zemstvo

American  

[zemst-voh, zyem-stvuh] / ˈzɛmst voʊ, ˈzjɛm stvə /

noun

Russian History.

• zemstvos
  plural

1. one of a system of elected local assemblies established in 1864 by Alexander II to replace the authority of the nobles in administering local affairs after the abolition of serfdom: became the core of the liberal movement from 1905 to 1917.

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zemstvo British  

/ ˈzɛmstvəʊ, ˈzjɛmstvə /

noun

1. (in tsarist Russia) an elective provincial or district council established in most provinces of Russia by Alexander II in 1864 as part of his reform policy

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• zemstvos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of zemstvo

1860–65; < Russian zémstvo, derivative of zemlyá land, earth; see humus

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zemstvo zemstvos

One reason: officials, lest they appear to lack revolutionary fervor, stayed at their offices 24 hours a day, were consequently too sleepy to tell a kulak from a zemstvo.

From Time Magazine Archive

When I said that my father had been a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia I might have been calling him a voivode of Montenegro or the president of a zemstvo.

From The High Heart by Basil King

But I work for the zemstvo, I am a member of the district council, and I consider my service as worthy and as high as the service of science.

From Plays by Anton Chekhov, Second Series by Julius West

It is said that the manuscript was given to Nilus by Sukhotin, the notorious zemstvo official of Chernsk.

From The History of a Lie 'The Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion' by Herman Bernstein

The assembly appointed an executive committee which is in permanent session, but the zemstvo assembles once a year.

From The Story of Russia by R. Van Bergen

The zemstvos, volosts, and mirs, were all placed under officials appointed by him.

From The Story of Russia by R. Van Bergen

Presently, the leaders of the zemstvos followed the example of the revolutionists and held a secret convention at which a program for common action was agreed upon.

From Bolshevism The Enemy of Political and Industrial Democracy by John Spargo

The zemstvos were no longer an active part of the revolutionary movement.

From Bolshevism The Enemy of Political and Industrial Democracy by John Spargo

In January, 1895, the czar received a deputation of all classes of his subjects who hinted that the zemstvos might be used as the germ of a constitutional government.

From The Story of Russia by R. Van Bergen

The imperial ukase of 1864, created zemstvos or district assemblies composed of representatives of the landed proprietors or gentlemen; or rural communes or mirs, and of the towns.

From The Story of Russia by R. Van Bergen

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