ABSTRACT
The central state and the citizens of the Kirov region both had a vested interest in having competent and accountable local officials. Kirovites embraced Stalin's mandate that democracy be a tool for making local officials accountable for their behavior and failures. They had many suggestions to increase their ability to hold local officeholders accountable and demonstrated their willingness to remove incompetent or corrupt officials during the 1936 local elections. However, participants in the Kirov region actively took up democratic initiatives proposed in the draft when these measures gave them more control over local affairs. Comments made during the discussion of the draft Constitution suggest that many people in the Kirov region were dissatisfied with the work of the local soviets and state officials. The citizens of the Kirov region took up the challenge and, in doing so, pushed for their own personal and local interests.
