Электоральная культура посадских жителей в русских городах 1720–1770-х годов: по материалам выборов в магистраты

Преподаватель XXI век. 2023. Т. 2. № 2. С. 245–254.

Гущина Д. В.

The article attempts to examine the behavior of townspeople who elected members of magistrates in Russian cities through the prism of the concept of "electoral culture". The chronological framework of the study covers the period from the founding of the magistrates to the regional reform of 1775. The author considers the legitimacy of using this concept in a historical context, revealing its methodological difficulties and specifics. The article deals with such aspects of the electoral culture of the townspeople as electoral activity and electoral competence, as well as relationships with the authorities in the framework of the electoral process. The author comes to the conclusion that there is a significant variation in the indicators of electoral activity in different cities. Considering the issue of the electoral competence of townspeople electors, the author concludes that the level of understanding of the townspeople, at least by their most active groups, of the specifics of the electoral process and the mechanisms of state power associated with it was quite high. Magistrate elections performed not only their direct function, but also became an instrument in the strategies of the townspeople, with their help, the township community provided itself with a communication channel for demonstrating the power of the difficulties that the taxpayers faced.

Keywords: стратегии поведения, электорат, electorate, городское управление, behavior strategies, city reform, городская реформа, посадская община, city government, magistrates, townspeople community, electoral culture, магистраты, электоральная культура