Provision supply on the local level as a factor of political regime stability during the Revolution and the Civil War: the Tomsk Province (February 1917 - December 1919)

In the conditions of revolutionary cataclysms the regional level of political authorities was a key link of the state system of all political regimes, including the White governments of the Russian East. It was on the regional level in particular that the most acute political, social and economic issues concentrated. The question of providing people and the army with provision was one of the most serious that the local administration had to solve during this period. At the same time, the main challenge for local authorities was mobilization of all society resources for a military victory, and also for the normal functioning of government. The success of the policy of the political regime depended on the ability of local administration to solve the most burning issues, to provide stable functioning of society, its political and social institutes. It also depended on the abilities not to lose touch with people. The main challenge for the local authority of the revolutionary time was the reconstruction of normal social life functioning. The Provisional government continued the policy of imperial administration on the expansion of the state regulation of economy. The main place in the process of provision supply was assigned to new democratic structures - provision committees. However, the work process of new democratic structures was seriously complicated by their large number, and incompetence and deficiency of employees. The attempt of local public authorities to put process of provision preparation under control did not change the situation fundamentally. Intervention of the central authorities in food policy on places was inevitable; however, this measure was overdue and did not make the expected success. The West Siberian commissariat and The Provisional Siberian government faced with the absolute inability of local self-authorities to cope with the serious problem of provision supply of the population and the army. During this period, the power centralization in the provision sphere was politically institutionalized. A new state structure was founded: the Institute of the State Commissioners on Provision and Supply which was subordinate to the Ministry of Food. However, the work of state commissioners did not show high efficiency: their number on different questions gradually increased, functions were duplicated. Fast changes for the worst in the provision sphere demanded emergency measures from the government. A.V. Kolchak's government, realizing the incapacity of democratic institutes to deal with all economic problems, made an attempt to cope with this situation by strengthening the state power vertical. The control functions over the local authorities in the food sphere were assigned to the province governor. Neither of non-Bolshevik governments in Siberia managed to form an effective system of provincial authorities and an effective mechanism of implementing state decisions, and also to develop a well-weighed and viable program for recovery from the crisis.

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