Abstract: The object of this research is the regional charity and its transformation after February 1917, while the subject is the public charity in Transbaikal during the Civil War and political regime of the ataman G. Semenov. The research relies on the archival sources and periodical press materials. Using the systematic methodological principle, the topic is viewed in strong correlation with the events that unfolded in the society, taking into account structural, genetic, and functional relationships. The article is divided into parts, each of which reflects one of the facets of the articulated problem: disastrous fall in living standards of the population, household difficulties and psychological state peculiarities; crisis of the system of state care and collapse of the imperial system of organized public charity; public initiatives in the sphere of charity (forms, main recipients); “techniques” for encouraging charity used by the administration of the ataman G. Semenov. The conclusion is made that charitable activity overall during the political regime of the ataman G. Semenov retained. This was important, particularly in the conditions of declining living standards and growing number of destitute people, given that the circle of those eligible for receiving welfare has reduced, including for ideological reasons. The main recipients of public charity remained the orphans. Charity events for the own benefit, conducted by the educational institutions and ethnic diasporas, became a noticeable trend. The charity evenings for supporting the military, which in the early going appeared to be unregulated by Semenov’s administration, were prohibited. The authorities, interested in retaining public charity, often resorted to coercive measures fort its stimulation, including threats to habitual activity of the residents. The population was actively forced to donate for the army. The article reveals the methods of psychological pressure and coercion applied to population for participating in charity activities.

Abstract: This article is dedicated to examination of public participation in the formation and development of extracurricular education of children in Eastern Siberia. The relevance of this research is substantiated by the importance of public sociocultural initiatives in modern Russia. The author highlights the key vectors of public innovation sociocultural activity, which included environmental education, organization of reading events and libraries for children, staging of performances, literary and musical mornings, physical education and play activities. Within the framework of these directions, the author determines their popularity, dynamics and interpretation of goals by the actors of sociocultural activity. Extracurricular education was intended for all population groups, and opened new dimensions for social interaction not only for children, but for parents as well. The research is based on the comparative methodology, and methodological ideas of V. A. Glazychev on the interpretation of city as a sociocultural phenomenon and the ability of urban community to create and maintain the conditions for its development through the efforts of all residents with the leading role of mobile innovation minority. In Eastern Siberia, the development of extracurricular educational work generally corresponded with the nationwide, but at a slower pace and smaller scale. The conclusion is made that in the provincial cities, the intelligentsia led moderate, although considerable activity on the development of applied problems of pedagogy, orienting towards the needs of a child. Overall, innovation social activity expanded the “geography of childhood” of the children involved. The public initiative filled the gap in the state system of extracurricular education and evolved to the creation of multifunctional recreation and educational centers for children.

Abstract: The state takes different steps towards solution of demographic problems, one of which is the implementation of State Program for Assisting Compatriots Residing Abroad in Their Voluntary Resettlement in the Russian Federation approved by the President of the Russian Federation on June 22, 2006. The goal of this program is encourage and arrange the process of voluntary resettlement of compatriots in the Russian Federation, promote socioeconomic development of the regions, and solve demographic problems, namely in the territories of priority settlement. Within the framework of this program in 2012-2013, the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District were included into the list of territories of priority settlement. However, there is yet no unified Far Eastern program of resettlement; the regional programs that have been approved by the government of the Russian Federation are being implemented. The subject of this research is the implementation of the program of resettlement in Zabaykalsky Krai. The relevance of this topic is substantiated by the strategic geopolitical location of the region. The author examines the normative legal framework and measures taken by the government aimed at implementation of State Program for Assisting Compatriots Residing Abroad in Their Voluntary Resettlement in the Russian Federation. The two vectors of the program are considered: assistance to the voluntary resettlement of compatriots, and cooperation with compatriots who do not intend to relocate to Russia. The main trends of resettlement are revealed. The need to intensity information support for this project is underlined. The authors believe that more active involvement of civil society in cooperation with the compatriots living abroad may become an additional motivation for improving effectiveness of the state program.

Abstract: The object of this research is the reflection in Siberian press of the last quarter of XIX – beginning of XX centuries of civil educational initiatives in Eastern Siberia. In this time, local press created the image of Siberian reality, and actively formed public opinion on the new sociocultural phenomena. The subject of this research is the public educational initiatives in the sphere of culture of Eastern Siberia on the pages of Siberian newspapers in the last quarter of XIX – beginning of XX centuries. The goal consists in determination of substantive components that frame public opinion on the implementation of educational initiatives in the sphere of culture. The relevance of the selected topic is defined by the fact that periodical press contributed not only to information awareness, but also to mobilization of intelligentsia to resolve topical issues of education. Historiography is based on the newspaper materials, published and archival materials. Newspapers of liberal trend enjoyed most popularity, since they not only reflected the modernization processes in the sphere of culture, but also framed public opinion. The author outlines several themes that became thematic dominants based on the frequency of mentioning: the urgent need for Eastern Siberia (in the context of absence of Zemstvo) to show public and private initiative in the sphere of culture and its reliance on the number of educated people; characteristics of government policy; role of officialdom; discreteness of public initiatives and its factors; higher purpose of educational institutions; need for active innovative leader; need for systematic and coordinated work of various voluntary organizations in the sphere of culture. According to the press,  successful realization of civil sociocultural initiatives required the presence of several factors; each of them to a greater or lesser degree determined the consolidation of innovations in sociocultural environment and dynamics in the development of civil initiatives in the sphere of culture.

Abstract: During the World War I, due to the grand scale of mobilization, it would have not been possible to provide assistance to families of the soldiers without help received from charitable organizations, local authorities and individuals. Public and private charity became a part of supporting those in need. The object of this research is charity and donations during organized during the World War I. The subject of this research is the cooperation between the government and the public in the area of charity and donations. The forms, methods and specificity of such interactions are viewed based on the example of a remote administerial peripheral region – Zabaykalsky Krai, with consideration of the overall trends and regional peculiarities. The main forms and vectors of the work are described. Four key trends can be highlighted in interaction between the government and the city residents: 1) the organization of support for the families of mobilized soldiers (both, legal who received state rations, but also had the opportunity to use charitable support, and civil, who did not have the right to receive state rations); social assistance to children; aid to the refugees; collecting donations for the military needs (air fleet, Red Cross, mobile military infirmary, provision and shipment of things for the army). The author notes that due to a wide variety of charitable organizations (local and nationwide), secular and religious patronages, committees (established upon the local initiative and departments under the aegis of the Romanovs family), the composition of active participants often overlapped: same people were the members of several organizations. An important role in all organizations was played by the government officials; however, their motivation requires additional attention. Largest charity fundraisers were the events that received organizational and information support from the local authorities, or mass actions that became a part of public space of the cities.

Abstract: The research object is agricultural unions formed in Eastern Siberia in the late 19th - the early 20th century. The research subject is reflected in the title of the article. The purpose of the research is to define the forms of agricultural education and the channels of popularization of agricultural knowledge among the broad public. To achieve this goal, the author analyzes, based on the dynamics of agricultural unions formation, the initiation and dynamics of the change of the main directions of work and the extent to which the forms of education corresponded to the aspirations of the authorities, the demands of the progressive public, and the practical needs of rural population. Generally, the work of East-Siberian agricultural unions was definitely less active than the work of the unions of the European part of Russia. That could be explained by the lack of educated employees, the difficulty of using the new agricultural approaches in risk farming areas, and the low literacy rate of the rural population. However, in the first decade of the 20th century, the work of agricultural unions became more active, which was determined, among other things, by the change of the authorities’ attitude and the channels of popularization of agricultural knowledge: exhibitions and public lectures were organized, libraries were founded, and books and magazines were sent out. The ways of rational farm management were popularized via special newspapers and agricultural magazines. Before and during the World War I the agricultural unions of Irkutsk province and Transbaikal started actively creating the branches in rural areas. Agricultural unions created the atmosphere of public interest, broadened and clarified the ideas of society about the needs of Siberian villages. 
 

Abstract: This article examines the reflection in the Eastern Herald” newspaper of a difficult period in the history of China-Russia relations during the 1870’s – 1880’s. The goal consists in the analysis of newspaper publications, and determination of conceptual components of the discourse on the Ili (Ghulja) crisis and border demarcation. The research established that this topic was one of the principal on the pages of “Eastern Herald” during the 1882-1884; separate publications occur in the 1890-1891l; the consequences of resettlement were covered in the 1890-1891. Chronological, comparative-historical methods along with the method of content analysis were applied. The reports on the course of border demarcation carried information character and neutral language of description, while the publications on relations between the authorities and the population in the transferred territories were characterized with the negative-biased nominations. As a result of conducted analysis, the author determine six main plot lines: overall assessment of policy of the Russian Empire on transferring Ili (Ghulja) District; course of measures on demarcation of borders; main events on organization and defense of migration flows to the Russian Empire and organization of resettlement in the territory of Semirechye; formation of the image of China’s provincial officials and government overall; characteristics of China’s army and its military capability; characteristics of China-Russia trade. The parallel plot line of the publication was the reports on situation in the Far Easter borders of Russia, which created a general picture of China-Russia border relations.

Abstract: This article examines the key landmarks in delimitation of the China-Russia border since the XVI century until 1917, as well as its peculiarities. Russia and China are the two state that historically never had any serious armed clashes, and most questions regarding delimitation and demarcation were settled peacefully, despite the geopolitical and economic frictions, as well as territorial disputes. Regardless of difficult negotiations and an attempt of unilateral denunciation, both parties searched for a compromise and recognized the line of demarcation. Based on the chronological and problem-historical method, the article analyzes the key landmarks in delimitation and demarcation of the borders. A conclusion is substantiated on the existence of an objective need for factual establishment and legal formalization of the borderline. The legal formalization of the border lagged behind its factual establishment because on one hand, both parties did not have the required resources, while on the other – both empires had the concealed colonization plans. The delimitation took place in the territories that belonged neither to Russian or Chinese empires, but were of same importance for both countries. Their legal status has been changed accordingly. Delimitation not only considered the existing natural barriers – rivers and mountain ridges, but for the first time established the artificially determined landmarks. Legal aspect of agreement execution was improved by establishing jurisdiction for border violators, determining the legal regime of border checking, formalizing the border markers by protocols. The difficulties with the demarcation are already confirmed by the fact that the legal arrangement of 1689 continued into the XXI century.