Currently, few can say what the province is, since the territorial division of the country is carried out differently. This phenomenon dates back to the times of the Russian Empire, the RSFSR and the USSR.
Provinces were considered the highest units of the administrative-territorial division of the state. They took shape from 1708 to 1929 as a result of the construction of an absolutist state. These territorial units were headed by governors.
Interpretation of the term
To answer the question of what is a province, let us turn to the etymology of the word. The term "province" comes from the Latin word "gubernator", which means "ruler." On December 29, 1708, Peter the Great issued a decree on the division of the state into new administrative-territorial units — the provinces. Until this year, the Russian Empire consisted of 166 counties. Thus, 8 provinces were formed.
We have already explained above what the word "province" means. Next, we consider the history of the emergence of new territorial-administrative units in more detail.
The first reforms of Peter
The creation of the provinces took place in accordance with the decree of the sovereign. The initial composition was as follows:
- Moscow province: the territory of today's Moscow region, large parts of the Tula, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Ryazan regions.
- Ingermanland Province (two years later renamed St. Petersburg). It included the modern Leningrad region, Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, the south of Arkhangelsk, the west of the Vologda, Yaroslavl regions and Karelia.
- Arkhangelogorod province, including the Arkhangelsk, Murom, Vologda regions, part of Kostroma, Karelia and Komi.
- As part of the Kiev province - Little Russia, the ranks of Belgorod and Sevsky, part of the Oryol, Belgorod, Bryansk, Tula, Kaluga, Kursk regions.
- Smolensk province included the current Smolensk region, part of the Bryansk, Tver, Kaluga and Tula regions.
- Kazan province - Volga and Bashkiria, Volga-Vyatka, part of the Tambov, Penza, Perm, Ivanovo and Kostroma regions, the northern part of Dagestan and Kalmykia.
- Azov included part of Tula, Oryol, Ryazan, Kursk, Belgorod, all of Voronezh, Rostov, Tambov, part of Kharkov, Lugansk, Donetsk and Penza regions.
- As part of the Siberian province - Siberia, most of the Urals, the Kirov region and part of the Komi Republic.
Interestingly, by the end of 1719 there were eleven provinces. This happened due to the fact that the Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan and Riga provinces were distinguished. At the head of these territorial units was the governor general, and each share of the provinces was headed by a landrat.
Second administrative division of provinces (Second reform of Peter the Great)
The second reform took place in 1719, on May 29. During its course, the provinces were divided into provinces led by the governor, and the provinces, in turn, were divided into districts with the commanders of the Zemstvo commissars. Thus, 47 provinces were formed that were part of 9 provinces, with the exception of the Revel (now Tallinn) and Astrakhan (they were not divided into parts). The documents of that time described in detail what the province is, and what powers it is vested with.
Third Administrative Reform
What were the provinces in a later period? During the third administrative reform, districts were removed and counties reintroduced. As a result, 250 counties in 14 provinces turned out. Belgorod and Novgorod provinces were formed, counties began to be led by the leaders of the county nobility.
Still, the local nobility put pressure on the tsarist government in order to feel like masters of the land. The administrative structure for a long time remained stable, and if new units appeared, then at the expense of the acquired territories. At the end of October 1775, the Russian state included 23 provinces, 62 provinces, 276 counties.
Reform of Catherine the Great
Catherine’s decree of November 7, 1775 stated that it was necessary to disaggregate the administrative territories of the state. The creation of provinces has stopped, and their number has decreased, the provinces have been removed and the principle of the formation of counties has changed. The bottom line was that the county should be 20-30 thousand people, and in the province - about 300-400 thousand.
Also, the goal of the reform was to strengthen power after the invasion of Emelyan Pugachev. Governors and governors were subordinate to the prosecutor's office, headed by the prosecutor general, and the Senate.
By the end of the reign of Catherine II, 48 governorates, 2 provinces, 1 region, and the Don Cossacks' dwelling were in Russia. The governor-general was appointed by the empress, the counties were controlled by the captains. Until 1796, the creation of new governorates was due to the annexation of territories.
There has long been no question among the population about what the province is and why it was created. The emergence of new administrative units remained virtually unnoticed.
Reforms of Paul I and Alexander I
The formation of provinces during the reign of Paul I occurred as a result of the replacement of the names of administrative-territorial units. During the reform in 1776, enlargement took place: governorates officially became provinces, in areas where there was a likelihood of an uprising or foreign attack, governor generals remained in places.
The management scheme of the provinces during the reign of Alexander I did not change, but in the period from 1801 to 1802 the abolished territories were restored.
Consider what were the province in this period. It should be noted that the territorial units are divided into 2 groups: in the European part of Russia there remains a provincial organization (consisting of 51 provinces), while on the outskirts a system of governor generals is tracked (3 provinces in total). In some areas - the Kuban, Ural, Transbaikal, Don, Terskaya, the governors were at the same time the chieftains of the Cossack troops. In 1816, 12 governorates arose, each having 3-5 provinces.
From province to region
By the end of the 19th century, 20 regions were formed - these are administrative units similar to provinces. The word "region" in contrast to the overseas "province" is truly Old Slavonic, and means "possession" (possession).
Regions were located in territories bordering other states; they did not have their own Duma and were infringed on other rights, were governed by military governors and were part of huge governor generals. The apparatus of local self-government was simplified and subordination to the governor himself was strengthened.
The first governor general in Russia - A.D. Menshikov - took office in 1703
Administrative staff as of 1914
Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the provincial apparatus had its strength in local government. From 1907 to 1910, during the Stolypin reform, the Council of the United Nobility was created.
The interim government retained the provincial divisions, they became headed by the provincial commissars, and counties - county. In parallel with this, a system of Soviets was formed, as opposed to the Provisional Government.
Soviet period
The initial provincial division remained for some time after the revolution in October 1917, but was established by the provincial executive committee. This is an executive committee elected at the provincial congress of Soviets.
By the end of 1918, there were 78 provinces in the state, and until 1920, 25 of them joined Finland, Poland and the Baltic states. From 1920 to 1923 new autonomous units appeared throughout the RSFSR — a new province was formed every year.
The composition changed regularly, but as a result of the reform by 1929, the provinces had completely disappeared, regions and territories appeared, and they, in turn, included districts, districts, village councils, which we still see today.
Finally
In the article, we listed which provinces were in Russia. In addition, we examined key concepts and the history of the emergence of various territorial-administrative units.