his military and modernization efforts. Although he built cities and reformed the army, rural life remained difficult for the majority of Russians.

• Catherine the Great in the 18th century continued to tighten the grip on serfs, giving landowners more control over them. In exchange for their loyalty, the state gave the nobility almost total power over the peasants.

The 18th and early 19th centuries saw occasional reforms, but little changed for rural workers until Alexander II’s Emancipation Reform in 1861, which freed the serfs. However, many former serfs still faced poverty and high debts, as they had to pay for their land and often received poor-quality plots. They were now legally free but economically still tied to their villages and landlords.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia was still mostly rural, and peasants were unhappy with their living conditions. Pyotr Stolypin, a prime minister under Tsar Nicholas II, tried to modernize agriculture with his Stolypin reforms (1906-1911). He encouraged peasants to leave the mir and set up private farms to improve productivity. However, these reforms didn’t last long. World War I and the Russian Revolution in 1917 disrupted any progress, and peasants once again found themselves in difficult conditions.

4. Early Soviet Period (1917–1930s)

.After the 1917 Revolution, the Soviet government promised to give land to the peasants. In the late 1920s, Stalin forced people onto collective farms (kolkhozy and sovkhozy) where everyone had to work for the state. Collectivization was brutal. The state took control of all agricultural production, and many wealthier peasants (known as kulaks) who resisted were punished or sent to labor camps. This process, aimed at improving agricultural efficiency, instead led to severe famine and resistance. Many rural workers struggled with poor living conditions and low productivity.

5. World War II and Aftermath (1940s–1950s)

World War II left rural areas in rough shape. Farms were neglected as many men went off to fight. After the war, rebuilding was slow, and peasants still had little freedom, often working for very low wages on collective farms. Soviet movies and books always painted an idealized picture of rural life, showing the wealth and productivity of the kolkhoz, with bountiful harvests, smiling farmers, and strong community ties.

6. The Khrushchev “Thaw” and Liberalization (1950s–1960s)

Despite Soviet attempts to boost production with campaigns like Khrushchev’s Virgin Lands Campaign (1953-1964), the system struggled.

In the 1950s, Khrushchev tried to improve rural life. He increased farm workers’ wages and gave people passports so they could move freely for the first time. This brought some freedom and better access to services, though farms were still run by the state.

7. Late Soviet Era (1970s–1980s)

Under Brezhnev, there was more investment in schools, clinics, and infrastructure for rural areas. But collective farms remained inefficient, and many people started moving to cities. Living standards in rural areas were a bit better, but work and resources were still limited.

8. Post-Soviet Transition (1990s)

The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a major change. Collective farms were broken up, and land was privatized. Rural infrastructure was neglected, and former kolkhoz workers often lost their livelihoods without state support.

9. Modern-Day Rural Life (2000s–Present)

Today, rural life in Russia still has its struggles. Some areas are doing better with updated farming technology, but rural villages often lack good jobs and infrastructure and life in rural areas is still very different from city life.