From the history of relations of political exiles with the local administration in Eastern Siberia (on the example of the Minusinsk district in 1820s–1890s)

The article deals with the problem of the relationship of political exiles with the local administration in Eastern Siberia on the example of the Minusinsk District in the 1820s - 1890s. As sources, the authors used materials from the State Archive of the Irkutsk Region, the National Archive of the Republic of Khakassia, memoirs and epistolary heritage of political exiles and officials of the Minusinsk District administration. The article focuses on the structure of authorities in the Yenisei province, on changes in the conditions and peculiarity of police supervision of various categories of exiles - Decembrists, exiled Poles, populists (“Narodniks”) and administrative exiles. The problem of the relationship of political exiles with the local administration is studied through the prism of relations at various stages of political exile - individual Decembrists, M. V. Petrashevsky, other well-known political exiles (A. A. Kropotkin, F. Y. Kon) with the Minusinsk District chiefs and police officers, which made it possible to clearly show their character and peculiarities. The friendly relations of the Decembrists with the officials of the district administration and the support provided by the local authorities to some of them were due to the solidarity of the nobility and the circle of their contacts in the conditions of the Siberian province. The relations of M. V. Petrashevsky with the Siberian administration were determined by personal traits of character and, despite the benevolent attitude of a number of provincial and district officials towards him, they were characterized by the intransigence of the exile to legal "arbitrariness" in relation regarding his personality on their part. The loyal attitude towards the exiled Poles on the part of the local district authorities was determined by the presence among them of a significant number of persons of the "privileged class" - nobles and gentry (“szlachta”). Despite a number of restrictions on professions imposed as part of the rules for Poles to stay in East Siberian exile, as well as absences of exiles from their places of settlement, the lack of educated personnel in the Minusinsk District led to the demand for Polish exiles. Many of them were allowed to engage in prohibited activities. The attitude of the local administration to political exiles within the framework of administrative exile in the Minusinsk District in the 1880s - 1890s was friendly, especially to persons of noble origin, for example, to Prince (“Knyaz”) A.A. Kropotkin. Strict observance by administrative exiles of the conditions of public supervision was often in the power of the district police officer and depended on his official zeal and character. Thus, the relationship of political exiles with local authorities was influenced by such factors as the social origin of exiles, the conditions of police supervision of exiles, the lack of intellectual communication, as well as the personal qualities of district officials and their attitude towards exiles. Practice has shown that often the benevolent attitude of local officials towards political exiles led to their resignation from their positions, and in some cases, for example, with the Decembrists, the establishment of friendly relations for the rest of their lives. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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