Development of the Tram Network in the Regional Centers of the RSFSR in 1965-1985 (on the Example of the City of Kursk)

Relevance. Currently, the city of Kursk is actively discussing the preservation of the city tram network. The city has both opponents of the tram and its ardent defenders. Both sides have quite weighty arguments both in favor of preserving this important intra-city vehicle, and reasonable arguments for its liquidation. For the situation that took place in Kursk in 1965–1985, this question did not arise at all: the tram was the most important means of transportation within the city. To a large extent, the current position of the Kursk tram network is the result of its evolution and development in the years under study.
The purpose. To reveal the main stages of the development of the tram network of the city of Kursk in 1965– 1985.
Objectives: based on the study of several groups of historical sources, show how the attitude of the party and state authorities to the tram has changed; analyze the main changes in the tram network that occurred during the period under study; to identify key trends in the development of trams in Kursk in 1965–1985.
Methodology. When writing the work, the author relied on the fundamental methods of historical science (the principles of historicism and objectivity), as well as on a number of specific historical and general scientific methods (analytical, comparative historical, etc.).
Results. On the basis of a multifaceted analysis of an extensive array of archival sources, it was possible to trace the main stages of the development of the Kursk tram in 1965–1985. at the peak of its development, when the tram was the most important form of urban transport.
Conclusin. Based on the historiographic experience already available in Russian historical science, it can be concluded that in the 1960s–1980s. the tram was experiencing the peak of its development in the cities of the RSFSR, and Kursk was no exception in this row. In many ways, the current problems in the development of the city's tram network are the result of mistakes and miscalculations made during the period under study.

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