The housing crisis in Vladivostok during the revolution and civil war: actions of the authorities and survival strategies of citizens

Based on archival documents, the article analyses the causes of a deep housing crisis in Vladivostok during the Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Civil War. Emphasis is placed on the “housing policies” of the successive governments, regional administration and city self-government. On the other hand, the survival strategies of the citizens are examined in conditions of acute housing shortage and soaring rent prices. To overcome the housing crisis, the city self-government of Vladivostok had to establish special housing bodies. However, their work was considerably complicated by a confrontation between the Landlords’ Union and the Tenants’ Union. Both landlords and tenants displayed similar behavior models: they demanded from the city authority and self-government to take measures that would only meet their own interests. The self-serving actions of the landlords and tenants led to the deepening of the housing crisis. With the interventionists and refugees invading the city, the housing crisis turned into an apocalypse. Every successive authority spent a lot of time and efforts to reform housing bodies and develop a new legislation in the housing sphere, nevertheless, the bureaucratic regulation brought no improvement. As a result, the authorities, no matter which party they belonged to, had to resort to a large-scale requisition of dwelling space and other premises for institutions and bureaucracy. The military commandment, in their turn, ignoring the civil authority, requisitioned living space for military institutions, officers and personnel. These actions caused strong resentment among the population.