The interaction of municipal self-government bodies of Irkutsk province with public non-political organizations in the last third of the XIX century (part 1)

The paper is concerned with the analysis of the formation of the interaction practice between municipal self-government bodies and public non-political organizations in Irkutsk province in the last third of the XIX century. The relations between municipalities and public associations manifested themselves to a greater extent in Irkutsk than in small towns due to the peculiarities of their social life. The first part of the paper examines the dependence of the nature of the interaction of the Irkutsk City Duma with organizations on the position of regional authorities. The author also investigates the dependence on the specifics of the composition of initiative groups of organizations, the Duma's assessment of the organization's contribution to solving important tasks for the city in the social sphere, and the socio-political orientation of the Duma members. It is revealed that the Duma's relations with organizations created through administrative means and acting under the patronage of the provincial administration were formalized. The Duma and the liberal part of it in particular supported cultural, educational, and charitable organizations in the field of education. The initiative to create these organizations belonged to the local intelligentsia. The main channels, forms, and directions of the established relations are considered.