The System of Urban Self–Government in the Semirechensk Region of the Russian Empire (Late XIX – Early XX Century)

The introduction of all estates elected institutions of urban self-government in the person of the City Duma and the City Council following the results of the urban reform of 1870 corresponded to the logic of the Russian Empire modernization process. At the same time, for the Russian Empire’s national regions, where a special administrative procedure was in effect, a restrictive regime was applied for the dissemination and application of general imperial legislative norms, taking into account local specifics. The development of urban self-government institutions in the Semirechensk Region, which since 1867 has alternately been part of the Turkestan and then the Stepnoy Krai, is indicative of the analysis of the central and regional political elite’s approaches on the issue of attracting "city laymen" to local government.  The author aims to examine the  principles of organization of urban self-government institutions in the Semirechensk Region, first of all, the city of Verniy, to assess the contribution of the Vernensky Duma to the urban environment’s modernization. Being a part of the Stepnoy Krai from 1882 to 1899 led to the fact that the urban self-government’s system of the region was changed in accordance with the general imperial norms according to the City Regulations of 1892, and with the return of the region to the Turkestan Krai, it was preserved. The effectiveness of the City Duma and the City Council was reduced by the modest city budget and the lack of economic factors for its growth, the shortage of urban land due to a conflict of interests with the Cossacks. Despite all the difficulties of the work, urban self-government institutions of Verniy performed a necessary function in the system of public administration – solving issues of current daily life support of the population at the local level, which for the provincial and regional administration on the empire’s outskirts were not among the priorities. It is no coincidence that during the revision of the Turkestan region in 1908–1909 Senator K. Palen, having compared the experience of public urban management in Semirechye and the direct management of local administration in other cities of Turkestan, recognized it as more effective and recommended extending the experience to other cities in the region.