Reopening of Russian Government Offices
- When
- 1771
- Where
- Moscow
- Episodes
- 2
The bubonic plague that first appeared in Moscow in late 1770 and became a major epidemic in spring 1771 paralyzed the city's economy, with factories, markets, stores, and administrative buildings closed down. The supplied passages do not attest the reopening of government offices on 14 December 1772, a fifteen-month closure, or any reopening in Saint Petersburg, so the titular development remains unsourced.
Episodes
- Plague Riot and Epidemic Context
The Moscow plague riot of September 1771 erupted amid quarantines, property destruction, and economic paralysis during the epidemic.
- Orlov Commission and Relief Measures
A commission under Grigory Orlov restored order after the riot and introduced plague measures and relief that pacified Moscow.
Background and detail
Background. The first signs of plague appeared in Moscow in late 1770, developing into a major epidemic by spring 1771. Authorities responded with forced quarantines, destruction of contaminated property without compensation or control, and the closing of public baths, measures that stirred fear and anger among citizens.
Economic Paralysis and Flight. The city's economy was mostly paralyzed because many factories, markets, stores, and administrative buildings had been closed down. Acute food shortages followed, deteriorating living conditions for most Muscovites, while the dvoryane (Russian nobility) and well-off city dwellers left Moscow due to the plague outbreak.
Unrest and Relief Measures. The epidemic provoked the Plague Riot in Moscow between 15 and 17 September 1771. A government commission headed by Grigory Orlov arrived on 26 September to restore order; it improved quarantine services, ended the burning of property, reopened public baths, permitted trade, increased food deliveries, and organized public works, measures that finally pacified the people of Moscow.
People involved
- Grigory Orlov · Head of the government commission sent to restore order in Moscow; treated as a new person candidate, as no supplied Person identity or candidate metadata confirms an existing identity
Sources
- Moscow plague riot of 1771 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-25
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.