Bezdna unrest

The event took place in the Spassky Uyezd of Kazan Governorate, specifically in a village of Bezdna (Russian: Бездна, Biznä Tatar Cyrillic: Бизнә).

[1] The insurgents believed that the tsar had granted them total freedom and declared that they would refuse to continue to pay payments to their landlords and suspend all works on their lots.

[4] The unrest was put down by Major General Count Apraksin and a group of military troops who opened fire on the peasants.

With the Emancipation Reform of 1861 in Russia, Tsar Alexander II abolished serfdom throughout the Russian Empire.

Therefore, it is much better that this business be carried out from above, rather than from below.”[7]The Emancipation act reached Kazan province in late March to early April 1861.

[8] When the manifesto was read out loud by various estate officials, the peasants realized the terms of the emancipation favored the landowners over themselves.

[9] The peasants charged the officials with misrepresenting the content of the act and sought out various people in their own ranks to read the document to them.

[11] He "mistook a figure meaning 10 per cent for the seal of St. Anne, and ... decided that this was the sign granting liberty.

"[12] The local officials attempted and failed to persuade the peasants that Petrov's rendering of the text was not true.

[14] He petitioned for two companies of soldiers from "the commander of Fourth Reserve Battalion of the Taruntino Infantry Regiment.

[15] Apraksin attempted to convince the peasants to assemble stating that he would "clear up any misunderstandings that had arisen,"[15] but they did not agree to this.

He was eventually pardoned by the tsar as it was difficult for the government to sentence Shchapov due to lack of hard evidence.

[25] In his address after the massacre, Shchapov identified Petrov as the head of a religious sect called the Khlysty.

[26] "The events in Bezdna produced a tremendous impression on Russian society, which was enhanced by A. P. Shchapov's speech at the funeral mass for the peasant victims.

"[26] According to his writings in the London Russian language magazine, The Bell, Alexander Herzen criticizes the Russian government for their complete disregard for human life and the fact that the government did not publicly acknowledge the unrest until a month after it had occurred.