Socio-cultural characteristics of rural depositors in state savings banks (1906-1913)

The development of the savings business in Russia began actively in the middle of the 19th century. From that moment until 1917, the main group of depositors were rural depositors, among whom the overwhelming majority were peasants. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Empire entered a phase of active socio-economic development. The activities of the Russian government were aimed at changes in various spheres of society, including the peasant one. The materials of state savings banks on savings transactions provide a wide range of information, including about the socio-cultural characteristics of depositors, such as gender, age, literacy, region of residence and occupation. This study is devoted to the study of these characteristics in the largest group of sole contributors to state savings banks, namely, peasants. The chronological framework of the work covers the period from the First Russian Revolution to the beginning of the First World War. The analysis showed that among this group, which retained its dominant position and demonstrated an active growth in the number of savings books and the volume of stored funds, the literacy rate grew and the share of female depositors increased. This study allows you to expand the range of sources for the study of the Russian peasantry in the 20th century.