RECORDS OF THE TULINSKOYE VOLOST COURT AS A SOURCE FOR THE STUDY OF THE PEASANTRY IN WESTERN SIBERIA IN THE EARLY XX CENTURY
M.A. Gordeeva
Institute of History SB RAS, 8, Nikolaeva Str., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
Keywords: official documentation, volost court, peasant consciousness, legal views, law and custom, Tulinskaya volost, Western Siberia
Abstract
The article characterizes Tulinskoye volost court’s records deposited in the archives. The article provides a detailed description of each variety of this type of sources; outlines the range of causes for legal action as well as the reasons for which the peasants preferred to decide issues that were previously subject to jurisdiction of the village assembly. It is noted that such records do not allow for characterization of all spheres of the peasant community’s life. It is virtually impossible to evaluate the degree of the involvement of various categories of the rural population based on the materials of rural courts. Also, it is difficult to trace, whether the proximity to the city affected the legal views of the peasants. However, the author notes that different aspects of the peasant consciousness were reflected in the materials of Tulinskoye rural court. It is concluded that there was a crisis of confidence among the peasants themselves. Information about the time for execution of the rural courts’ decisions also characterizes the consciousness of the peasants. It varied depending on the time of year. The peasant’s life was closely associated with agricultural activities, in the midst of which all the rest was postponed for later. The delay in execution of court decisions was often due to these factors. Based on the inventories of property and further reports on the bid results the author identifies causes of failure to comply with the court decisions. The information derived from various kinds of receipts makes it possible to estimate the literacy rates in different villages. Appeals to higher authorities are an indicative of the rural courts’ efficiency and the peasants’ satisfaction with verdicts issued by the courts. It is noted that records of the Tulinskoye rural court are one of the important sources on the history of the Siberian peasantry. It is clear that they provide information not only about the organization and functioning of the rural courts, but also about the peasant consciousness.
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