Urban Everyday Life and Electrification in Context of Fuel Crises in First Quarter of 20th Century

The article examines the social response to the introduction of new electric technologies (street lighting and trams) in cities, as well as the limitations on their use during periods of fuel crises. The concepts of “energy transition” and “shift towards consumerism” serve as the methodological basis for the study. The author relies on L.B. Kafengauz’s periodization when analyzing changes in cities’ electricity supply. The research shows that the new electric infrastructure was in demand among city dwellers. The adaptability of power plants to fuel shortages allowed for the maintenance of electricity supply during crisis years. For the first time, city residents faced a shortage of fuel for power plants during the First World War and the Civil War. The fuel crisis of 1901-1908 went unnoticed by urban populations, as power plant operations were more often disrupted due to worker strikes than fuel shortages. The article discusses the public debate that erupted in Moscow in 1909 regarding the acceptability of allowing tram traffic on Red Square. It also reports on the discussion in contemporary periodicals of the phenomenon of “tramvayizatsiya literatury” (the “tramwayization” of literature, “the literature for trams”): more than half of the passengers on tram cars were reading newspapers or books. The author has gathered interesting materials on worker strikes at tram depots, dissatisfaction among passengers with sharp hat pins on women’s hats, and other social issues that arose as a result of electrifying city life during the specified period.

1. About ladie’s pins on hats. (1909). Moskovskie vedomosti: [newspaper], 291: P. 3. (In Russ.).

2. About the dangers of electric lighting. (1890). Electricity, 2: 29—32. (In Russ.).

3. Abundance of tram “hares”. (1910). Petrogradskaya gazeta: [newspaper], 326: P. 4. (In Russ.).

4. At the electric station. (1913). Mariupol life: [newspaper], 1851: P. 3. (In Russ.).

5. Benoit, A. N. (2016). Diary. 1918—1924. 3rd ed. Moscow: Zakharov. 816 p. ISBN 978-5-8159-1031-7. (In Russ.).

6. Break in coverage. (1906). Communist: [newspaper], 3: P. 3. (In Russ.).

7. Chronicle. (1906). News of the day: [newspaper], 8075: P. 3. (In Russ.).

8. CHTSKHD — Cherepovets Documentation Storage Center. F. 697 (Management and organization of housing and communal services of Cherepovets). Op. 1. d. 65. (In Russ.).

9. CHTSKHD — F. 702 (Cherepovets city power plant of the municipal services department of the Cherepovets City Executive Committee). Op. 1. D. 49; Op. 1. D. 6; F. 702. Op. 1. D. 67; Op. 1. D. 68. (In Russ.).

10. Chukovsky, K. I. (2013). Collected works: In 15 vols. Diary (1922—1935), 12. Moscow: FTM Agency, Ltd. 656 p. (In Russ.).

11. Diary. (1912). Odessa leaflet: [newspaper], 7: P. 4. (In Russ.).

12. Dobrotvorsky, V. F. Power transmission of the thresholds of Volkhov, Narov, Vuoksy in St. Petersburg. In: Proceedings of the First All-Russian Electrotechnical Congress. 1899—1900 in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg: Type. Chapters. 269—291. (In Russ.).

13. Ehrenburg, I. G. (1990). People, years, life: Memories: Volume one. Moscow: Soviet Writer. 640 p. (In Russ.).

14. Electricity. (1920). Communist: [newspaper], 2: P. 4. (In Russ.).

15. Electricity. (1923). Communist: [newspaper], 32: P. 6. (In Russ.).

16. Electricity in Cherepovets. (1919). Communist: [newspaper], 170: P. 2. (In Russ.).

17. Flood. (1914). Russian word: [newspaper], 21: P. 8. (In Russ.).

18. Flooding in Moscow. (1909). Petrogradskaya gazeta: [newspaper], 144: P. 4. (In Russ.).

19. Kalmykov, A. (1938). Electric light in Vologda. Krasny Sever: [newspaper], 183: P. 5. (In Russ.).

20. Krzhizhanovsky, G. M. (1933). On electrification. In: Essays. Electric power industry, 1. Moscow: Energoizdat. 628 p. (In Russ.).

21. Krzhizhanovsky, G. (1930). Wrecking in the energy sector. Report at the meeting of the technical section of the Comacademy 19/XI 1930. Planned economy, 10—11: 5—26. (In Russ.).

22. Lenin, V. I. (1967). Revolutionary days. In: Complete works, 9. Ed. 5. Moscow: Publishing House of Political Literature. 580 p. (In Russ.).

23. Liquidation of the strike. (1907). Novoye vremya: [newspaper], 58: P. 4. (In Russ.).

24. Local chronicle. (1907). Time: [newspaper], 110: P. 2. (In Russ.).

25. Malyshev, I. (1938). The power plant is dysfunctional. Communist: [newspaper], 200: P. 3. (In Russ.).

26. Miscellaneous news. (1880). Electricity, 1: S. 19. (In Russ.).

27. Odessa in the dark. (1912). Russian word: [newspaper], 29: P. 4. (In Russ.).

28. Okunev, N. P. (1997). Diary of a Muscovite: In 2 books, 2. Moscow: Voenizdat. 287 p. (In Russ.).

29. Okunev, N. P. (1997). Diary of a Muscovite, 1917—1924: In 2 books, 1. Moscow: Voenizdat. 320 p. (In Russ.).

30. On the city tram. (1912). Pravda: [newspaper], 23: P. 3. (In Russ.).

31. On the fly. (1910). Morning of Russia: [newspaper], 192: P. 4. (In Russ.).

32. On the history of the electrification plan of the Soviet country: A collection of documents and materials of 1918—1920. (1952). Moscow: Gospolitizdat. 591 p. (In Russ.).

33. On tram lines. (1912). Pravda: [newspaper], 27: P. 3. (In Russ.).

34. Petition for trams. (1916). Petrogradsky leaflet: [newspaper], 81: P. 5. (In Russ.).

35. Petukhov, M. (1938). The Forgotten district. Communist: [newspaper], 31: P. 4. (In Russ.).

36. Powerless protest. (1909). Russian word: [newspaper], 264: P. 5. (In Russ.).

37. Pranks of electricity. (1914). Yuzhnaya gazeta-kopeyka: [newspaper], 133: P. 3. (In Russ.).

38. Professor, I. V. (1990). Tsvetaev and artist V. M. Vasnetsov about Red Square. Russian word: [newspaper], 210: P. 5. (In Russ.).

39. Protest of the inhabitants. (1911). Russian word: [newspaper], 212: P. 6. (In Russ.).

40. Registration of subscribers of the working line of the power plant. (1921). Communist: [news-paper], 175: P. 4. (In Russ.).

41. RGIA — F. 92 (Special Meeting on Fuel at MTiP (OSOTOP)). Op. 1 D. 836. (In Russ.).

42. RGIA — Russian State Historical Archive. F. 1287 (Economic Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs). Op. 44. D. 29; F. 1287. Op. 44. D. 413. (In Russ.).

43. Riots. (1910). Russian word: [newspaper], 249: P. 3. (In Russ.).

44. Shitz, I. I. (1991). Diary of the “Great Turning point” (March 1928 — August 1931). Paris: YMCA-press. 326 p. (In Russ.).

45. Sommey. (1914). Tramwayization of literature. Moscow newspaper: [newspaper], 307: P. 5. (In Russ.).

46. Sorokin, P. A. (1917). Notes of a sociologist. Spraying the revolution. Will of the People: [newspaper], 40: P. 1. (In Russ.).

47. Strike of trams. (1907). Novoe vremya: [newspaper], 48: P. 3. (In Russ.).

48. Strikes in St. Petersburg. (1913). Petersburg leaflet: [newspaper], 264: P. 12. (In Russ.).

49. Sukhanov, N. N. (1923). Notes on the revolution, 6. Berlin-Petersburg-Moscow: Publishing House of Z. I. Grzhebin. 312 p. (In Russ.).

50. Tatishchev, A. A. (2001). Lands and people: In the thick of the resettlement movement (1906—1921). Moscow: Russian Way. 387 p. (In Russ.).

51. The benefits of setting up an oil or oil-water gas plant for lighting the streets of the mountains. Saratov gas-boiler burners Auer. (1902). Moscow: Type.-lit. Yu. Vener. 8 p. (In Russ.).

52. The petition of the townsfolk on the introduction of children’s tram tickets. (1911). Petrogradskaya gazeta: [newspaper], 184: P. 4. (In Russ.).

53. To the tram strike. (1912). Pravda: [newspaper], 18: P. 4. (In Russ.).

54. Tsvetaeva, A. (2012). Memoirs. Moscow: Astrel. 918 p. (In Russ.).

55. Verbatim reports: Sessions 1—25: November 1, 1916 — February 25, 1917. (1917). Petro-grad: State Printing House. 1755 p. (In Russ.).

56. Volnov, I. E. (1976). The story of the days of my life. Peasant Chronicle. Moscow: Soviet Russia. 400 p. (In Russ.).

57. Antsiferov, N. P. (1926). Ways of studying the city as a social organism: the experience of an integrated approach. Leningrad: Sower. 151 p. (In Russ.).

58. Bonan, G. (2020). An Alpine Energy Transition: The Piave River from Charcoal to “White Coal”. Environmental History, 4: 687—710. DOI: 10.1093/envhis/emaa028.

59. Coopersmith, J. (1992). The Electrification of Russia, 1880—1926. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 274 p. ISBN 978-0-8014-2723-7.

60. Davydova, L. G. (1966). The use of electric energy in the industry of Russia (historical essay). Moscow: Nauka. 197 p. (In Russ.).

61. Dyakin, V. S. (1971). German capitals in Russia. Leningrad: Nauka. 289 p. (In Russ.).

62. Ent, E. (2012). Russian Nationalism and the Russian Empire: The Campaign against “enemy subjects” during the First World War. Moscow: New Literary Review. 304 p. ISBN 978-5-86793-942-7. (In Russ.).

63. Flaxerman, Yu. N. (1970). The GOELRO plan in action (to the 50th anniversary of the GOELRO plan). Moscow: “Energy”. 65 p. (In Russ.).

64. From the tram to the tram. (1993). Moscow: Faces of Russia. 240 p. ISBN 5-874I7-002-2. (In Russ.).

65. Godes, Ya. G. (1982). This new old tram. Leningrad: Lenizdat. 159 p. (In Russ.).

66. Ilyin, Yu. A. (2009). Public administration and entrepreneurs at the turn of the XIX—XX centuries: on the issue of electrification of Ivanovo-Voznesensk. Bulletin of the Ivanovo State University, 4: 49—66. (In Russ.).

67. Kafengauz, L. B. (1994). Evolution of industrial production in Russia. Moscow: Epiphany. 848 p. ISBN 5-86170-005-2. (In Russ.).

68. Kamenetsky, I. S. (1928). Giants of our electrification, Volkhovstroy and Dneprostroy. Mos-cow: State Publishing House. 136 p. (In Russ.).

69. Kamenetsky, M. O. (1951). The first Russian power plants. Leningrad: Gosenergoizdat. 132 p. (In Russ.).

70. Maklyukov, A. V. (2018). Electrification of urban infrastructure in the Far East of the USSR in the 1920s — 1930s. Humanitarian studies in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, 2: 100—112. DOI: 10.24866/1997-2857/2018-2/100-112. (In Russ.).

71. Myllyntaus, T. (1991). Electrifying Finland: The Transfer of a New Technology into a Late Industrialising Economy. Helsinki: Macmillan Academic and Professional LTD. 407 p.

72. Nikiforova, N. V. (2017). Cultural history of electricity in Russia of the XIX century: electric light as a performance and entertainment. Questions of the history of natural science and technology, 3: 448—469. (In Russ.).

73. Nikiforova, N. V. (2016). The transformation of electricity from a curiosity into a novelty. Approaches to the study of the cultural history of electrification. Society. Wednesday. Development, 4: 48—55. (In Russ.).

74. Pruglo, N., Zaplavnova, O. G. (2013). To the People’s Transport of Tsaritsyn — Stalingrad — Volgograd: from the past to the future: to the 100th anniversary of the tram, the 50th anniversary of the trolleybus. Volgograd: Panorama. 432 p. ISBN 978-5-9666-0121-8. (In Russ.).

75. Rubtsov, V., Chizhikov, V. (1931). Electrification of everyday life. Leningrad: OGIZ Priboy. 63 p. (In Russ.).

76. Simonov, N. S. (2016). The development of the electric power industry of the Russian Empire: the prehistory of GOELRO. Moscow: Russian Foundation for Education and Science. 320 p. ISBN 978-5-91244-175-2. (In Russ.).

77. Sokolov, V. (1977). Vologda. The history of construction and improvement of the city. Arkhangelsk: North-Western Book Publishing House. 159 p. (In Russ.).

78. Tarkhov, S. A. (1999). The history of the Moscow tram. Moscow: POLTEX. 356 p. (In Russ.).

79. Velikhov, L. A. (1996). Fundamentals of urban economy. Moscow: Nauka. 480 p. (In Russ.).

80. Zabello, L. A. (1998). The history of the Vitebsk tram. Vitebsk: Vitebsk Regional Printing House. 128 p. (In Russ.).

81. Zhimerin, D. G. (1962). The history of electrification of the USSR. Moscow: Publishing House of Socio-economic literature. 457 p. (In Russ.).