The development of postal communication in the Tambov governorate in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century

The issues of postal communication development in the Tambov governorate in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century are analyzed. The relevance of the study is determined by the significant role of information and communication infrastructure in the life of society and the state. The following methods were used: comparative-historical, statistical, historical-typological, analysis, synthesis. The research is based on a wide range of archival and published sources, in particular, on the materials of the State Archive of the Tambov region. A significant part of the archival materials used in the work is being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The development of urban and rural post offices, the organization of postal communication at the expense of the government and zemstvos, the management structure of postal and telegraph institutions are studied. It is concluded that during the period under study, the postal exchange among the people of the Tambov governorate significantly increased, the network of communication institutions expanded, and the revenues of the postal and telegraph department increased. In the Tambov governorate in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century, along with individual achievements in the development of postal communication, there were a number of unresolved problems, primarily in the functioning of rural mail. The study may be of interest to students of the history of communications, specialists working in the field of communications.