ORGANIZATIONAL-LEGAL FUNDAMENTALS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOVIET MILITIA IN THE ASTRAKHAN TERRITORY IN 1918
The authors analyze organizational-legal fundamentals of the Soviet militia development in the Astrakhan territory in 1918. The article focuses on the creation of law enforcement agencies in the governorate center as well as in the districts of the territory. The authors describe the structure of the Soviet militia administration in the Astrakhan territory and determine the range of powers of law enforcement agencies. The article represents the analysis of regulatory legal documents issued by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs as well as by local government authorities regulating the order of creation and the matters of authority of the Astrakhan militia. The authors also analyze the Astrakhan law enforcement agencies' funding sources as well as peculiarities of paying salaries to the Astrakhan district militia officials. The authors draw conclusions that the Astrakhan Soviet militia was created at the initiative of the congress of district commissars for internal affairs of the Astrakhan governorate. Regulatory legal acts regulating the order of creation, structure, and powers as well as funding of new agencies were adopted long after. The organization of law enforcement agencies of the territory was carried out on the basis of the «creative work» of local bodies of public administration. However, even after adopting the regulations on the organizational fundamentals of creating the Soviet militia administration in the territory, some aspects of new agencies' activity still failed to meet the requirements. The activity of the Soviet militia was influenced by the lack of personnel (most males in the population were involved in the war), poor funding, and lack of a regulatory legal act regulating the militia officers' service-related activities.