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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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XV. The effects of the war upon the work of local government

Collection:: Economics Books

CHAPTER XV THE EFFECTS OF THE WAR UPON THE WORK OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT Financial Difficulties. AT the end of 1914 the Government addressed an ordinance to the zemstvos and municipalities, suggesting a reduction of expenditure. At the same time the Government cut down subsidies that it was al- lowing the zemstvos for elementary education, school construction, and improvement of agriculture. The Government also reduced the grants of working capital to the zemstvo funds (banks). Needless to say, the zemstvo assemblies that met in the autumn >f 1914 in order to draw up their budgets for 1915, endeavored to anforce strict economy, the more so as they had to reckon with new expenditure in consequence of the War, for instance on relief of the wounded soldiers, assistance to the families of mobilized men, and other such measures. They were inspired by the desire to avoid com- plications in the future and by characteristic foresight. In spite of this, however, most of the zemstvos found it impossible to make sub- stantial reductions in their expenditure. An inquiry conducted in 1915 to which replies were received from 21 provincial and 110 district zemstvos, showed that those zemstvos which had reduced their budgets numbered less than one-half of the total, namely, 10 provincial and 50 district zemstvos. As for the remaining zemstvos, they had even increased their budgets as compared with 1914. Judging by newspaper reports, the problem of reducing the budgets in view of war-time expenditure was heatedly debated by the zemstvo assemblies, and the prevailing opinion was that, having regard to the serious difficulties with which the country would have to contend as the War progressed, it was the duty of the local gov- ernment to make every effort to maintain its economic, cultural, and educational institutions, at the level at which they stood when the War broke out. It was held that any curtailment in the activities of the zemstvos was harmful and that it was likely, by disturbing the normal life in the interior of the country, to have an unfavor- 1 By the editor of the publication Kalendar Spravochnik Zemskago Deyatelya (Zemstvo Year Book).

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