ABSTRACT

Abramtsevo A country house outside Moscow which was first, when owned by the Aksakovs (g.v.), a centre of Slavophilism and panslavism and then, when owned by Mamontov (q.v.), a centre of the arts. Adskaia p6chta Hell's Postbox, a satirical journal (1905-7). apanage peasants A term used in English to describe court peasants after Paul I's Act of 5 April 1797, placing them under the Udil, translated as 'Department of the Apanage'. Strictly speaking, this is a mistranslation, for 'Apanage' refers to property set aside to provide for the younger children of kings and princes, whereas Udil refers to all inalienable property belonging to the Imperial Family. arshin A measure of length (71 centimetres or 28 inches), one-third of a sazhen (g.v.). ariel Generally, a mutual aid society, or a society organizing lodging and food in common for its members. With regards to the Decembrist Movement, it has the specific meaning of an officers' dining club. Article 87 Article 87 of the Constitution of the State Duma allowed the government to pass emergency legislation while the State Duma was in recess, although this legislation had subsequently to be confirmed by the State Duma. Stol-ypin made great use of this provision to pass legislation that he believed the Duma would reject by the simple expedient of proroguing it for a few days while he passed 'emergency decrees'. The most notable example was his land reform, passed under Article 87 in November 1906, but only confirmed by the Duma in June 1910. Arzamas A literary circle of 1815-18, whose members included Batiushkov, Dashkov, Karamzin, Turgenev, Uvarov, Zhuk6vskii, etc. assigned peasants See factory serfs. ataman A Cossack leader. Among the Don Cossacks the leader of the entire Host. Among the Zapor6zhians, a lesser leader, under the hetman. barshchina Labour service carried out by serfs for their masters. bashi-bazouks Turkish irregular troops with a reputation for lawlessness and brutality. Berg-k0 llegiia College of Mining (1723-84). Berg-ManufaktUr-kollegiia College of Mining and Manufactures (1 71923). Beseda Beseda liubitelei rossiiskoi sl6vesnosti/Gathering of Lovers of Russian Literature, a literary group of 1811-16 primarily designed to combat modernism in literature. Bespopovtsy Old Believers who had no priests, as they believed that apostolic succession had been broken during the reign of the antichrist. Biblioteka dlia chteniia The Readers' Library, the first 'thick' journal, edited by Osip Senk6vskii (1834-65), and much disliked by the liberal intelligentsia. Birzhevje vedomosti Stock Exchange Gazette. A liberal St Petersburg newspaper (1880-1917).