“Tram money” in Russia during the Civil War: Historiography, causes, essence and consequences of circulation

The aim of the research is to identify the causes of the appearance, the essence of “tram money”, and the consequences of their issue. The article examines the appearance of many surrogate banknotes in Russia during the Civil War. It is indicated that this was a forced measure in the financial sphere caused by a shortage of exchangeable banknotes, as well as a rupture in the financial integrity of the state. In addition to the reasons for the introduction of surrogate funds, it is noted that only some of them were in demand among the population. Finally, the consequences of using surrogate funds are revealed: uncontrolled separate emission, inflation, undermining the integrity of the country, difficulties in its restoration. The scientific novelty of the research lies in generalizing key theses related to surrogate money of the Civil War period, as well as in analyzing insufficiently researched “tram money”. As a result, the author identified the issues that scholars focus on most when studying surrogate funds and “tram money”.