THE UYEZD CENTER OF THE VYATKA PROVINCE IN THE CONDITIONS OF ETHNOCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND URBAN REFORM OF THE 70s OF THE 19th CENTURY

Abstract

The relevance of the chosen topic is due to the change in the attitude of domestic historians to the problem of self-governance of towns in pre-revolutionary Russia. The new vision is mediated by the influence of foreign historiography, the renewal of historical methodology, and a long period of forgetting the theme. Addressing to the study of the imperial period in the history of urban self-governance is also determined by modern trends: ongoing search for optimal structural models of current local authorities and a keen interest in the domestic experience in the formation of urban self-governance bodies in the conditions of the country’s capitalist development. The local aspect is interesting in the context of insufficient coverage of the preserved complex of historical sources. The article considers the activities of municipal self-governance bodies of Yelabuga, one of uyezd centers of the Vyatka province, during the period of the City Regulation of 1870. The main changes introduced by the new law in the organization and activities of local self-governance bodies are described, the weaknesses of the pre-reform legislation are identified, against the background of which the progressive nature of innovations is noted. The conclusion is made about providing the country’s towns with equal opportunities for further development. Special attention is paid to changing hiring rules of municipal self-governance bodies; the social composition of Yelabuga City Duma is examined, as well as its features that manifested in the predominance of the merchant class. The influence of the commercial and industrial population strata on the development of Yelabuga during the time under study is revealed. By a comparative analysis of mandatory resolutions of Yelabuga (Vyatka province) and Chistopol (Kazan province) City Dumas, the approaches of self-governance bodies of uyezd centers to conducting economic activities and regulating public relations are studied. The conclusion is formulated that the absence of compulsory (police) power reduced the effectiveness of the regulatory function performed by the City Dumas, but the use of the law-based right to develop and implement mandatory regulations gave positive results. The structure of municipal budgets determined by the Regulation of 1870 is examined, the incomes and expenses of Yelabuga are analyzed, the conclusion is made about limited budgetary rights of city authorities that led to infringement of public interests.