The statistical sources on the history of the Siberian cities at the second half of the XIX - XX centuries: historiographic analysis and criticism of data

The series of socio-economic, political and administrative transformations, the development of production and lines of communications in the second half of the XIX - beginning of the XX centuries made certain changes in the development of cities, the composition and number of population, the development of socio-economic infrastructure. Siberia had its own development features. In this regard, the consideration of this territory is of scientific interest. Often urban studies (gorodovedenie) are based on statistical materials, which were made in a large number in the XIX - beginning of the XX centuries by different departments. Thereupon it is important to take into account the specificity of the sources, the degree of their reliability, completeness. The purpose of the article is the historiographic analysis and identification of the most high-demand sources of statistical data on the Siberian cities at the turn of the XIX- XX centuries on the basis of historiographic analysis of the modern researchers' work. Since the study is the historiographic review, the works of modern historians are used as the sources, in which the issues of the urban history of Siberia reflect. The researchers working with official statistical sources note that their analysis seems to be a very difficult research task. It is necessary to take into account the time and circumstances of collecting data, their processing, because of most statistical books are revised primary data, therefore, they can carry some inaccuracies after the processing stage. The statistical data are necessary for the compilation of time series, with the subsequent possibility of comparing data in a chronological perspective. However, the difficulties of analyzing data often lie in the heterogeneity and insufficiency of the available information. As a rule, the researchers use a wide range of sources to compare information with the aim to achieve objective results. Thus they enforce data from one source with information from other sources. Statistical materials complexes allow studying of urban history widely and comprehensively. The analysis of the historiography of the Siberian urban history revealed that the researchers, striving for the objectivity of the submitted data, compare the information of sources, which are most often published by different departments, and also identify possible statistical errors associated with objective reasons (lack or failure to provide information from a particular department) and subjective ones (distortion of information in analysis, incomplete its representation). Despite the great study of statistics on the Siberian urban history, lots of publications are practically not used in research or used partially. The above is also true of the materials of the General Census. In summary, statistical publications and census data own significant information potential and need to be introduced into a wider scientific circulation with their mandatory critical analysis.

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