Гуманитарная экспедиция Рейна Виллинка в Молочанский меннонитский округ. Между реконструкцией и эмиграцией: голландская помощь Украине 1922–1929 гг.

The efforts by the American Mennonite Relief organization to provide famine relief to Russia in the early 1920s are relatively well known. Far less known are the actions of Dutch Mennonite relief efforts at the same time, which were intended to strengthen the ties between Dutch and Ukrainian Mennonites. These actions were led by Rein Willink, whose letters to his parents and reports to Frederik Fleischer, the secretary of the Algemeene Commissie voor Buitenlandsche Nooden (General Committee for Foreign Needs), are the main source for this article. Whereas the American Mennonite Relief directed its aid to the whole of Russia, the Dutch Mennonites restricted themselves to the Mennonite colony of Molochna. Although the total contribution of Dutch Mennonites to Russian co-religionists was modest compared to that of the North Americans, it was nonetheless very important when viewed from the perspective of Mennonites who did not emigrate from Molochna in the 1920s.

Public Works as a Measure of Famine Relief in Russia. 1891–1914

Introduction. The article deals with the program of public works introduced by Russian government in the late XIX – early XX centuries as a measure of famine relief. It provides the detailed account of public works campaign of 1911–1912, which was the largest in terms of government spending and number of employed persons. Materials and Methods. The study relies on a large body of archival sources and published statistical data. Results. The study demonstrates the increasing scale of public works programs between 1891 and 1914. The number of employed persons rose from several tens of thousands in 1891 to almost 3 million in 1911. The share of wages in total expenses grew from 40 percent in 1891 to 80 percent in 1911. There is also some evidence for considerable improvement of quality of the public works projects. Discussion and Conclusions. On the example of public works, I demonstrate how the bureaucratic apparatus of Russia adapted to the implementation of the new managerial objectives. I conclude that Tsarist state was capable to implement the urgent and effective measures of government economic intervention to prevent social collapse.