As we all know, on August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on the Russian Empire. As early as August 14, 1881, the Committee of Ministers had approved the “Regulations on Measures to Safeguard Public Order and Peace.”
When a state of heightened security was declared, the governors-general, governors, and city mayors were granted very broad powers at the local level. For example, they had the right to issue binding decrees to prevent disturbances of public order and security; the right to impose penalties; the right to prohibit various popular, public, and private gatherings; and so on.
With the outbreak of the war, the governors of Kharkiv, pursuant to Article 26 of the “Regulations on Emergency Security,” began issuing their own “special decrees,” which regulated and influenced life in both the city and the entire Slobozhanshchyna region. Here are some of them.
As early as August 3, 1914, we read:
Mandatory decrees of the Governor of Kharkiv, issued for the residents of the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv Governorate, pursuant to Article 26 of the “Regulations on Emergency Security.”
PROHIBITED:
1) Consuming strong alcoholic beverages on streets, roads, squares, and other open areas, within the boundaries of village settlements, and in peasant community administration buildings.
2) Appearing in public places, within the boundaries of village settlements, and on public roads while in a state of obvious intoxication.
3) The storage of alcoholic beverages in private residences within settlements in quantities that clearly exceed the needs of the residents of those residences.
4) Homeowners within the boundaries of the residential areas of villages are required to prevent the unauthorized sale of strong alcoholic beverages on their premises and to immediately notify the police or local authorities of any such sales.
On August 16, 1914, the governor of Kharkiv issued the following directive:
Enemy aircraft have appeared in certain areas of the Empire, often flying over uninhabited areas. I appeal to the residents of the Kharkiv Governorate to immediately report any sightings—and especially any landings—of aviators to the local police and military authorities, and to provide every assistance to police officers in detaining such aviators and their aircraft.
And on October 29, 1914, the governor’s “Mandatory Regulations” stated, in particular, that:
“…2. It is prohibited to sell boot-making materials suitable for making soldiers’ boots to anyone other than those who have my permission to do so.
3. No collections of money or goods of any kind are permitted without my express authorization, and such collections may be made only using receipt books or collection boxes, sealed by the institution for whose benefit the collection is made; furthermore, each collector must be provided with an appropriate certificate from the society or institution that has authorized him to collect, and he must always carry this certificate with him while collecting. Note: This rule does not apply to collections made in places of worship with the permission of the appropriate ecclesiastical authorities.
4. Individuals, institutions, and organizations that hold or have been granted permission to conduct any type of collection, as well as collectors authorized by them, are not permitted to mail or distribute tickets for charity performances and the like, or to collect money door-to-door, nor to collect donations in the form of goods or money on the streets or in public places, except in cases where special permission has been requested…”
On December 4, 1914, the governor of Kharkiv decreed:
1) Any kind of excessive price increase for items necessary for military purposes is prohibited.
Those found guilty of violating this mandatory regulation are subject to an administrative fine of up to 3,000 rubles, or arrest for up to 3 months, or imprisonment for 3 months.
Effective February 5, 1915:
Every owner of a shoemaker’s workshop, as well as every shoemaker who sews boots on his own, is required to produce two pairs of boots per week, that are fully suitable for the army’s needs, at a price set by the Quartermaster’s Office and determined in each individual case by the local district requisition commission.
Next, starting February 13:
Private individuals are prohibited from purchasing or accepting as collateral from enlisted personnel:
(a) military equipment and weapons,
b) all types of men’s shoes,
c) military-style clothing,
(d) private clothing, warm garments, and undergarments bearing the marks of government agencies, the Red Cross, and all hospitals established through public charity.
Effective June 14 of that year:
1) German, Austrian, and Turkish subjects of non-Slavic origin who reside in or are temporarily staying in Kharkiv and the county seats of the Kharkiv Governorate are prohibited from:
(a) to leave their assigned place of residence without permission from their administrative superiors, to go beyond the city limits, or to cross the railroad tracks,
(b) to enter any kind of factory or plant without permission from superiors, or even to approach such facilities,
c) engage in conversation with prisoners of war, as well as with Russian enlisted men.
2) It is prohibited to conduct conversations in German or Turkish on long-distance, local, or county telephone lines.
The sale and purchase of cocaine without a doctor’s prescription or without a list of medical facilities signed by doctors was also strictly prohibited as of August 8, 1915.
However, as early as July 3, 1916, this ban was lifted in Kharkiv, and cocaine could be purchased freely. To prevent panic among the population, restrictions were imposed on the purchase of gold, silver, and copper coins starting August 21, 1915.
Given that our city was filled with refugees a little over 100 years ago, speculation in the rental housing market began. The authorities’ response was quite harsh. As early as September 5, 1915, Kharkiv Governor Nikolai Vasilyevich Protasyev stipulated the following in the “Mandatory Decrees”:
In view of the exorbitant rise in rental prices for apartments in the cities of the Kharkiv Governorate, I hereby issue—pursuant to Article 26 of the “Regulations on Emergency Security”—the following mandatory decrees for the residents of the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv Governorate, with the aim of resolving this issue and alleviating the hardship of the poorest residents of the city Kharkiv and Kharkiv Province, issue the following mandatory decrees for the residents of the city of Kharkiv and Kharkiv Province.
Apartment prices must not exceed those reported by landlords to the tax authorities as of January 1, 1915.
Rents for apartments with heating rented from landlords may be increased by 10 percent compared to the rates as of January 1, 1915.
Similarly, rent for apartments in the city of Kharkiv may be increased by 10 percent compared to the rates as of January 1, 1915, in areas where there is no municipal sewer system.
Active combat operations required large quantities of weapons. Orders placed by the War Department, both domestically and abroad, did not always meet the army’s growing needs in a timely manner. As a result, on October 24, 1915, the Kharkiv authorities, in particular, proposed the following to the population:
- To voluntarily surrender any military-style rifles in their possession. Furthermore, individuals who did not have a permit to possess rifles were not subject to any punishment for such voluntary surrender.
- For each weapon voluntarily surrendered and in full working order, the following amounts were paid: for a Russian rifle—20 rubles and 2 rubles for its bayonet; for a foreign rifle—15 rubles and 2 rubles for its bayonet.
- Weapons must be turned in accordance with the rules specified above within 10 days, from November 1 through November 10.
Effective October 24, 1915, private individuals and institutions were prohibited from keeping carrier pigeons without permission. Permission had to be requested from the Commander-in-Chief of the Kyiv Military District.
These days, housing and food prices are constantly and exorbitantly rising. When asked, “What’s causing this?” the answer is always the same: “That’s just the way things are right now. After all, we’re at war.” However, 100 years ago, our city was also on the front lines. How did people deal with rising prices back then?
As early as January 15, 1916, new orders were issued, which read as follows:
In order to combat the exorbitant cost of living during these wartime conditions and to build upon previously issued mandatory decrees, I hereby issue the following decrees:
1) Any kind of excessive price increase for food products, medical supplies, items necessary for the military, and other essential goods; furthermore, any actions aimed at such price increases are prohibited, as are any strikes by merchants and industrialists organized for this purpose.
2) When selling goods, owners of wholesale and large retail stores are required, upon request by customers, to issue a receipt for the purchased goods each time without charging any additional handling fees, except for the prescribed stamp duty.
Effective February 15, 1916, all heads of households in rural areas were required to immediately report any new arrivals to the village headman. The village head, in turn, was required to report this immediately to the nearest district constable or police officer.
Before the start of World War I, it was common to hear German spoken on the streets of our city. However, starting on April 16, 1916, life in Kharkiv changed beyond recognition in terms of language.
PROHIBITED:
1) The use of German, Hungarian, and Turkish in conversation within government and private institutions—both among themselves and with individuals employed in these places—as well as on the street, in stores, and in any public place.
2) The display of signs at commercial establishments in German, Hungarian, and Turkish, as well as any kind of announcements and inscriptions in those languages.
During the war, our city also had to contend with various panic-mongering rumors. Starting in late December 1916, the following was strictly prohibited:
- The publication in local periodicals of false and exaggerated news reports and rumors related to the current political and military situation, both within the empire and abroad.
- The publication or public dissemination of any articles or other communications that incite hostility toward the government.
- “Any form of glorification of a criminal act, as well as the distribution or public display of writings or images that glorify such an act.”
Obviously, these are by no means all the rules—if we were to list them in full, they would fill dozens of articles. However, even with this information, we can get a sense of what life was like in our native and beloved Kharkiv, which was on the front lines (just as it is now, by the way)…
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