Volost local government in the Kazan Governorate during the first year following the implementation of the Emancipation Reform of 1861

A.A. Litvin^*, T.S. Mitrofanov^**

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

E-mail: ^*Alexandr.Litvin@kpfu.ru, ^**timur.mitrofanov@gmail.com

Received June 4, 2019

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DOI: 10.26907/2541-7738.2020.1.35-43

For citation: Litvin A.A., Mitrofanov T.S. Volost local government in the Kazan Governorate during the first year following the implementation of the Emancipation Reform of 1861. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2020, vol. 162, no. 1, pp. 35–43. doi: 10.26907/2541-7738.2020.1.35-43. (In Russian)

Abstract

The general state of volost local government in the Kazan Governorate at the initial stage of implementation of the Emancipation Reform of 1861 was analyzed. Besides, the social context of the period under study, as well as the attitudes and expectations among peasants were briefly described. The key features of local governance and administration of volost justice by peasants in the first year following the proclamation of the Emancipation Manifesto were defined. The research is based on the reports sent from June to September 1862 by P.F. Kozlyaninov, the Governor of the Kazan Governorate, to the Minister of Internal Affairs. The landlords and officials, who were responsible for the reform's implementation and clarification, were poorly prepared, which resulted in conflicts and misinterpretation of the Emancipation Manifesto. Despite the fact that the reform was implemented in the chaotic atmosphere during the first weeks and months, the analysis of the information from the Governor's report demonstrated the satisfactory condition of clerical work and organization of the volost local government during the first period of the implementation of the reform in the governorate. The major drawback of peasants' local government revealed by inspectors was the low level of quality of proceedings in the volost courts. However, this fact did not become an obstacle to the increasing popularity of the new body of justice among the peasantry.

Keywords: Kazan Governorate, Emancipation Reform of 1861, volost local government, township courts, P.F. Kozlyaninov

Acknowledgments. The study was supported by the German Historical Institute in Moscow (DHI Moskau).

References

1. Spasskii N.A. Ocherki po rodinovedeniyu. Kazanskaya guberniya [Essays on Native Studies. Kazan Go­vernorate]. Kazan, Tipo-Lit. Imp. Univ., Izd. Kn. Magazina M.A. Golubeva, 1912. 376 p. (In Russian)
2. Chernyshov E.I. The Emancipation Reform of 1861 in the Kazan Governorate. In: Materialy po istorii Tatarii. Kazan' [Materials on the History of Tataria. Kazan]. Issue 1. Kazan, Tatgosizdat, 1948, pp. 366–413. (In Russian)
3. Efimenko A.Ya. Issledovaniya narodnoi zhizni [Studies on People's Life]. Issue 1: Customary Law. Moscow, V.I. Kasperov, 1884. xvi, 382 p. (In Russian)

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