Reforms of local governments in the cities of Tomsk Province (March-October 1917)

The reforms of local government bodies in the cities of Tomsk Province during the interrevolutionary period (March-October, 1917) are considered. It is established that in March 1917 there was total confusion at the local level. The cities had diarchy: committees of public security with newly elected people's assemblies on the one hand and City Councils with boards on the other. The analysis of archive documents showed that interim committees of public security and City Councils sent appeals to the Provisional Government about trust and support of their actions. Measures realized by committees of security and people's assemblies included the transfer of affairs from the abolished police to the national militia. Interim committees of security were abolished with the transfer of their functions to city people's assemblies and their executive committees. It is established that the people's assembly as a local government body determined how to conduct economy, what charges to establish, how to secure order, rest and health of inhabitants. Members were elected by men and women living in the territory for at least 3 months, having civil rights and being 18 y.o. and older. The system of such bodies consisted of rural people's assemblies (with executive committees), volost people's assemblies (with executive committees), district people's assemblies (with executive committees) and city people's assemblies (with executive committees). Execution of resolutions of people's assemblies was assigned to executive committees. City people's assemblies elected one representative for each thousand voters; district and provincial assemblies had one representative for each 5,000 voters. The organization of elections to city people's assemblies of Tomsk Province is considered: Tomsk, Biysk, Novonikolayevsk, Mariinsk, Kainsk (April-May, 1917). It is specified that the small cities of the region (Bogotol, Kuznetsk, Kamen, Narym, Taiga, Slavgorod) had no people's assemblies. It is noted that the Provisional Government considered all people's assemblies of Tomsk Province illegal local government bodies and demanded their immediate dissolution and elections to City Councils on the basis of the law of April 15, 1917. The Provincial Commissariat, despite the requirement of the Provisional Government, did not hurry to liquidate people's assemblies. According to the sources, the formation of the bodies of city self-government in Tomsk Province by the new democratic principles dragged on owing to different local conditions from June to November, 1917. It is concluded that regular transformations in local self-government had an adverse effect on the solution of the vital issues of municipal economy development. Activities of city people's assemblies with no practical experience of administration did not bring notable results. The situation was aggravated with the difficult economic situation in all the cities of the region.

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