Administration of Tomsk railroad in 1917-1920

The article describesthe administration systems, which were used at the Tomsk railroad during 1917-1920. There were 3 such systems: system ofProvisional Government, system of socialists and system of the Provisional Siberian Government and Kolchak government. World WarI led Russia to social, economic and governmental crisis. When in February of 1917 the government changed in Russia, there was a newmodel of administration set. The Provisional Government tried to democratise Russian society and administration. It was considered thatpeople should be given more authority. By this policy the old administration of Tomsk railroad was destabilized, organizations of workersand servants came into view and began to struggle for domination. New organizations insisted on reduction of working hours, socialimprovement and dismissal of some railroad agents. The old administration was not active and could not win intentions of workers andservants to set self-administration. As a result, collegial administration was instituted at the railroad in February of 1918. Instead of onerailroad director, the main executive committee was established - a college (three or five persons), which was elected by workers andservants of the railroad. In the departments of the railroad colleges were also established. But the activities of that collegial administrationled to a transport crisis. This administration was slow and could not solve problems in time. There was an attempt to set a Bolshevikscommissar, who would be the head of the railroad and would act faster than colleges, but at that time a change of government inSiberia happened. So, when the Bolsheviks were unseated in May of 1918, the Provisional Siberian Government and then Kolchak governmentadopted a policy of reestablishment of traditional methods of administration. These methods were based on the principle ofpersonal leadership - the post of the railroad director was reset. Trade unions were admitted on condition that they would not intervenein the management. Collegial administration of workers became outlaw. Military forces were used to keep down workers organizations;the state of martial law was brought into being at Tomsk railroad. The old norms of labour were reset. These measures allowed improvingtraffic, but the civil and military policy of Kolchak government was losing. When the Bolsheviks won the Civil War, a commissarheaded the Tomsk railroad (in January of 1920). It meant that new all-Russian government reoriented at reducing of self-administrationin the society.

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