zemstvo

noun, plural zem·stvos [zemst-vohz] /ˈzɛmst voʊz/. Russian History.

1. one of a system of elected local assemblies established in 1864 by Alexander II to replace the authority of the nobles in administering local affairs after the abolition of serfdom: became the core of the liberal movement from 1905 to 1917.

noun plural -stvos

1. (in tsarist Russia) an elective provincial or district council established in most provinces of Russia by Alexander II in 1864 as part of his reform policy