Definition of "mir"

[T]he constitution of the village […] was a subject which specially interested me, because I was aware that the Mir is the most peculiar of Russian institutions.

1878, Donald Mackenzie Wallace, Russia, volumes 1-3, page 179

The mir was the only means to prevent this, and mir meant serfdom under another name. The landowners disposed of their land, or of so much as was required to support the peasants, not to individuals but to the mir.

R. Van Bergen, The Story of Russia, page 190

Consisting of village elders elected by the male heads of household, the mir conducted almost all peasant business, fixing the dates for the agricultural year, deciding what, when and how crops should be grown, distributing plots of land on the open fields, collecting taxes and enforcing basic community discipline.

2007, Tim Blanning, The Pursuit of Glory, Penguin, published 2008, page 169