AGRONOMIC ASSISTANCE OF VLADIMIR ZEMSTVO TO THE POPULATION DURING THE YEARS OF STOLYPIN’S AGRARIAN REFORM

This article, devoted to clarifying the role of zemstvo institutions in the implementation of agrarian reform by Pyotr Stolypin, lies in the mainstream of regional history and is based on materials from one of the central Russian provinces – Vladimir. Based on the analysis of a wide range of sources, including archival ones, the author shows that numerous councilors of zemstvo as well of those serving there for hire did not immediately support government initiatives; however, in the beginning of the second stage of the reform, they were involved in its implementation and made an invaluable contribution to organising land management work and providing agronomic assistance to both individual peasant households and community members. The agricultural courses, readings and conversations conducted by the agronomic services were of utmost importance. Zemstvo agronomic services played an extremely important role in achieving the agrarian reform success, though incomplete; and they contributed to transferring the Russian agriculture to a new technological level.