Agricultural unions of Eastern Siberia in the late 19th - the early 20th century: the main forms of out-of-school education and the channels of popularization of agricultural knowledge

Abstract

The research object is agricultural unions formed in Eastern Siberia in the late 19th - the early 20th century. The research subject is reflected in the title of the article. The purpose of the research is to define the forms of agricultural education and the channels of popularization of agricultural knowledge among the broad public. To achieve this goal, the author analyzes, based on the dynamics of agricultural unions formation, the initiation and dynamics of the change of the main directions of work and the extent to which the forms of education corresponded to the aspirations of the authorities, the demands of the progressive public, and the practical needs of rural population. Generally, the work of East-Siberian agricultural unions was definitely less active than the work of the unions of the European part of Russia. That could be explained by the lack of educated employees, the difficulty of using the new agricultural approaches in risk farming areas, and the low literacy rate of the rural population. However, in the first decade of the 20th century, the work of agricultural unions became more active, which was determined, among other things, by the change of the authorities’ attitude and the channels of popularization of agricultural knowledge: exhibitions and public lectures were organized, libraries were founded, and books and magazines were sent out. The ways of rational farm management were popularized via special newspapers and agricultural magazines. Before and during the World War I the agricultural unions of Irkutsk province and Transbaikal started actively creating the branches in rural areas. Agricultural unions created the atmosphere of public interest, broadened and clarified the ideas of society about the needs of Siberian villages.