The Role of “People's Houses” in the Fight against Alcoholization of the Population of the Russian Empire at the turn of the XIX – early XX centuries

The article is devoted to an important social problem -the fight against alcoholism among the population of the Russian Empire at the turn of the XIX -early XX centuries.The study pays attention to the position of public authorities in relation to the production and sale of alcoholic beverages and the prevention of mass alcoholization of the population.Special attention is paid to the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the prevention of the fight against drunkenness, as well as the activities of Folk houses, tea houses, reading rooms in promoting a healthy lifestyle.The People's House became the center of public life, where various cultural and educational institutions could find shelter.The government proposed to organize a People's House in every large village, while all questions of organization and management were assigned to local authorities.The leading role in organizing the fight against excessive alcohol-containing products was played by the public with the support of the Church and the zemstvo councils.The result of the activity of the People's Houses was the active involvement of various strata of society, primarily the peasantry and urban workers, in introducing them to a healthy lifestyle and raising the cultural level.This experience spread from large cities to rural areas.The sober movement covered significant segments of the population of different ages.Realizing the depth of the problem, the state began to make attempts to organize a fight against drinking establishments and the unhindered sale of vodka.The introduction of administrative and prohibitive measures at the beginning of the twentieth century did not lead to mass popular unrest, as society was already aware of the need to jointly combat drunkenness.