26 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR 
of the change made by the law of 1890 in the relationship between 
landed property qualifications and zemstvo representation: 
Area of Land per Member of District Zemstvos. 
1877 1905 
Curia of Curia of Curia of Curia of 
large owners peasants nobility peasants 
In the thirty-four zemstvo 
provinces 
Including: 
Moscow 
Samara 
9.200 16,200 
4.700 
80.400 
5,300 9,300 2,100 14,700 
17,700 86,400 7.600 100.200 
From an institution representing all classes of the population, the 
zemstvo was thus transformed into a body representing the nobility. 
The law of 1890 abridged the rights of the zemstvos considerably, 
and the Government was enabled more than ever to meddle in their 
affairs. We note here the following two innovations which exerted 
an especially harmful influence upon the further activities of the 
zemstvo institutions: (1) The provincial governors and the Minis- 
ter of the Interior were now authorized not only to refuse their ap- 
proval to undesirable presiding officers and members of executive 
organs elected by the zemstvos, thus preventing them from assum- 
ing office, but to appoint their own nominees to such posts, after 
having twice refused to confirm those proposed in their offices; (2) 
governors were authorized to prohibit the execution of resolutions 
of zemstvo assemblies, not only if they failed to conform to the law, 
but likewise when they did “not harmonize with the general interests 
and needs of the state, or clearly violated the interests of the local 
population.” These two provisions of the new law made the zemstvos 
in a very large measure dependent upon the arbitrary will of the 
officials of the central administration. 
And yet the changes in the law failed to justify the hopes of the 
Government. The composition of the assemblies changed but little, 
while the increasing intervention of the government authorities in 
the affairs of the zemstvos merely tended to accentuate their hos- 
tility to the Government. 
Upon the accession of Nicholas II, nine provincial zemstvo as- 
semblies presented to the Emperor an address in which they ex- 
pressed, among other things, a desire that he should govern the