The approaches to social and occupational structure of Russian provincial urban centers at the end of the 19th century: examples of Tobolsk and Tambov

Abstract

The article attempts to compare social structures of Russian provincial gubernial urban centers in Siberia (Tobolsk) and in the Central Black Earth Region (Tambov) in the watershed period for the Russian Empire at the turn of the 20th century. The authors have analyzed the occupational, class and social composition of Tobolsk and Tambov. Age, gender and social characteristics of occupational and urban class groups, as well as composition and specific weight of the elite, middle layers and bottom layers of the gubernial centers have been studied. The study of two gubernial cities of the Russian Empire embedded in different historical environments permits the authors to single out general and specific features of the processes of social change related to urbanization and modernization.

Keywords

• urban demography
• occupational structure
• social class
• demographic change
• HISCO