Czechoslovak Central Economic Commission in the Documents of the Russian State Historical Archive of the Russian Far East

Abstract

The research is devoted to the reflection of the economic activity of citizens of the Czechoslovak Republic in the Russian Far East during the Civil War. The main focus is on the Czechoslovak Central Economic Commission created to solve the economic problems of the considerable military contingent concentrated in Vladivostok awaiting departure to Europe. The activities of the commission have not yet been reflected in historiography; there have not been introduced into scientific use the documents that allow reliably presenting the structure, personnel, main field of activity, and contribution to the solution to problems vital for former prisoners of war and members of their families who were in a foreign land. The research is based on documents of the Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East, primarily on the funds of government institutions located in Vladivostok. Particular attention is paid to the agreements concluded by the Czechoslovak Central Economic Commission with the Provisional Government of the Far East - the Primorsky Regional Zemstvo Administration, the Central All-Russian Union of Consumer Societies (Tsentrosoyuz). It is shown that the status of the Czechoslovak Central Economic Commission changed during the Civil War. If initially it acted as a government agency, then later as a private commercial enterprise, the activities of which ended in criminal prosecution.

Keywords

• czech legions in siberia
• primorsky regional zemstvo government
• white east of russia
• k.l. lorenz
• dr. vaclav girsa