Issue № 37. April 2013

The Main City Authority. Rapport between Moscow Self-Government and the City Administration Illustrated by an Incident in Municipal Services

Graduate student, Faculty of History, Lomonosov Moscow State University.
E-mail: ivailis@yandex.ru

The turn of the 19th century is central for the history of prerevolutionary Moscow. In the context of urbanization that swept Russia, economic growth, the questions of housing and self-government created many challenges for the city. Among the most important ones was the division of responsibilities between two main authorities — self-government, represented by the Duma and the city Council, and the city administration, as well as their relations with the house owners. These conflicts were most apparent in the realm of city infrastructure. In 1895, due to disconcerted actions of the city board, Moscow faced economic and transportation crises. The history of this conflict, based on new primary sources, shows that at the end of the 19th century the citizens viewed a city self-government as a real power hand, representing their interests and capable of giving solutions to the most vital issues of the city life.

Keywords

History of Moscow, history of the municipal government, history of communal services, legislation of Russian Empire.