Landlosen-Kommission
The Landlosen-Kornmission or Kommission der Landlosen was a commission which originated in the Molotschna Mennonite settlement in South Russia in 1863 as the result of the fact that two-thirds of the Mennonite population was without land (see Anwohner). After 150 of these landless Mennonites had appealed to the Fürsorge-Kommitee to remedy this situation, Franz Isaac, Johann Fast, Johann Dorksen, and Isaak Fast were appointed to the Landlosen-Kommission to represent the landless Mennonites in negotiations with the government and with the Mennonite civic authorities. On 18 March 1865 this commission presented a "project or proposal" as to how the surplus land was to be distributed among the landless. Considerable opposition had to be overcome on the part of the local Mennonite authorities and the prosperous Mennonite farmers who rented this land. Through the sympathetic understanding of the Russian government, the Fürsorge-Kommitee, and the Agricultural Association, the cause of the landless was given a hearing and the land was finally distributed among them. Franz Isaac was an outstanding champion of this cause. At the end of his life he could say, "The mother settlement, although it cannot solve all problems which are connected with the settlement of the landless, now recognizes its obligation and is purchasing land for growing families. Although the initial steps were difficult, conditions have improved, and the result is general welfare." He credited the general welfare to the fact that provision had been made for developing a system by which the landless were provided with land (p. 86). The Landlosen-Kommission played a significant role in this achievement.
Bibliography
Isaac, Franz. Die Molotschnaer Mennoniten. Halbstadt,1908: 27-86.
| Author(s) | Cornelius Krahn |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Krahn, Cornelius. "Landlosen-Kommission." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 23 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Landlosen-Kommission&oldid=83018.
APA style
Krahn, Cornelius. (1957). Landlosen-Kommission. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Landlosen-Kommission&oldid=83018.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 283. All rights reserved.
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