The system of elected bodies of local self-government in the Russian Empire was represented at the lowest level by the mir and the volost and was continued, so far as the 34 Guberniyas (governorates) of old Russia were … See more

The zemstvo executive boards were highly involved in the administration of the staff working for the zemstvo. These staff were professional experts from the Intelligentsia known as 'the third element'. Aside from the medical and educational staff, the agronomists See more

Prior to the zemstvo medical system, Russian peasants mostly relied on faith healers specializing in magical chants and remedies for their medical care. The zemstvos viewed raising support for medical systems as their first most important task. … See more

• Darrow, David W. "The Politics of Numbers: Zemstvo Land Assessment and the Conceptualization of Russia's Rural Economy." The … See more

The 10th objective, distribution of state funds assigned to zemstvos was one of the main objectives. About 20% of Russia's annual state revenue was assigned to the zemstvos in the early years. Zemstvos were able to draw taxes from a variety of … See more

Literacy rose from 10% to 68% during the existence of the zemstvo system. The zemstvo education system was built on top of the existing … See more

Zemstvos were created as part of the larger Great Reforms. In 1864, the first law on Zemstvos was enacted by the Emperor which outlined the powers of the zemstvos. These … See more