Prior to the 1864 reform, local self-government in Russia was organized in accordance with the particularities that the feudal system determined. The central figure in it was the landowner, in whose hands was the administrative-judicial, political and economic power over the peasants belonging to him.
The first Zemstvo reform of Ivan the Terrible, carried out as early as 1550, already at that time was aimed at the elimination of "feeding" and the creation of elected public authorities.
But in the 19th century this task was still not fully resolved. At the head of the provinces were governors endowed with extremely wide powers: police, supervisory, administrative and other functions. The next most important people in the province were the provincial leader of the nobility and the county leader of the nobility. That is, such a management system could reflect only the interests of the landowners. The needs of not only the population, but also local industry and trade were not taken into account. The lack of separation of judicial, administrative and economic powers further aggravated the situation.
To carry out peasant reform, it was necessary to rebuild the system. To this end, the Zemstvo reform of 1864 began to be prepared. Zemstvo institutions were to be entrusted with local and public functions. They should be controlled by the state in the form of government supervision or special supervision and the appointment of specific regulations. Orders of the Zemstvo authorities themselves could be implemented with the help of the tax and fiscal authorities or through the police.
Zemstvo reform was hampered by attempts by the authorities to concentrate local power in the hands of bureaucratic bodies. The organizers of the reform did not dare to openly embody the desire to form new local government bodies on an estate basis. Universal suffrage was unacceptable to them. Therefore, it was decided for the election to divide the county population into three curiae (parts), each of which was dominated by representatives of a certain class. In connection with the existence of a property qualification, the curia system allowed the government to plan the number of electors in zemstvo institutions, providing the majority to representatives of the ruling class.
On January 1, 1864, the authorities approved the "Regulation on Zemstvo institutions." From this day on, they were entrusted with the management of capital, money and property of zemstvos, the maintenance of communications and buildings, charity events, participation in health care and education, mutual insurance of property, and care for local industry and trade.
Zemsky reform provided for the creation of three curiae: county landowners, citizens and representatives of the village. The executive body of the zemstvo assembly - the government - was elected for two years. Members of the provincial zemstvo assembly were elected at county meetings.
Zemstvo reform did not create a centralized harmonious system: during its implementation, no body was formed that would coordinate the work of all zemstvos. An attempt to create it was made in 1865 by the provincial assembly of St. Petersburg, but in response to such an initiative the government dismissed it. Thus, the existence of local self-government was allowed only at the level of provinces and counties. Also, the lower link - volost departments was not created.
The new self-government bodies were dependent on the government due to limited funds and lack of an executive apparatus. Nevertheless, the Zemstvo reform contributed to the improvement of the local economy, communications, public education and health care. Zemstvos became a kind of political school for representatives of democratic social and liberal movements. In this regard, reform can be characterized as bourgeois.