Formation of Local Authorities in the Far Eastern Republic: Declarations and Reality
This paper is devoted to the development of a new state - the Far Eastern Republic. The aim of the research is to analyze the problems which occurred during the organization of local regional, district, volost authorities. The main source of the study was the reports of the regional administrations, government emissaries, who visited the Far Eastern Republic, and the minutes of regional popular assemblies from 1921 to 1922. The entry of the territories into the Far Eastern Republic (FER), which was declared on April 6, 1920, was not an instantaneous act but a long-time process. The entire vertical power of the new republic - from the government to the regional, district, volost and rural authorities - was formed only in the summer and autumn of 1922. However, the subordination of the district and volost authorities to the regions was nominal. The government and regional administrations controlled only cities while the rural areas were independent republics. Labor artels ran the mines. It is concluded that the organization and work of local authorities were complicated due to the war, the mobilization of all resources for the maintenance of the army, the severe financial and economic crisis, permanent reforms, the slow development of the regulatory framework by the government, the lack of personnel, the destruction of communications and data communication with rural areas, military arbitrariness and “separatism” of the ministries. The lack of money was the most painful issue for the authorities in the Far Eastern Republic. Higher authorities sought to shift the care about the needs of people to local administration but simultaneously demanded the collected taxes. Such inequality of rights and duties caused discontent of lower authorities.