The Kharkiv Governorate provincial cities population (1861-1917)

The article deals with the growth and reduction of population in the Kharkiv Governorate provincial  cities  in  1861-1917,  the  features  of  its  social,  age,  national  structures  according  to different types to population size and administrative status. It is stressed that life of small and medium sized Ukrainian cities at late Russian empire is rarely kept under review by professional historians; the books which periodically appear in the intellectual area of modern Ukraine are written by local historians, who are inclined to idealize their local officials and all events in the past. The article is based on the documents from the State Archive of Kharkiv Region, official publications, statistics and the materials from periodical press. It is argues that from 1861 to 1914 occured an intensive growth of the population of provincial towns of Governorate: 1,35 times at the second part of 19 century and 1,5 at the beginning of 20 century; sufficient percent reduction in the district and non-district city population within the Governorate, the Kharkiv population ultrafast growth  at  1861-1897  and  stabilization  of  the  ratio  between  the  population  of  the  Governorate center and provincial cities.  It is emphasizes that if at 1861 there was only small and smallest towns in region, then were appeared five average population cities and only three of the smallest cities remained at the beginning of the 20th century; the provincial cities population structure was closer to the rural population structure and the percentage of intellectuals, city-dwellers employed in trade, financial or industrial spheres, people of the most working age was significant less than in Kharkiv; the male domination wasnʼt significant in provincial towns, but the ethnic composition of the provincial cities differed significantly from that of the Governorate center.The First World War influenced the reduction by 18% the provincial cities population, varied the employment structure of the urban dwellers and caused a significant weakening of the urban elite.

Source: Chornyi D.M. (2019) The Kharkiv Governorate provincial cities population (1861-1917). V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Bulletin ‘History of Ukraine. Ukrainian Studies: Historical and Philosophical Sciences. 28: 59-67

Source web-site: https://periodicals.karazin.ua/uahistory/article/view/14575/13698