Party Management of Electoral Processes in the Komi Autonomous Region in the 1920s

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Scientific article

УДК 94(470.5:571)+94(47)+94(470.13)

DOI 10.28995/2073-0101-2022-3-862-876

Gagieva, Anna K.

Komi Republican Academy of State Service and Administration, Syktyvkar, Russian Federation

Kyzyurov, Leonid А.

National Archive of the Komi Republic, Syktyvkar, Russian Federation

Party Management of Electoral Processes in the Komi Autonomous Region in the 1920s

Abstract

The relevance of studying forms and methods of party management of electoral processes during elections to executive and legislative authorities in the 1920s is beyond doubt. The administrative command system was formed then; the party became a guiding force in society. Despite significant achievements of Russian scientists in studying the Communist Party activities, there are not enough works devoted to electoral processes in national and regional historiography, which enforces the relevance and novelty of this work. The article is to showcase party management of electoral processes in the Komi Autonomous Region in the 1920s. It uses archival documents deposited in the National Archive of the Komi Republic. These are regulatory documents of plenums and congresses, paperwork of the Komi Region Party Committee, as well as documents on personnel. Most of these have been introduced into scientific use for the first time. It is known that the Constitution of 1924 lacked articles on suffrage, elections, etc. All electoral processes were based on the Constitution of 1918. They were three-stage. Peasants, who made up the majority of the population of the Komi Autonomous Region, directly elected deputies of village Councils (Soviets). Some of them became participants of volost congresses. At volost congresses, delegates were elected to uezd congresses and therefrom to regional congresses. Volost and uezd executive committees were also formed there. Consequently, the Bolsheviks paid most attention to selection of delegates at volost and uezd level. Resolutions of the Central Committee of the CPSU (B), circulars and resolutions of the Komi Regional Party Committee were devoted to this. Instructors and agitators were sent there. On the basis of party documents, the selection of communist delegates was carried out. Communist congress factions were formed from them. After the elections, election campaigns results were analyzed at plenums of the Komi Regional Party Committee with subsequent discussion on the ground. The studied materials allow us to conclude that organization of elections at all levels of government developed in line with political guidelines and with direct party involvement. On the one hand, there was strict compliance with all party directives coming “from above,” and on the other, a clear “us” and “them” division. It was a conscious policy aimed at legal support of state power.

Keywords

Historical sources, ruling RCP (B) – AUCP (B), volost, uezd, Komi Region, elections, electoral processes.

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About the authors

Gagieva Anna Kapitonovna, PhD in History, associate professor, Komi Republican Academy of Public Administration and Management, department of state and municipal administration, professor, Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, Komi Republic, +7-909-122-21-23, +7-212-30-27-80, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kyzyurov Leonid Arkadyevich, National Archive of the Komi Republic, department of publication and use of documents, head of the department, Syktyvkar, Russian Federation, +7-212-24-07-36, +7-904-233-73-93, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Submitted 21.02.2022, published (for citation):

GAGIEVA, A. K. KYZYUROV, L. A. Partiinoe rukovodstvo izbiratel'nymi protsessami v Komi avtonomnoi oblasti v 1920-e gody [Party Management of Electoral Processes in the Komi Autonomous Region in the 1920s. In Russ.]. IN: Vestnik arhivista / Herald of an Archivist, 2022, no. 3, pp. 862-876. doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2022-3-862-876

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