Zemstvo Charity during the First World War (on Materials of the Saratov Province)

Abstract

The article analyzes the charitable activities of the Saratov province zemstvo during the First World War. The authors found that the zemstvo charity was aimed at supporting various groups of the population affected by the hostilities: wounded and sick front-line soldiers, war invalids, members of soldiers' families and refugees. The organizing role in the collection of donations and their optimal use belonged to the provincial and district aid committees. The authors have come to the conclusion that local governments had advantages over public charitable organizations: they had a well-developed agronomic and medical service by the beginning of the war. The zemstvo agronomic service was used to provide economic assistance to soldiers' families, and the zemstvo medical aid system made it possible to organize hospitals for the wounded and prevent the development of epidemics.