PARTICIPATION OF POPULATION IN TYUMEN CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS DURING NEW ECONOMIC POLICY

This article analyzes the forms of participation of the population and its model of political behavior in election campaigns of the Tyumen City Council deputies during the New Economic Policy (NEP). In the early years of the NEP the regime had a significant impact on the citizens during voting. These measures included active agitation, particularly among members of trade unions, and moral pressure to ensure the election of communists and their sympathizers in the Council. As a result, the trust of citizens in the election procedure greatly decreased, causing responses of the Party and the Soviet government to reduce the administrative pressure known as the "campaign to revitalize the Soviets." These measures included voting for individual candidates rather than for their lists, departing from the strict regulation of the election procedures, the course to attract non-party to the Council. This made possible to greatly improve the turnout of the population and its activity during the election campaign. Voters were more likely to promote their candidates, which led to some reduction in the proportion of Communists in the Council. At the same time, they retained their influence in the governing authorities preserving their control over the political life of the city.

Tyumen City Council, elections, voters, New Economic Policy, political activity, political behavior