"MSHAK" NEWSPAPER AS A SOURCE OF DAILY RURAL SELF-GOVERNMENT (AT THE EXAMPLE OF GAZAKH DISTRICT OF ELIZAVETPOL PROVINCE)

At the end of the XIX and the beginning of the XX century, not only socio-political changes took place in the Russian Empire, but also significant transformations in everyday life. In this article, we have tried to explore the peculiarities of Armenian self-government in Gazakh district of Elizavetpol province, based on information published in the newspaper "Mshak". "Mshak" was the most authoritative and widely distributed print publication of that time. It served not only as a source of information, but also as a platform where Caucasian Armenians could share their achievements and significant events. This newspaper became the voice of provincial Armenians, and the letters and notes published in its issues are valuable material for studying the daily life and local history of the Armenians of the Caucasus of that period. The object of our research is the Armenian-populated villages of Gazakh county in the late XIX - early XX centuries, and the subject is everyday problems related to the peculiarities of the self-government system, elections and appointment of officials in villages where Gazakh Armenians lived. Our goal is to analyze and evaluate how the self-government system functioned during this period. The research is aimed at a deep understanding of the daily life of the rural self-government system among Kazakh Armenians. We especially highlighted the importance of the newspaper "Mshak" as a source of information. The purpose of the work is to identify local peculiarities of the organization of self-government bodies, as well as to find out how the local community treated them and how actively it participated in the electoral processes. The system of rural self-government and related events reflected the political and economic conditions of that time. Village assemblies certainly had a significant impact on the daily life of the village, since they formed all levels of community self-government and made key decisions. The study shows that the daily life of the village revolved around the main officials - the village head and his staff. The public's attitude towards village assemblies and elected officials depended on the effectiveness of their work.