The fight against moonshiners in the Yenisei province during the years of the First World War

With the outbreak of the First World War the ban on sale of state alco-hol was imposed. The government, having declared "Prohibition", kept it un-til the end of conducting military operations. It led to the growth of trade in moonshine (likva, ether, sinful kvass, brazhka) both in the cities of the Ye-nisei province, and in rural areas. The government was compelled to com-bine the efforts of many departments, first of all Managements of the Excise Supervision relying on the help to Orthodox Church, police and local gov-ernments for fight against moonshining. The Yenisei province was one of the most difficult regions in the country where effective fight against illegal pro-duction of alcohol most of all was required. In the study there are not only materials characterizing moonshining growth, methods and results of fight of Excise Department against coaching but also social portrait of a moon-shiner which was made on the basis of the analysis of protocols is given. This portrait included class origin, property status and domesticity of the people who followed the way of production and trade in moonshine in 1914-1916. From these data it is visible that considerable part of moonshiners made spirits production in rural areas, and took it out to the city only for sale. The majority from trading and making moonshine belonged to lower-income strata of society, without having or absolutely any property, or being poor people to measures of Siberian village. For them the production and trade in moonshine were the main earnings. In the city also only poor layers, un-skilled workers, small traders or the persons who did not have constant earnings were engaged in alcohol sale. Being guided by data of reports, it is possible to claim that moonshiners did not have numerous families, when having many children they refused this business not to leave children or-phans. Despite strict and organized fight against moonshining in the region, this question became even more serious with the establishment of Soviet power.