7) Ethnographic data about our tribes can only be established on the basis of general data about all Russian Slavs contained in sources; This question is not part of our task and therefore we omit it. The individual features of the life of the ancient Krivichs and ODregovichs can be determined by archaeological excavations, but they are still so insignificant that conclusions from them are a matter for the future they jointly elected themselves a supreme judge, leader, and prince; the community built cities for greater security, sent trade caravans, and sometimes launched attacks on neighboring tribes. Such leaders of communities, it seems, were the princes of ancient times mentioned in the book. These princes, both in the internal and external dflas, were greatly limited by the power of the vuch, i.e., the people's assembly. VѪche consisted of vezh adult members of the city; it gathered in one particular place (in the Christian period, usually at the Cathedral of St. Sophie) and here the whole dfla raged. The prince's power was purely executive. ©) Having entered the land of the Dregovichs, we do not have any reliable connections, although in the course of events one can conclude that the fundamental principle in this tribe had not yet established itself before it fell under the power of the Kev princes, who, of course, tried to suppress its further development. Bolfe defined forms: the government began to develop in the Smolensk region, so it comes forward along with princely power.
In the Polotsk region, we see a strong development! It was to the detriment of the princely power. However, it continued to operate in Polotsk until the end of the 15th century, until 1498, when this city was granted Magdeburg law.
The Polotsk Council was so powerful that it elected and expelled princes, concluded alliances, trade agreements, etc. Even in times of need, in addition to the prince, it entered into the patronage of other princes, more powerful ones, declared wars, and so on. The prince did not even live in the city itself, but not far from it in the village of Bflchitsy, where his squad was with him. From here the Polochans invited the prince to a social event in the city. At all. The political system of Polotsk was a democracy similar to Novgorod and Pskov. However, the princes of the last ones were relatively. in better conditions than Polotsyue. The Novgorodians elected their own princes from the entire family of Yaroslav; in case of any insults on the part of the Novgorodians, the princes could always. find yourself in favor of the Grand Duke and your relatives; In addition, throwing such a thing into Novgorod, they went back to their previous udfls and if they lost from this change, then little. It was not the same with the Polotsk princes; they were completely isolated from the rest of Rus', there was no one to look for protection from, and no Udfls either; if they lost so much in the Polotsk region, they would have to wander without the prince in foreign lands. The Polotsk princes, even in material terms, were strongly dependent on the Vfch. Thus, the Polotsk Vfche imflo has all the benefits for its development and maintaining its significance. From Polotsk, as the main city of a vast region, came the smaller cities of this region or suburbs, which were: Minsk, Borisov, Drutsk, Otrzhev, Usvyat, Izyaslavl, Vitebsk and Dug. In internal affairs these cities were independent, but in external politics they depended on the main city.
Thus, the pre-princely era is characterized by the disunity of Russian tribes, their life on veche principles, from time immemorial akin to them, with the representation of a tribal prince.