The Committee of Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna in the system of public charity during the First World war

Abstract

The participation of the Russian Empire in the First World War necessitated the creation of a system of public care for the victims – soldiers' families, disabled soldiers, orphans. This task was solved by the Supreme Council for the care of families of conscripts. The executive structure of the Supreme Council was the Committee of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna for providing charitable assistance to the families of conscripts. The article highlights the organizational and financial foundations of the Elizabethan Committee, revealing its spatial structure and main activities. The study was carried out on the basis of materials from the archival fund of the Elizabethan Committee and its periodical. The organizational structure of the Elizabethan Committee included a central body, provincial branches and county commissions. The grassroots level consisted of charitable societies. Hierarchical relations between them were based on the principles of autonomy and subsidiarity. Local branches were headed by governors. The competence of the Elizabethan Committee initially covered the provision of additional assistance to soldiers' families to the state aid, later it included the provision of military invalids and orphans. The priority of labor assistance was declared. The main forms of support were assistance in carrying out agricultural work, establishment of nurseries, opening of orphanages. In the cities, the Elizabethan Committee organized workshops, canteens, and fuel sales. This work was carried out jointly with the local government and charitable organizations. The funds of the Elizabethan Committee were charitable donations and allocations of the Supreme Council. In the second half of 1916, the estimate of the Committee's work exceeded 7.5 million rubles. The conducted research allowed to come to the conclusion that the system of the Elizabethan Committee had a state-public character and can be considered as a precursor of specialized public administration bodies in the social sphere. At the same time, this made it possible to mobilize charitable resources to help the victims of the war.