Cultural, social, and historical background for
THE CHERRY ORCHARD
Niyathi C, Joy W, L T, Maria B, and Wiktoria Z
Review
What happened the serfs about 30 years
Are the wealthy people in the play losing
before the book’s first performance?
money or gaining money?
(Think back to the last IO)
Westernization
Czar Alexander II established:
• Emancipation of the serfs, 1861
• Western-style courts, 1864
• Provinces and districts, 1864
• Elected city councils, 1870
Emancipation of the Serfs
• March 3, 1861
– 20
million
serfs freed
• Serfs
were
peasants
tied to the land
and owned
by the
landowner
(likewould thrive
• Czar Alexander
II believed
that
the landlords
slaves).
without serfs
and the peasants improve exports.
• They
worked
in return
for
• Emancipation
was
a Western
philosophy
seen as more
advanced. protection, justice, and food.
Emancipation of the Serfs
• The government gave serfs land in return for “redemption
fees,” but this land was poor and there was little agricultural
technology.
• Low harvests  Serfs were unable to pay their redemption
fees.
Effect on the Landlords
• The government gave the landlords bonds as compensation.
• Without the serfs’ redemption payments, the government
was unable to pay the landlords the value of their bonds.
• Without serfs or bond money, landlords had to sell their land.
Royal Changes and Industrialization
• Alexander II assassinated in 1881, Alexander III succeeded
• Alexander III died in 1894, Sergey Witte (minister of finance)
succeeded
• Tripled coal, iron, steel, oil production during a depression in
1890-1900
• But doubled spending and imported more than exports
Social Class Game
• Open your envelope to find your social class and money. Are
you in the upper or a lower class?
The Russian Revolution
• 1917 (14 years after publication)
• Struggle between the aristocracy/Czar's power and the emerging middle class
• Led by the middle class
• Destroyed the Czarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union.
• Chekhov writes elements of the buildup to the Revolution in Trofimov's monologues,
many of which were censored in the plays because the Czar thought they were too
radical.
Remember
thatlabor
Chekhov
doesn’t
insert
hisand
ownthey've
viewsnever
intoeven
works.
He
• •"They
lived off the
of others,
they always
have,
noticed!
They
their entire
lives to those
people,
people they
even
let walk
justowe
describes
everyday
life,other
which
is tumultuous
atwouldn't
this time
leading
through the front gate of their beloved cherry orchard! ...If we want to have any real
up to the Revolution!
life in the present...the only way to do that is to make sacrifices, gt down to work, and
work harder than we've ever worked before." (360-361)
Differences between urban and rural Russia
• Urban:
• Westernization and the
Industrial Revolution starting in
urban centers.
• Working class and aristocrats.
• More specialized jobs, meaning
less manual labor.
• Rural:
• About 85 % of the population lived
in rural areas.
• Deeply religious and older style
population.
• Mostly farming, and manual labor.
Why is this distinction important for The Cherry Orchard?
Role of religion
• Religious renaissance: intellectuals were drawn to
spiritualism and redemption.
• 1901-1903: meetings were held in St. Petersburg to
explore ways of reconciling the Church.
• After 1905: renewed vitality in religious life among the
lower classes
• 1917 (Revolution!): Russian Orthodox Church forced to
give up most of its property
“
“LIUBOV: FINALLY ALL I WANTED WAS TO COME BACK
HOME, TO WHERE I WAS BORN, TO MY DAUGHTER. OH,
DEAR GOD, DEAR GOD, FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME MY
SINS! DON’T PUNISH ME AGAIN!” (354).
”
• Also relates to the Emancipation of the Serfs--the nobles see their loss
of wealth and paradise as punishment for their personal sins
• Chekhov conveys religion in times of desperation, especially in social
dilemmas
• Associates religious views with chaos and social progress.
WHY? What are some of the religious changes at this
time (remember the last slide!)
Role of women
• Women are gaining rights in the 20th century.
• 1903 suffragette movement: Women’s Social and Political
Union
• By 1928, women’s voting rights were the same as men’s!
Do the women seem any less powerful than the men
in the book?
WHY DID CZAR ALEXANDER II ALLOW
THE EMANCIPATION OF SERFS?
He believed that peasants could produce more crops
for their own benefit, which would provide more
exports for the country.
HOW DID THE LACK OF
INDUSTRIALIZATION IN RUSSIA AFFECT
THE SERFS?
Serfs were unable to harvest enough crops to pay their
redemption fees. The lack in industrialization gave
little agriculture technology for the serfs.
HOW WERE LANDLORDS AFFECTED BY
SERFS' EMANCIPATION?
Most landlords did not know how to work on their
land, so they had to sell it.
WHICH CHARACTERS IN THE CHERRY
ORCHARD WOULD HAVE LOST MONEY
FROM THE SERFS' EMANCIPATION?
Liubov, Gayev, Pischik, Anya, and Varya.
WHO LED THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION?
The middle class (aka. Liberated serfs)
WHICH CHARACTER DOES CHEKHOV
OFTEN USE TO TALK ABOUT RELIGION?
Liubov.
URBAN RUSSIA HAD WHAT KIND OF
JOBS THAT RURAL RUSSIA LACKED?
They had more specialized jobs, meaning less manual
labor was needed.
WHICH CHARACTER DOES CHEKHOV
OFTEN USE TO PORTRAY RUSSIAN
REVOLUTION CONCEPTS?
Trofimov.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO
WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN THIS TIME?
Women were gaining many rights, especially thanks to
suffrage movements.
WHERE IN THE CHERRY ORCHARD DO WE
SEE THE ROLE OF WOMEN BE EMBRACED?
Liubov Andreyevna owned an estate. Previously in Russia
when women had fewer rights, they could not own any
property.
Woman and man characters in the story have fairly equal
roles.
Works Cited
Baehr, Stephen .. "The Machine in Chekhov's Garden." JSTOR. ITHAKA, Spring 1999. Web. 26 Sept.
2014.
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich. The Plays of Anton Chekhov. New York:
Harper Perennial"Has Your Vote Been Brought?" Citizen Tom.
2014.
HarperCollins, 1997. Print.
World Press, n.d.Web. 26 Sept.
Lewitter, David. “Peter the Great, Poland, and the Westernization of Russia.” Journal of the History
of Ideas (1958): 493-506. JSTOR. University of Penssylvania Press. Web. 21 Sept 2014.
"Russian Revolution (1917)." Princeton University. Princeton
University, n.d.Web. 26 Sept. 2014.
"Transformation of Russia in the Nineteenth Century." Countryside US. US Library of Congress, n.d.
Web. 25 Sept. 2014.