The activity of the Moscow Provincial Zemstvo on highway construction during the First World War

The object of this article's research is the state of the highway network during the First World War. The subject of the research is the activities of the Moscow Provincial Zemstvo in the field of roads. The article examines the impact of the war on the activities of the Zemstvo bodies, which took on a large number of additional functions related to the specific conditions of wartime and the state of affairs in the country and the province. The main sources for studying this issue are the Minutes of Meetings and Decisions of the Moscow Provincial Zemstvo, which allow us to trace all stages of road decision-making, from the inception of ideas for improving road infrastructure to the implementation of major highway projects. Their materials proved that changes during the First World War also affected the traditional sphere of zemstvo activity – road construction. The methodological basis of this study is the principles of historicism, concreteness, and objectivity. The methods used in this work include the problem-chronological and historical-genetic methods. The article highlights the main areas of zemstvo work in the field of roads during wartime: finding new ways to replenish the road budget (exploiting roadside cuts, regulating road tolls, reducing the travel expenses of road department employees, and involving private individuals and institutions), reviewing petitions from county zemstvos, regulating the supply of materials, improving the legal aspects of road transactions, and addressing labor shortages, such as allowing women to work at road checkpoints alongside men and employing prisoners of war on road construction projects. The authors have proven that during the First World War, despite the many problems caused primarily by a lack of funding, the zemstvo bodies continued to actively engage in the development of the road network in the Moscow province. The novelty of the study lies in a more in-depth examination of the road network. The novelty of the research lies in a deeper study of road construction in wartime conditions, expanding the understanding of the significance of the Minutes of Meetings of the Moscow Provincial Zemstvo as historical sources, and introducing new archival materials stored in the Central Archive of the City of Moscow into scientific circulation.

First World War, Moscow Provincial Zemstvo, highway construction, road budget, road construction, local government, zemstvo, road network, highway, cost optimization