Kalinderu took over his father's seat at "Creditul Rural", which financed the cottage industry and, in 1906, was chaired by Sturdza. The institution was rocked by scandals between its Conservative and National Liberal managers—when Sturdza stepped down in March 1906, Kalinderu became his replacement. His belief in self-help and his defense of landed-property rights against another land reform were highlighted after the peasants' revolt of 1907, during which his own estate at Schitu-Greci was ransacked. At the Progress in Forestry Society, he condemned the peasants' belief that "the state has a duty to provide them with land", and insisted that the root cause of the revolt was their failure to accept modernity and practicality. As he noted at the time, "on the crown domains, [...] the peasants never rebelled, but quite the contrary, defended property against invaders."