OLHOPOL DISTRICT OF PODILLIA PROVINCE IN THE POST-REFORM PERIOD (1862–1872): PECULIARITIES OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, DEMOGRAPHY, AND CLASS STRATIFICATION

During the post-reform period, the Olgopolshchyna remained mainly the agrarian region, where agricultural production significantly impacted all aspects of life. The development of the region was also influenced by the estates of large landowners who took a cautious approach at the time. Freelance labor was increasingly involved in production, and lease relations have become important for different segments of the population. Gradually intensified commodity-money relations, which positively influenced the economy of the region. However, this did not mean the development of capitalist relations in the region, as many peasants had not yet acquired land and were still dependent on landlords. The market economy has not yet formed as there was no unified market space in the Russian Empire. The factories in the county were only nominally called such, as they were more like workshops with a few hired workers. Their production was primarily manual and technologically outdated, and they were not designed for large-scale production. The workers who worked there were usually low-skilled.