Cold, hunger and infection

The book examines the impact of climatic anomalies, famine and epidemics on Belarusian society in the mid-19th century. using the example of the Grodno province. For several years, extremely unfavorable weather conditions for agriculture were observed in the Grodno region, which led to severe crop failures. This, in turn, caused severe famine, an outbreak of epidemic diseases and high mortality. Crop failures, famine and infection exacerbated the long-known problems of society, whose economy was based on the forced labor of serfs, and caused increased social tension. The poorest groups of the population became victims of famine and epidemics. The injustice and archaic nature of the serfdom system became obvious.