V. Bodrova Y.

OFFICIALDOM IN SOCIO-CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT OF PROVINCIAL SOCIETY AT THE END OF 18TH - THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE 19TH CENTURY

Authors

V. Bodrova Y.

Keywords:

socio-cultural communication, provincial officials, social isolation, corporatization

Abstract

The reform of local government that took place in Russia at the end of the eighteenth century and the first quarter of the nineteenth century accelerated the expansion of local officialdom and its transformation into an exceptional social group with the characteristics of an estate (soslovie). This paper uses a wide-range of archival and literary sources to study the marriage, family, and social links that developed between officials in Tver’ province. In doing so, it traces the emergence of a corporate social group inside local officialdom. The connections that constituted the core of this group not only supported the status and career perspectives of officials, but also became the root of local officialdom’s insularity in provincial society.

OFFICIALDOM IN SOCIO-CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT OF PROVINCIAL SOCIETY AT THE END OF 18TH - THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE 19TH CENTURY