The Origin of the Elements of Civil Society in Tomsk (mid 19th - early 20th century)

At the turn of the XX-th century all the spheres of life in Tomsk underwent profound changes, influenced by the capitalist modernization.The institutions of the civil society began to take shape. The citizens social activism was materialized in the activities of publicorganizations and political parties, in publishing activities, in organizing various campaigns. This article tries to generalize, expand (bymeans of using new sources) and systematize the information about the origins of the institutions of civil society in Tomsk in the late 19th -early 20th centuries, to show the dynamics of their formation and functioning. Greater public activism was connected with the developmentof education and culture. In the 1880s - 1890s the Tomsk clergy set up the affiliations of missionary organizations. The developments of theinstitutions of civil society in Tomsk, as well as in the whole country, was strongly influenced by the First Russian Revolution. The liberaland revolutionary ideologies became wide-spread. A reflection of the democratization of public life was the creation of the branches ofliberal political parties, trade unions, the expansion of the network of non-governmental periodicals. The student organizations wererepresented by scientific and technical study groups and sport clubs, as well as by a number of organizations uniting people from the sameareas/ The organizations of national minorities were tightly controlled by the authorities who thwarted every attempt on their part to exceedthe limits of the permitted activities. In the war years the womens movement became more active. The major forms of student associationswere still the organizations of descendants from the same areas, with a notable increase in the share of those uniting students from Siberianregions (Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk). The activities of the clergy were also touched by the events. The war brought significant changes inthe social life of the city and the public conscience. Growing prices on food, clothes, household goods, as well as their shortage since theautumn of 1915, engendered discontent and animosity. In February 1916 the first sugar riot happened in Tomsk. There were rumours ofthe approaching famine. In August 1916 cards on sugar were introduced in Tomsk, in January 1917 - cards on flour, and later - on bread.There was growing public resentment against the authorities. Siberian papers reprinted satirical articles against the tsar and his associatesfrom Moscow and Petrograd papers. By the early 1917 here were clear signs of the revolutionary situation in Tomsk, although the economiccrisis in the region was much less salient than in the central part of the country. At the turn of the 20th century the capitalist modernization,accompanied by the changes in the social structures, resulted in the development of the elements of civil society. Since mid-19th century till1917 at least 235 public and 20 cooperative organizations and the branches of all the big Russian parties functioned in Tomsk with varyingdegree of activism, 81 periodicals were published. The movements of workers, youth, women, national minorities were gaining strength. 19conventions and conferences were held in Tomsk, the representatives of the city took part in 11 all-Russian conventions. However, thedevelopment of the elements of civil society was hindered by the policies of the tsarist regime. The lack of conditions for the fullmaterialization of civil initiatives paved the way for the setting up of illegal organizations and the reinforcement of anti-governmentsentiments.

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