Following the abolition of serfdom there was the need for urgent reforms in the local government system.At the beginning of 1863 a special commission prepared a draft of the occurrence of a new form of local government, which later became known as "local self-government."They were created on the basis of "Regulations on the provincial and district zemstvo institutions".The document was signed by Tsar Alexander II January 1, 1864.
functions Zemstvos
«Regulations on zemstvo institutions" shared all zemstvos on provincial and district.Their functions are described and briefly the main provisions can be presented as:
- asset management, funds zemstvos;
- superintendence orphanages, charity houses and other charitable institutions;
- the establishment of schools, hospitals, libraries, and care about them;
- lobbying of local trade and industry;
- providing the necessary economic needs of the army and mail;
- collection of local fees and taxes, certain state;
- organizational and administrative measures aimed at maintaining normal activity Zemstvos;
- to promote the preservation of crops, preventing the loss of cattle, control of small rodents and locusts.
These and other powers zemstvoes indicate only hardware spectrum of their activities.
Where were created zemstvos
According to the "Regulations ...", local self-government created in the 33 provinces.Exceptions are made up of Bessarabia region, the land forces of the Don, the province such as Mogilev, St. George, Astrakhan and Arkhangelsk, as well as Polish, Lithuanian and the Baltic provinces.In these lands until 1911 operated a special committee for the local economy.The difference was that the elected local self-government were created by, and the committees are officials appointed by the Ministry of the Interior.To understand the reason for such a decision, it is necessary to consider the procedure for the election, which was formed as a result of the Zemstvo.
As a district council elections were held in the County
Organizers reforms could not openly declare caste principles of local government, but also to provide the right to vote, without exception, as it seemed to them unacceptable.
formation of local authorities can be represented as a table.
As you can see, the main elected body was Curia.Distinguish curia of landowners, farmers and urban residents.For landowners the land requirement was established that in different provinces ranged from 200 to 800 acres of land.City inhabitants have the right to vote at an annual cash flow of more than 6000 rubles.Rural Curia had no property qualification - Peasant Congress empowered representatives, who were to lobby for the interests of the Third Estate in the zemstvo.The largest number of class was less than 10% of the vote in the Zemstvo Assembly.
lot of ground on which were not created by local self-government, were in the border or recently annexed provinces.The central authorities were afraid to admit to the management of the local population, whose decisions could harm the central authorities or encouraged dissent in the region.
counterreform 1890
In 1890 published "The new provision on land institutions", according to which a large part of the population was deprived of its voting rights.Elections held under the new rules in 1897, showed a sharp increase in the Board of nobles and officials and representatives of the peasantry decrease - 1.8% of the total number of members of the zemstvos.
Further transformations
local government legislation was finalized during the revolution of 1905-1907.Then, we have passed laws to equalize the rights of peasants, and in 1912 local self-government have created and in the western regions of Russia.After the 1917 revolution, the district council has been abolished.
