"The voice of life itself": Ural delegates at the all-Russian public congresses of the early 20th century (a sociocultural aspect)

The relevance of the topic of the formation of civic culture and democratic traditions in imperial Russia is beyond doubt. It seems important to study the issue of the participation of provincials in the all-Russian public congresses of the early 20th century, dedicated to pressing socio-cultural issues of reality. The aim of the study is to show how noticeable and significant the voice of the provincials was using the example of Ural delegates' participation in the all-Russian public congresses of the early 20th century. The author finds out who the regional representatives were, what issues worried the Ural delegates, what significance this social experience had for the continuation of the cultural and educational activities of these public figures in the Russian province. The analysis of the historiography showed that such a study is being conducted for the first time. The article is prepared on a broad source base with the involvement of various types of historical documents (primarily the proceedings of the allRussian public congresses of the early 20th century, as well as periodicals and personal sources). The author established that well-known public figures with experience in cultural and educational work (members of public organizations, representatives of city and zemstvo self-government) and professionals predominated among the delegates to the congresses. Ural representatives actively participated in the work of the congresses, delivering reports themselves or participating in the discussion of other reports. It can be seen that they were primarily interested in issues of practical life; they truly were the "voice of life itself. The delegates often put new socio-cultural issues on the agenda, conditioned by the regional characteristics of the Urals. The representatives absorbed new ideas voiced at the congresses and sought to implement them locally. The author emphasizes that the participation of Ural representatives in the all-Russian public congresses of the early 20th century contributed to the development of their civic consciousness and the formation of professional identity. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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