Abstract
The aim of the article is to study the peculiarities of the participation of the Volyn Black Hundreds in the elections to the Zemstvo in Volyn. The author analyzes the complexes of the then Black Hundred periodicals and publications published by opponents of the Allies. The press covers in detail the peculiarities of the election of vowels, leaders, and members of the zemstvo county and provincial administrations in the study region. The research methodology is based on the use of general scientific research methods (analysis, synthesis, and generalization) and special historical (chronological and comparative-historical), which in combination with the principles of historicism, objectivity and multifactoriality contributed to unbiased coverage of tasks. The scientific novelty of the work is that the author on the basis of periodicals of the period under study clarified the peculiarities of elections to provincial and county zemstvos in Volhynia on the eve of World War I and analyzed the participation of representatives of different ethnic groups, classes, and their role. representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. Conclusions. In Right-Bank Ukraine, the zemstvo self-government bodies began full-fledged activity after the emperor’s decree of March 14, 1911. At the same time, elections were held to the county and provincial zemstvos in Volhyn. The most influential political structure in the region was the Union of the Russian People, which managed to gain significant influence in Volhyn and form an extensive organizational network through the activities of the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church and imperial authorities. Despite this, the Black Hundreds won the first zemstvo elections in only a few counties in the Volyn province. Using demagogic slogans, the Allies criticized the Volyn Zemstvo in the press and at the same time prepared the ground for revenge in the 1914 election. only in those counties where their influences have traditionally been strong. In opposition to their opponents or those they considered opponents, the Black Hundreds tried to discredit them in the traditional manner on the pages of their press bodies.