Local Self-Government and Traditional Institutions: Problems of the Influence of Historical and Cultural Heritage in Post-Reform Russia

Abstract

This paper presents, drawing on archival records and published sources, problems in the local governments functioning that have emerged as a result of the Great Reforms. Theoretical and methodological background of the work are ideas of B. N. Mironov, A. Ribera, M. de Certeau. The authors emphasize that the responsibilities of the municipal government bodies had not been clearly defined, therefore, in practice, there were conflicts between them and the provincial administration or the estates bodies. Often the personal authority of powerful officials had precedence over the formal laws. Duma did not come into open conflict, but it used a variety of delays, which had a negative effect on the possibilities of dialogue between the local government and the previous government authorities. A work of self-government bodies was complicated by the fact that they almost did not have any material resources; new social and political institutions could not earn social respect without a demonstration of its concrete and practical effectiveness, which could not be achieved without public backing. Thus, it is possible to state a lack of independence of public self-governance in the analyzed period, as well as difficulties in the practical implementation of its activities. The reason is the fact that the modernized socio-political institutions have been functioning and interacting with each other in an environment of mainly traditional concepts. Copyright © 2022 by Cherkas Global University.