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

Etymology

Origin of zemstvo

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

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

The zemstvo of Saratov was one of the best in Russia.

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

Lists of such works which came under the notice of the zemstvo statisticians will be found in V.V.'s Peasant Community, pp. 459-600.

From Mutual Aid; a factor of evolution by Kropotkin, Petr Alekseevich, kniaz

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 King, Basil

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

From The Story of Russia by Bergen, R. Van

Unfortunately for him, however, the unions of zemstvos and of towns remained patriotic.

From The Minister of Evil The Secret History of Rasputin's Betrayal of Russia by Le Queux, William

The building up of autonomous democratic local governing bodies, in the shape of a new type of zemstvos, was rapidly progressing.

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

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

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

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

From The Story of Russia by Bergen, R. Van

That the zemstvos were not naturally inclined to radicalism and revolution needs no demonstration.

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