Russian local government during the war and the Union of Zemstvos

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1794855874

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-179223

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Polner, Tichon I. http://d-nb.info/gnd/172311195

Title:: Russian local government during the war and the Union of Zemstvos

Place of publication:: New Haven

Publisher:: Yale Univ. Press

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: XXV, 317 S.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR bureaucrats and spared no effort to limit the scope of the zemstvo work and to prevent its growth. The reactionary section represented the majority of the zemstvo assemblies, but morally it was weaker than the minority which was supported by the progressive members of the gentry, real friends of the people, who understood that the happiness of the country lay in the principles of equality and freedom. The minority was conscious that it was fighting for the right cause. It found support in the con- ditions of everyday life and had behind it the whole “third element,” that is all men and women who were actually building up the insti- tutions of the zemstvos. The struggle between the Government, supported by the Right Wing of the zemstvo assemblies, and the Left Wing continued throughout the reign of Alexander III and Nicholas II. Absolutism and bureaucracy saw, in the zemstvos, revolution and the germ of a constitutional government, while the liberal workers of the zemstvos believed that the happiness of the country depended upon the expansion of the functions of local institutions. Both sides kept one another under a close observation. The zemstvo work was continually interfered with by the governors of the provinces and other representatives of the central government. It underwent many heavy trials, endured many blows, but patiently and persistently moved forward. Generations were brought up in this struggle and became champions of the rights of the people. As time went on the central government proved more and more incapable of following the growth of the country, and the leadership of the economic life passed into the hands of the zemstvos. The greatest achievements of the zemstvos were the result of their work in time of emergency, such as famine and war, when inability of the Government to live up to its obligations had become evident, and a supreme effort of all vital forces became necessary. The law provided that the zemstvos should be in charge of purely local af- fairs; they were prohibited from forming associations or unions. Their problems, however, were similar and the rational solution of these problems often required joint action as, for instance, in the case of the building of roads, prevention of epidemics, insurance, and relief to farmers in years of famine. The Government took spe- cial care that this provision should be strictly enforced, since it feared that the formation of an organization might increase the B

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