CONGRESSES, CONFERENCES AND COUNCILS OF VARIOUS SOCIAL CLASS FORCES IN TOMSK PROVINCE IN THE PERIOD OF THE“DEMOCRATIC COUNTERREVOLUTION” (JUNE – NOVEMBER 1918)

• Main Authors: V. A. Drobchenko, M. E. Chernyak, E. I. Chernyak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kemerovo State University 2015-06-01
• Series: Вестник Кемеровского государственного университета
• Subjects: civil war; siberia; democratic counterrevolution; public life; political race; social groups; congresses; conferences and councils
• Online Access: https://vestnik.kemsu.ru/jour/article/view/1789
• ISSN: 2078-8975; 2078-8983

The paper presents the characteristic of different classes’ activities (congresses, conferences and councils of political parties and non-governmental organizations) in the period of the “Democratic Counterrevolution” (June – November 1918) and the Civil War. Congresses and conferences are analyzed as one of the key elements of society formation and activity that had significant influence on the state administration bodies, reauthorization and society selforganization. On the basis of the statistical analyses, it is proved that the number of congresses, conferences and councils decreased greatly in the researched period (from March 1917) compared to the previous period. That fact signifies, on the one hand, the democratic liberties limitation by the government, and, on the other hand, decreasing the society’s political activities. The following tendencies in the internal structure of the civic movement are observed in the researched period: the activity of local public authority was renewed, while the activity of the Soviet bodies was prohibited, the Socialists-Revolutionaries (SRs) and the Mensheviks became more active, at the same time, the Bolsheviks went underground, the Oblastniks, the clergy and businesspeople began to participate in the civil movement considerably. The tendency is registered to decrease the involvement of trade union movement into policy, the antagonism between professional workers and working people is observed. Being the center of Siberian legislative power, Tomsk became the center of the Siberian civil movement in the researched period. Most of Siberia-wide and regional congresses and conferences were held in Tomsk. The activity of democratic institutions (in some limited type) is proved to have continued longer than in other regions of Siberia.