The protests and the revindications of the Bessarabian people in the first decades after the annexation of the territories between the Prut and Dniester rivers to Russia (years 1812-1828)

In spite of the relatively large number of works concerning the peasants issue in Bessarabia after its annexation to the Russian Empire, it has been noticed that some aspects connected to the peasants’ movement(rising) have been treated one-sidedly and tendentiously in the Soviet historiography from the Republic of Moldova. The period after the democratization of the Moldovan society did not draw the attention of historians to that subject and din not manifest their interest in it either.

For carrying out an objective study of this issue, there have been analyzed 1502 claims and letters of complaint addressed by representatives of different social categories to the civil governor of Bessarabia, which have been stocked in stock nr.2 - Chancellery of the civil governor of Bessarabia from the National Archive of the Republic of Moldova. The documents have been classified into claims which reflect the following forms of protest and revindications: abuse on behalf of landlords, district police officers, landholders and concessionaires; exaggerated duties, taxes and charges; abuse on behalf of the Russian soldiers; escapes, removals inside Bessarabia and over the river Dniester; escapes of the peasants into Moldova over the Prut river; abuse from the Regional Administration and the Russian officials; restrictions of the internal and external trade; the haiduk movement or robberies etc. People’s protests and revindications have been conventionally divided into two periods: 1812-1818 and 1819-1828, relying on the administrative-territorial division of Bessarabia during this time, which allows the analysis of these acts in its districts. The analyzed documents made it possible to elaborate a series of tables which reflect, quite exhaustively, the main forms of protest and revendications of the population in these two time periods.

The analysis of these documents allows us to conclude that 1025 (68,4%) claims have been made by the representatives of different social categories between 1812 and 1818, in spite of the privileges conferred by the Russian administration to the Bessarabian people, immediately after the annexation of the territory. 523 (51%) of the complaints have been addressed to the civil governor of Bessarabia by the people of the Orhei district. Among the most important complaints made by the Bessarabian people during the first period, can be highlighted the following: claims and complaints connected to abuse on behalf of landlords, district police officers, landholders and concessionaires – 372 (36,3%); claims and complaints caused by exaggerated duties, taxes and charges – 318 (31%); claims and complaints caused by the abuse on behalf of the Russian soldiers – 133 (13%); claims and complaints caused by escapes, removals inside Bessarabia and over the river Dniester – 93 (9,1%); claims and complaints connected to escapes of the peasants into Moldova over the Prut river – 62 (6%); claims and complaints caused by the abuse from the Regional Administration and the Russian officials – 31 (3%) etc. Consequently, the analysis of the above mentioned sources allows us to question a number of assertions made by the Soviet historiography on this matter.