National Historiography Research Articles

Image construction strategies Ukrainian national history at the beginning of the XX century

The purpose of the article was to identify and present the process of developing basic strategies for the formation in the early twentieth century. image of an integral Ukrainian national history in the works of professional scientists. The use of methods of historiographic analysis and synthesis, along with the comparative method, made it possible to substantiate the scientific and social relevance of the study and achieve the goals set. The main results of the work were: the identification of external and internal prerequisites for the nationalization of Ukrainian historical writing in relation to historical science; determination of the repertoire of basic texts in which the construction of the national Ukrainian historical narrative began; analysis of the genesis of strategies for the formation of a «long» Ukrainian history in the works of the classics of national historiography, who were the first to dare to accumulate regional histories of the imperial historiographic space into a new historiographic hierarchy; comparison and analysis of scientific approaches, concepts and stylistic features of «big Ukrainian history» by M.S. Grushevsky, A.Ya. Efimenko and N.N. Arkasa. Scientific novelty is determined by the fact that the first popular national narratives are considered in a comparative perspective as the basic options for current competitive strategies for representing the Ukrainian past. The conclusions point out that the causes and prerequisites for the nationalization of Ukrainian history were the social and political modernization of society in the second half of the 19th century, the politicization of social movements that demanded their historical legitimation, the growth of literacy among the general population, and their active involvement in social and political processes. The historiographic prerequisites were: the formation of a corporation of professional historians and its various institutions, the accumulation of a significant array of professional historical information, the creation in the middle of the 19th century. regional histories of ethnic Ukrainian territories Using the typology of interaction between historical writing and historical memory proposed by A. Megill, it is determined that the popular texts of M.S. Grushevsky and M.M. Arkas is vividly represented by its affirmative and didactic segments, which oriented historiography towards projects that agitated the society of that time and, with the help of historiography, constructed the historical memory desired at the moment. Unlike its competitors, the work of A.Ya. Efimenko turned out to be close to analytical historiography, separating itself from historical memory and opposing itself to it as a critical text, the author of which tried not only to understand the complexities and contradictions of the historical process, but also to bring the public closer to a professional understanding of history; noted that the prevailing at the beginning of the twentieth century. strategies for constructing an integral and continuous Ukrainian history, despite all attempts to modernize them, still remain in the arsenal of modern historical science.

Hryhoriy Skovoroda and Taras Shevchenko: the problem of intellectual inheritance in modern understanding

The purpose of the article is to study the problem of the inheritance of the worldview of Hryhoriy Skovoroda and Taras Shevchenko based on the historiographical tradition and creativity of the two thinkers. The research methods are personalistic, comparative-historical and historical-typological. Sources of the article: intellectual heritage of outstanding Ukrainian thinkers and works of modern Ukrainian historiography. The main results are that the author considered the significance of the work of Hryhoriy Skovoroda on the formation of the personality of the Ukrainian poetic genius Taras Shevchenko, delved into the problem of the continuity of the Ukrainian intellectual tradition, traced the hereditary connection of the creative output of the two mentioned intellectuals, which binds the late baroque, pre-romantic, romantic and realistic heritage of Ukrainianness into a single axis. It is shown that Ukrainian national historiography of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries did not yet make the intellectual heritage of Hryhoriy Skovoroda and Taras Shevchenko the subject of her research, but began to understand these figures within the limits of one typological intellectual series, in the context of two different but adjacent stages of Ukrainian national and cultural revival. It is indicated that the problem of comparative analysis of two geniuses of Ukrainian culture was not considered a priority in Soviet historiography. It is proved that modern Ukrainian historiography lays the foundation for understanding the intellectual legacy of H. Skovoroda and T. Shevchenko, typologically common and distinctive features of two outstanding representatives of Ukrainian intellectual thought are shown. Concise conclusions. Based on the analysis of the works of Ukrainian authors and the work of these two great Ukrainians, there are reasons to say that the work of H. Skovoroda had a certain influence on T. Shevchenko, who at one time got acquainted with the legacy of his predecessor, although not in full. However, one should not exaggerate this influence due to the fact that two Ukrainian figures lived and worked in adjacent, but different historical periods: H. Skovoroda – a bright representative of the late Ukrainian baroque, and T. Shevchenko – an outstanding representative of Ukrainian romanticism and realism. Despite the differences in linguistic and literary aspects, peculiarities of self-awareness, these titans of Ukrainian culture formed one intellectual axis, the fundamental foundations of which were anthropology and сhristocentrism; desire for freedom (will); to the emancipation of the individual through dignity, reason, love; to the establishment of a more harmonious and fair society (for H. Skovoroda, this is the idea of the «Mountain Republic», and for T. Shevchenko – the idea of a «free, new family») based on a humanistic, philanthropic principle; awareness of one's, Ukrainian, love for one's native land and denial of the Russian, autocratic, despotic and tyrannical principles of building society. The spirit of universal human values, Ukrainian-loving and people-loving beginnings in the life and work of H. Skovoroda influenced the formation of the humanistic and national outlook of T. Shevchenko. The practical significance of the article is that this intelligence may be of interest to historians, young scientists and students in the process of studying the intellectual history of the «Ukrainian 19th century». The originality of the article lies in the understanding of insufficiently studied aspects of the intellectual heritage of H. Skovoroda and T. Shevchenko. Scientific novelty in the comparative and typological understanding of the creative heritage of the mentioned Ukrainian thinkers. Type of article: theoretical.

Early modern parliamentary studies: Overview and new perspectives

AbstractIn this essay, we call for a new approach to representative assemblies of early modern Europe and beyond. While there are vast national historiographies on their legal constitutional structure, little effort has been made to reconstruct the cultural and transnational dimension of such bodies, a phenomenon we describe as ‘parliamentary culture’. We argue that there is much to be gained from an investigation of the culture surrounding these bodies‐ how they influenced and shaped political behaviour and were shaped by it, and how they were embedded into the thought of their time and period‐ and from seeing them as part of a set of common European traditions of political negotiation and consent. We suggest an interdisciplinary and collaborative agenda for that investigation that might lead beyond Europe too, into some of its colonies, where Europeans also encountered other traditions of negotiated discussion and agreement.

Birth of mining and geology in the Urals

Introduction. Since the 17th century, in national historiography there has been hardly any paper devoted to the development of mining technique. This paper considers technnological and organizational aspects related to prospecting and extraction of ore containing gold, silver, copper and iron. Research objective is to analyze the organization of geological prospecting and mining in the Urals in the 17th–early 18th centuries as compared with the technological development of mining and knowledge of local geology. Methods of research. The concept of diffusionism was used to work with concrete historical material. The concept involves the analysis of mining innovations development, borrowing and diffusion. Results. The features have been revealed that characterize the organization of prospecting and mining of ores containing precious metals, copper, and iron. Exploration companies with the participation of foreign specialists were organized to prospect for precious metals, and assay laboratories were used. Originally, copper ore was searched for the presence of gold. In Russia, the craft of mining was borrowed from the Saxons and began with the development of cupriferous sandstone on the river Kama in 1634. The first mine survey and water-driven ore mill are recorded here, and “mining sworn-men” are first mentioned. Depending on the depth and conditions of occurrence, copper ore was extracted by a crew by opencast method from cupriferous sandstones of the Kama region. Ores that contain copper and iron and are typical of the Middle Urals capping, become a serious problem for metallurgy and affected production location. It was the extraction of copper from polymetals that encouraged the organization of the mining by the Saxons, the introduction of a network of mine workings, ore mills, mine dewatering pumps, air supply pumps, and the use of gunpowder for drilling and blasting. Iron ore was extracted by opencast method due to its availability and economic calculations and did not affect the organization of mining

The Myth of Sufi Sindh: Reflections on the Orientalist and Nationalist Historiography

The Sindhi nationalist historiography is a classic case of how to read historical, archaeological, and political texts of importance to justify the present-day modernist ideologies premised on excluding marginalized sections of society. This essay interrogates the Sindhi nationalist literati elite’s epistemic neglect of the underprivileged caste’s lifeworld. That disregard reflects in their literary and political writings that arguably rely on the British Orientalist historiography to construct the myth of caste-neutral and egalitarian culture of Sufi Sindh. It traces the historicisation of the claim of Hindu–Muslim interfaith harmony, and its persistence in the post-Partition Sindh. Based on the content analysis of progressive literature and the historiography of progressive politics in Sindh, it is concluded that owing to the casteist social structural barriers the privileged caste elite at the vanguard of progressive nationalist politics was blinded by their own privileged position to justly address the caste question. That inherent blindness to see through the problem of caste is the reason that progressives’ emancipatory projects to redefine the past and myths end in failure.

Peripheral Interventions in Global History: Toward a History of Argentina outside of Argentina

AbstractWhile global history’s emphasis on networks and its de-emphasis on the nation has brought about a fruitful platform for exploring interregional connections, this article argues that a global history recentered in the periphery and willing to draw from its rich national historiographies has the potential to reveal new forms of globalization and connection. It takes Argentina as an exemplary case to consider the ways in which tracing one nation’s many transnational and global orientations might bring to light motivations, geographical dimensions, and fields of power previously unseen.

The Narrative of Silenced Voices: A Retrospect to the 1969 Mass Upsurge Depicted in Akhtaruzzaman Elias’s Chilekothar Sepai

This paper explores how Akhtaruzzaman Elias, one of the most influential Bengali writers, rewrites the narrative of the mass uprising of 1969 from the orbit of the subalterns by emphasizing their heroic role as well as the agencies behind their gradual absence from the elitist historiography of nationalism in his novel Chilekothar Sepai [The Soldier in an Attic]. To this end, this paper will refer to the subaltern historian Ranajit Guha’s method of deconstructing historiography of nationalism that looks for an autonomous domain of revolution organized by the subalterns, and Spivak’s postulation of their inability to create a space for themselves within that dominant narrative. Spectrum, Volume 16, June 2021: 53-67

Revolutionary Committees in Siberia during the Civil War: National Historiography

This article reviews domestic approaches to the issue of the revolutionary committees in Siberia during the Civil War, e.g., their genesis, development, status, structure, forms, methods, activities, social and party composition, interaction with each other and the Russian Communist Party, the transfer of power to the Soviets and Executive Committee, etc. Soviet historians were unanimous in their positive assessment of the revolutionary committees as the organs of proletariat dictatorship that waged a relentless struggle against class enemies and defended the revolutionary progress. However, this approach resulted from the rigid ideological guidelines of the Soviet period. The collapse of the communist ideology liberated the domestic historical science from the comprehensive control of the Party and state organs. Post-Soviet historians expanded the range of methodological approaches and principles, which allowed them to take a new perspective of the Siberian revolutionary committees. They were able to clarify the motives behind the revolutionary committees, determine their place in the system of Bolshevik power, identify their relationship with higher Party and Soviet structures, reveal the level of education and qualifications of their leaders and members, etc. The topic of the Siberian revolutionary committees has received enough scientific attention. However, some gaps still remain, e.g., staff structure, the exact mechanism of their interaction with the Party, their influence on the political, social, economic, and cultural development of Siberia, etc.

Trips to the Precincts in the Communicative Space of Magistrates in Yakut Oblast in the late 19th − early 20th Century

The research subject is the trip of judges of the peace to the districts in the Yakutsk region in their communicative space in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The object is the communication practice related to the development of judicial proceedings in the Yakutsk region in the period specified. The trips to the sections in the communicative space of justices of the peace are analyzed. The research follows the methodological principles of the frontier modernization approach of I. V. Poberezhnikov, the one commonly used for the analysis of the peripheral regions of the Russian Empire. The comparative-historical method, revealing cause-and-effect relationships and patterns of the historical process, is used as a cognitive tool. The scholarly novelty of the study is that for the first time in the national historiography, the magistrates’ court proceedings are studied specifically in the context of communication space in the North-East of the Russian Empire in the late 19th − early 20th century. Based on the results of the study, a conclusion is made that, during the period under review, overland communications and summonses for magistrates of the Yakutia region served as the main communication channel in the judicial proceedings. In Yakutia, given that overland communications were seasonal, magistrates rarely traveled to certain inaccessible areas. In addition, frequent trips to vast areas of judges of the peace led to the fact that they practically did not have time to hide all the mail received during their absence, which became one of the reasons for the slowdown in legal proceedings. During their trips, magistrates could use any suitable premises for court proceedings as a temporary chamber.

Survival on the Margins: Polish Jewish Refugees in the Wartime Soviet Union by Eliyana R. Adler

Reviewed by: Survival on the Margins: Polish Jewish Refugees in the Wartime Soviet Union by Eliyana R. Adler Atina Grossmann Eliyana R. Adler. Survival on the Margins: Polish Jewish Refugees in the Wartime Soviet Union. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2020. 456 pp. Eliyana Adler's richly researched and evocatively written Survival on the Margins is the first major scholarly monograph to present the story of Polish Jewish Refugees in the Wartime Soviet Union as a key—and precisely not merely marginal—part of Holocaust and World War II history. By focusing on the by-now hardly unknown but still not adequately integrated "Other Side" (yener zayt, quoted in the opening epigraph) of Jewish life and death during the war, beyond the borderlines of German occupation in the Soviet Union, Adler excavates a neglected history of the largest group of Eastern European Jews, perhaps a quarter million, to emerge alive from the catastrophe of the Shoah. At the same time, she deftly traces and analyzes the conditions of its marginalization and the long-standing consequences of that inattention for memory and memorialization as well as historiography. Over the past ten to twenty years, it has become a reflex to greet each new publication or even public lecture, including new or reprinted memoirs, articles, and edited volumes on this topic with strangely repetitive reference to the uncovering of an "unknown," little-known, or surprising aspect of Holocaust history. As numerous publications remind us, this historical terrain has in fact been plowed, especially in recent years, notably including: Markus Nesselrodt, Dem Holocaust Entkommen: Polnische Juden in der Sowjetunion, 1939–1946 (2019); edited volumes such as Shelter from the Holocaust: Rethinking Jewish Survival in the Soviet [End Page 436] Union, edited by Mark Edele, Sheila Fitzpatrick, and Atina Grossmann (2017) or the valuable collection from Boston's Academic Studies Press Polish Jews in the Soviet Union (1939–1959): History and Memory of Deportation, Exile and Survival, edited by Katharina Friedla and Markus Nesselrodt (2021)—both with contributions by Adler; powerful second-generation investigations such as Mikhal Dekel's Tehran Children (republished as In the East: How My Father and a Quarter Million Polish Jews Survived the Holocaust (2019, 2021), and scores of family memoirs, some essentially self-published or increasingly published by smaller university presses. Up until now, however, we have not had a synthetic study that pulls together the substantial and, as Adler reminds us, decades-old existing scholarship, memoirs, oral histories, and archival sources in multiple languages to produce a coherent narrative that considers both the geopolitical circumstances of this Polish/Soviet/Jewish experience and the complicated individual trajectories (with useful maps) of those Adler distinguishes as "flight survivors." This is a remarkable achievement built on fluency in Yiddish, Polish, Russian, and Hebrew as well as familiarity with numerous national historiographies that have generally remained within their silos—precisely the desiderata that along with limited access to Soviet archives have hampered scholarship. Turning the necessity of working without "hard" statistics or comprehensive archival resources into a virtue, Adler has mined secondary literature and available archival materials but relied to an unusual degree on memoirs and oral histories, with a profound sensitivity to what might be called the "history of emotions" expressed in both written and oral testimonies, many, but certainly not all, composed well after the event. Her book gives us a recalibrated narrative that fulfills its goal of moving these survivors out of a "netherworld of history and memory" in order to "recover and reintegrate their stories" into the history of the "Nazi genocide" (2). She pulls together a dizzying array of memories of multiple transits—flight from the Germans, adjustment to life in newly Sovietized Poland, deportation to labor camps and special settlements in the Soviet interior (denoted by the cypher "Siberia"), renewed migration and hardship and resourceful endurance in Central Asia (marked by reference to Tashkent, known in a popular novel as the "City of Bread" as a "City of Want"), service in the Red or Berling Army, evacuation to Iran with the Anders Army for a small minority, repatriation to a virtually unrecognizable Poland or an entirely new Poland in the "recovered territories," another renewed flight to...

Система управления Северным Кавказом в 60-е годы XIX – начале XX в. в отечественной историографии

The article discusses the main problems of the political and administrative course of the Russian government in the North Caucasus in the period from the 1860s to 1917 in the light of national historiography. The author focuses on identifying and analyzing the prerequisites, causes and factors that have had a significant impact on fluctuations in the government's course in the region. Considerable attention is paid to the analysis of the processes and mechanisms of interaction between central and local government bodies, their role in solving social, economic and political problems of the region in the late 19th – early 20th centuries (until 1917).

Pendekatan Sejarah Lokal dan Kepentingannya dalam Pensejarahan Malaysia

The historical transition from political aspect to social and economy aspect has brought development to various approaches in historical writings. One of them, is the local history approach. However, there are still doubts among the historians and underestimate the approach in history writings. This approach is considered as antiquarian, consists of loads unimportant facts, no chronology and abandoning the theory and method of history. In fact, historical studies using this approach is said to not have any importance to the national historiography. Hence, this research paper aims at denying all of those opinions and proves that local history approach is actually emphasizing on ideas and historical thinking. In short, local history approach is important in perfecting the national history narrative by focusing on the research on the aspects and locations that were previously considered insignificant to the national historiography. In fact, this approach can actually contribute to the new findings in national historiography. For example, the discovery of the study regarding the Malay migration to Kerian, Perak has proven the significant contribution of the Malay society in the economy during the British colonisation apart from denying the judgement of the British on the nature of the Malay of being lazy as a result of their backwardness in economy aspects during the colonisation. This study also successfully proves that the internal migration of the Malay plays a significant role in the development of Kerian as the main paddy cultivation district, not only in Perak but also in the Federated Malay States. Keywords: Local history; historiography; national history; social history; economy history

Silent Agents of Nationalist Struggle? Women of Mozambique, Fighting a War Within a War

ABSTRACT What narratives carry women who experienced war in the first person, even if they are not military or even directly part of a nationalist movement? How can they challenge the colonial and nationalist archives, that insist in silencing women’s experiences in their chronicles? In contemporary Mozambique, while the dominant nationalist historiography has acknowledged the role played by the women who left home and joined the nationalist armed struggle, the analysis tends to rend invisible the experiences of women that, from home, participated in the struggle. Methodologically, archival research is combined with ethnographic methods to explore the lived experiences of African women whose destinies were crossed by the nationalist war in Mozambique (1964–1974). In-depth interviews with three women, supported by semi-structured interviews with relatives and acquaintances, are used to research ‘home’ as a key political space of women’s anti-colonial resistance and a context where emancipatory projects were dreamed. In parallel, this article aims to discuss the patriarchal dimension of knowledge kept in official archives, thus contributing to questioning the masculine hegemony in the ‘national’ discourse, as well as to reintroduce the question of agency and instrumentality back into the liberation narrative.

Violencia sexual en Yucatán, 1830-1875

Objective/Context: Sexual violence in Latin America is a topic that national historiographies have addressed with increased intensity since the late twentieth century. This article focuses on the study of sexual crimes (statutory rape, kidnapping, rape, among others) based on the lawsuits filed in Yucatan by the victims or their families in the post-independence period, between 1830 and 1875. The documentation shows that sexual violence had a high incidence in the rural population and affected Mayan girls and women to a greater extent. It also shows that the criminal proceedings resulted in absolution and conviction sentences. Methodology: The article reviews the general bibliography on the subject that has modulated this approach, the legislation on sexual crimes that was in force, and analyzes primary sources, especially judicial records held in the General Archive of the State of Yucatan. Originality: The article is a necessary contribution to elucidate a fundamental problem that has not been sufficiently studied by historiography. The gender perspective guided this text to unravel the characteristics of these sexual assaults and to examine how the criminal processes and the scope of the competent sentences were developed. Conclusions: Through the reviewed documentation, it is possible to draw a tight picture of the behavior of these crimes in Yucatan after independence, to have clues of their characteristics, fundamentally for rape and statutory rape, and the difficulty of discerning them. In this context, midwives’ work in the judicial processes as forensic experts on the physical damages inflicted on the victims is evidenced; likewise, the family consequences derived from these acts and the behavior of the authorities and judges when attending to and judging these crimes are observed.

Повседневная жизнь педагогов городов Центрального Казахстана в 1946 – 1970-е годы

The article is devoted to the study of the daily life of teachers in the cities of Central Kazakhstan in 1946–1970s. It is an attempt to assess the role and position of teachers in the social and cultural development of the region’s cities. At the same time, cities had a significant impact on the life of citizens. The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that in national historiography, the plots devoted to the diversity of citizens types of Central Kazakhstan, their everyday life in the designated period have not been sufficiently studied. The study is based on a comparison of reference images and everyday practices, the public life of urban teachers in the region. Materials of teachers’ memoirs, interviews of former students, townspeople of different professions about teachers of the period 1946–1970s are analyzed according to such parameters as appearance, including clothes, hairstyle, behavior, the language of everyday communication, professional qualities, living conditions, and the influence of the ideological factor. The social status, nature and working conditions, the ideological guidelines of the state singled out teachers from the urban environment, formed their special psychology and self-awareness. The article is written within the framework of one of the modern trends in historical science - the history of everyday life. The authors conclude that teachers, in comparison with the diverse types of citizens of Central Kazakhstan (1946– 1970s), had both common and specific features and characteristics. Their analysis has not only cognitive, but also theoretical value. The materials of the article can become a conceptual basis for studying the daily life of citizens belonging to different professional or social groups.

История колхозного крестьянства в 1945–1953 гг.: реалии и проблемы

The study of the problems of collective peasant farmers in the post-war decade in modern national historiography has become one of the relevant aspects. Agriculture was the main source of replenishment of material and human sources. Thus agriculture occupied a special place in the Soviet economy, but the state did not pay due attention at all. The authorities showed “concern” about improving rural life, but in reality, they drove the village (aul) under the pressure of various high taxes and fees. Unfortunately, the agrarian policy of the postwar period was far from reality and had an exclusively political orientation. The rural population was actively involved by the party and political leadership of the country in the implementation of essentially unprepared large-scale economic measures. As a result, it faced a lot of problems that are covered in this article.

N&N themed section: Reflections on nationalism and the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Introduction

AbstractThis introduction to themed section consists of two parts: a sketch of national(ist) historiography and a brief description of the following contributions.

Imperial Science in Central and Eastern Europe

The history of imperial science has been a growing topic over recent decades. Overviews of the imperial history of science have rarely included the Russian, Habsburg, and German empires. The history of Central and Eastern Europe has embraced empire as an analytical and critical category only recently, having previously pursued national historiographies and romanticised versions of imperial pasts. This article highlights several key narratives of imperial sciences in Central and Eastern Europe that have appeared over the past twenty years, especially in anglophone literature. Interdependence between national and imperial institutions and biographies, the history of nature as an interplay of scales, and finally, the histories of imagining a path between imperialism and nationalism, demonstrate how the history of imperial science can become an important part of the discussion of Central European history from a global perspective, as well as how the history of science can be factored into the general history of this region. Finally, I argue that the imperial history of science can play an important role in re-thinking the post/decolonial history of Central and Eastern Europe, an issue that, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has become the centre of intellectual attention.

Ideological impact in the province of the 1920s: monopolization of the process

The focus of the article is the initial formation stage of the system of ideological influence in Soviet Russia after the end of the civil war. The ensuing political, economic and social crises showed, among other things, the need to restructure and improve propaganda and agitation. That was recorded at the Х Party Congress. In national historiography, the party influence on the entire population of Soviet Russia in the 1920s is traditionally considered as the initial stage of the establishment of a system of such an impact. We believe that it is more appropriate to discuss this process, first and foremost, on the regional level, taking regional characteristics and opportunities into account. In addition, during the period under review, the party members were the first and the main object of ideological influence, followed by workers, the ―laboring‖ peasantry and their children. During the period under review, the final success was due not only and not so much to the creation and strengthening of the system of communist influence on the masses, but to the disappearance of alternative, or rather, the sources of these alternatives.

Russian Constitutionalism and Elections in Noble Assemblies under Alexander I

In historiography, the Russian constitutionalism of the first quarter of the nineteenth century has traditionally been considered a result of the ideological influence of the European political and legal theories and the content of foreign constitutions known to contemporaries. What escaped researchers’ attention was the influence of the existing experience of holding elections in noble assemblies which the authors of constitutional projects referred to as a basic model for forming bodies of class representation. Electoral practices allowed the emperor and his immediate environment to estimate the degree of formation of one of the most significant conditions for introducing a constitution in Russia, i. e. the fact that the eligible for political rights possessed necessary moral qualities, desire, and abilities for partnership in the development and discussion of laws. The author analyses archival materials from the Russian State Historical Archive, acts, and M. M. Speransky’s private correspondence with V. P. Kochubey. For the first time in national historiography, the article presents recurring problem situations deemed by contemporaries as critical, interfering with the normal functioning of election systems. The most significant of them was the impossibility to draw up electoral lists in due time and authentically, reveal and prevent facts of a deliberate distortion of data on property, cases of false purchase and sale of manors; lack of the necessary number of noblemen who would correspond to all to the criteria established by the law and have the skills required; conspiracy or bribery of electors by the persons interested in the victory of a candidate; cases of “evasion of duty” by already elected candidates. Such cases were treated as a manifestation of unworthy behaviour of noblemen who turned the election procedure into an instrument of negative selection of candidates. Finally, the author concludes that in the government circles of Russia in the first quarter of the nineteenth century, together with the understanding of the inefficiency of the existing local management system, the negative experience of electoral practices was an argument for the inopportuneness of introducing a constitution.