The Village Reading Rooms of the Eastern Trans-Baikal region in the 1920s

Abstract

The article examines the creation and operation of Soviet political and educational institutions for the adult peasantry, the so-called izba-chital’nia (village reading rooms) of the Eastern Trans-Baikal region. The article is based on historical documents not previously studied from the State Archives of the Trans-Baikal region and the Khabarovsk region, as well as periodicals from the 1920s. The creation of a network of izba-chital’nia in the region occurred later than in central Russia. In 1920–1922, organisations of different kinds (libraries, community halls, etc.) were established. However, the studied sources contain no reference to rural library huts. The establishment of this new type of organisation was the result of decentralizing public education management in the republic, as well as the involvement of the regional population in creating educational institutions from below. This made Trans-Baikalian educational institutions for adults independent; they could operate without subordination to central plans, instructions, and restrictions. After the establishment of Soviet power, a network of izba-chital’nia was established to act as centers of political and educational work among the inhabitants of the region. Their operation faced a number of problems such as a lack of resources, the low qualification of employees, as well as the cautious or even hostile attitude of the local population. The actions of the Soviet government, the local cells of the Communist Party and the Komsomol, and members of trade unions, all sought to strengthen the Trans-Baikal izba-chital’nia and find new ways to include the population in their work.