The Smell of Factionalism: Left Opposition in the Vyatka Provincial Organization of the Bolshevik Party in 1923-1924

The activity of the Vyatka left opposition that arose during the internal party discussion in the fall of 1923 and the spring of 1924 is studied. The work is based on archival documents from the Central State Archive of Kirov Region, as well as on materials from the Vyatka Pravda party newspaper. The platform of the local opposition opposed the formation of factions but insisted on clarifying what factionalism is supposed to mean. The Left Opposition united the party community of the provincial city and adjacent working areas. Most party members initially expressed full confidence in the partys Central Committee. An analysis of archival material shows that the Vyatka opposition tried to establish a broad discussion of problems in internal party life. In the provincial center there was a party discussion club that organized heated discussions. The focus on clarifying the concepts of factions and groups reflected the desire of opposition supporters to avoid being accused of betraying the party and the cause of the revolution. Remarkably, until early January 1924 the left opposition had absolute support among party members in Vyatka. The article analyzes the Central Committees suppression of the local opposition in January - February 1924, and in particular the skillful techniques of Aron Solts and his supporters. At the final stage of the struggle, a group of conciliators arose among the members of the opposition, and contributed to the victory of the Central Committee line. The article clarifies reasons and circumstances of the defeat of the opposition, none of whose representatives openly stood in opposition to the majority of the Central Committee or called on ordinary members to protest. The authors demonstrate that the local left opposition was a situational unification of diverse forces, dissatisfied with the bureaucratization of the party, the growing dictatorship of the Central Committee, the newcomers, as well as the dominance of appointees from the Party and the Soviets. During the discussion in the organizations of the Party, the need for developing internal party democracy and a free discussion of the problems emerged, showing that there was a potential alternative to Stalinism. The main feature of the left opposition was that it formed and temporarily won the predominantly non-proletarian Vyatka, where before the 1917 revolution the zemstvo and city democratic self-government has gained roots; this is interpreted as a preservation of the demand for freedom and democracy in local society.

A NEO-ASSYRIAN PROVINCIAL PALACE AT TELL BILLA

The Neo-Assyrian site Šibaniba (modern Tell Billa) served as a provincial center at the very edge of what is traditionally known as the “Assyrian Heartland”. Excavations in the early 1900s under Dr. Speiser of the University of Pennsylvania uncovered architecture in the southwestern portion of the mound, but a loss of records and lack of publication have prevented any comprehensive publications or analysis of the archaeological material. The architecture from Level I in the southwest corner is the remains of a palace from the latter half of the Neo-Assyrian period – comprised of an inner, paved courtyard and surrounding rooms. The analysis of this palace complex is carried out herein, with a discussion of its positioning and importance, especially during Nineveh's tenure as imperial capital. Overall, Šibaniba, despite being located so close to the Heartland, was an important administrative center in its own right – illustrated by a restructuring of the citadel's organization in the later Neo-Assyrian period and its inclusion in Sennacherib's irrigation program.

“THE RIGHT TO DEMAND ALL THE BENEFITS OF HUMAN CULTURE”: THE REPORT OF THE MEMBER OF THE YENISEISK CITY DUMA, M.P. MINDAROVSKY, ON THE NEED TO BUILD A RAILWAY TO YENISEISK (1916)

The article presents the publication of the report of the local City Duma member Mikhail Mindarovsky, which was preserved in the fonds of the Yeniseisk City Archive. The report was read in June 1916 at a meeting of City Duma members in the presence of a representative of the Ministry of Railways, engineer A.M. Vikhman. The text presents the arguments of the supporters of the project of building a railway between the Yeniseisk and Achinsk, which was considered as an integral link necessary for the successful functioning of the Northern Sea Route and ensuring the successful development of the Yenisey Siberia. M.P. Mindarovsky expressed concern about the future fate of Yeniseisk and the adjacent territory, outlined possible prospects for the development of the city, associated with its transformation into a major northern port — a transshipment base for unloading goods from ships arriving through the Arctic Ocean and then transporting them to various regions of Siberia by railway. The author of the report paid special attention to the criticism of the position of some residents of the provincial center, who saw the railway to Yeniseisk as a potential threat to the welfare of Krasnoyarsk. The preserved source expands the existing ideas about the journalistic heritage and social activities of M.P. Mindarovsky, introduces the ideas about the prospects for the development of the northern Siberian regions that are widespread among his contemporaries, and reveals the details of the interaction between the government and society in the development of the Siberian North.

ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТЬ МЕСТНЫХ ВЛАСТЕЙ ПО БОРЬБЕ С ЭПИДЕМИЯМИ ВО ВТОРОЙ ПОЛОВИНЕ XIX – НАЧАЛЕ XX ВЕКА (на материалах Костромской губернии)*

После отмены крепостного права приток населения в города, в т.ч. в Кострому, привел к проблемам перенаселенности губернского центра и несоответствия существующей инфраструктуры (жилищной, транспортной, коммунальной) изменившейся численности жителей. Данная ситуация способствовала взрывному росту и распространению в Костроме заразных болезней, в том числе, массовых эпидемий холеры, тифа, оспы, скарлатины, следствием которых стала повышенная смертность среди костромичей, приводящая в некоторые годы к убыли населения губернского города. В статье на материалах Костромской губернии, прежде всего, губернского центра, рассматривается общая эпидемиологическая обстановка с 70-х гг. XIX века до начала XX века, а также основные направления совместной деятельности губернского правления и городских органов общественного управления по снижению эпидемиологической напряженности и профилактике массовых заболеваний в период капиталистической модернизации. В статье приведены статистические данные по Костромской губернии и губернскому центру, использованы отчеты Медицинского департамента Министерства внутренних дел за указанный период, материалы периодической печати, показана региональная специфика решения возникших проблем, учитывая, что Костромская губерния относилась к числу наиболее развитых промышленных губернии Российской Империи. After the peasant reform of 1861, the growth of the urban population in Kostroma led to the problems of overpopulation in the provincial center. The existing infrastructure did not match (housing, transport, utilities) the changed population. This contributed to the sharp growth and spread of infectious diseases among the population of Kostroma, including massive epidemics of cholera, typhoid, smallpox, scarlet fever. The result was an increased mortality rate among the population. The article, based on materials Kostroma province, primarily the provincial center, examines the general epidemiological situation from the 70s of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The main directions of joint activities of the provincial government and city public administration bodies to reduce epidemiological tension and prevent mass diseases during the period of modernization are investigated. The article provides statistical data on the Kostroma province and the provincial center, uses the reports of the Medical Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the specified period, materials from periodicals, shows the regional specifics of solving the problems that have arisen, given that the Kostroma province was one of the most developed industrial provinces of the Russian Empire.

THE PROVINCE IN NATALIA KHATKINA’S POETRY

The article contains a conceptual analysis of the province in the works of the Donetsk poet Natalia Khatkina (1956–2009). The main features of overcoming the creative provinciality are revealed: 1) an aspiration for the center; 2) a detached attitude to provincial realities; 3) an awareness of the essential identity of metropolitan and provincial poetry; 4) a creative product of the provincial center, similar to the capital. Semiotics of intentions of provincial life are shown on the examples of the Donetsk city text: 1) the desire for Moscow; 2) “provincial paintings” of the Donetsk life; 3) experiments of the author’s psychopoetic analysis; 4) experiments of the author’s creative reorientation. Province and provinciality are contrasted as interrelated, but diverse and not always coinciding factors of creative realization. “Province” — the location in relation to an administrative center; it’s the specifics containing a generalization; it is a common place that unites the diversity of certain areas into a single topos. “Provinciality”, on the contrary, is an abstraction that is filled with concrete psychological and social manifestations caused by the center-peripheral circumstances of creative existence. Overcoming provincial conditionality is understood as an ontological energy of aesthetic results. Poetic experience, in addition to its aesthetic value, also has the ontological power necessary to overcome external and internal circumstances. The analysis of poetic reflections which define the acts of creative overcoming and vectors of author’s intentions makes it possible to comprehend vital and creative experiences that have overcome external circumstances.

FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORYOL DISTRICT: IN THE XVI – EARLY XX CENTURIES

The purpose of the article is to study the history of the formation, development and termination of the administrative-territorial unit – Orel district. Life on the territory under consideration existed in the most ancient times, which is confirmed by the findings of archaeologists. The district was formed as a result of the construction of the fortress city of Orel on the southern borders of the Russian state. Later on the city of Orel was developed from a district to a provincial center, and now it is the administrative center of the modern Orel region. The article analyzes the historical development of the territory of the district considering the aspects of time and its transformation.

Self-poisoning with pesticides in Jiangsu Province, China: a cross-sectional study on 24,602 subjects

Background With an estimated > 800,000 suicide-related deaths and potentially several attempts for each death in the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiological characteristics of self-poisoning with pesticides within the Jiangsu province in China. Methods We evaluated the incidence of pesticide self-poisoning using the Routine Surveillance System by Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Results In recent years, Jiangsu Province has witnessed a decrease in pesticide self-poisoning cases and consequent deaths. Among all suicides by deliberate ingestion of pesticides, the proportion of cases were mainly in the age 40, accounting for 3.43% of all cases with pesticide suicide. The proportion of suicide due to pesticide poisoning in females was markedly higher than that in males (p < 0.001). Moreover, higher numbers of self-poisoning cases and deaths were reported in the farming season. Suicide using organophosphate and carbamate insecticides was most common, with 10,303 reported cases accounting for 42.02% of all suicides. Conclusions For national responses to be effective, the characteristics of pesticide suicides should be comprehensively investigated for the formulation of corresponding prevention strategies. Restriction of access to means plays an important role in suicide prevention, particularly in impulsive suicide cases. Implementation of these prevention strategies should result in an ongoing decline in the proportion of suicide.

Sportsmanship Behavioral Tendencies of the Students Athletes in Turkey: Ardahan Example

The aim of this study is to analyze sportsmanship behavioral tendencies of the students of secondary education who are being schooled within the provincial center of Ardahan by taking several variables into consideration. In accordance with this aim, this study has been conducted through the survey modelling of quantitative research methods. For the data analysis, T-Testing and ANOVA are applied. According to the obtained findings, the sportsmanship level of student-sportsmen is revealed to be higher than student-sportswomen. In addition to this, the 1st question has the maximum value within the scale with the average value of 4.0248. The minimum value, on the other hand, belongs to the 22nd question with the value of 2.9684. The general average of the scale is 3.4815, located in-between Agree-Not Sure. Consequently, it can be claimed that the perception and the level of sportsmanship are high. As a result, it is concluded that the sportsmanship level of the student-sportspeople residing in Ardahan is relatively high and that the sportsmen have a higher sportsmanship level compared to that of sportswomen.