Economy of the Russian Empire
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2020) ) |
This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. (February 2024) |
The economy of the Russian Empire covers the economic history of Russia from 1721 to the October Revolution of 1917 (which ushered in a period of civil war, culminating in the creation of the Soviet Union).
Russian national income per capita increased and moved to closer to the most developed economies of Northern and Western Europe from the late 17th century to the 1740s.[1] After the 1740s, the Russian economy stagnated and declined. In the 18th century, Russian national income per capita was about 40-70% of British per capita income but higher than Poland's.[1] By 1860, Russian GDP per capita was similar to that of Japan; one-third of GDP per capita in the United States or the United Kingdom; and twice that of China or India.[1] Russia was a late industrializer.[1]
Abolition of serfdom
In February 1861,
Later, the originally proposed norms were significantly reduced. If the pre-reform allotment was less than the established one, then cutting was provided at the lower rate, and if more, then the
Peasants bought the
The peasants paid the landowner 20% of the
Unlike
Growth of capitalism
The problem of the serf economy was that in agriculture and industry there were neither conditions for introducing
The development of capitalist relations in agriculture was difficult. Since the extremely extensive system of economy was also severely limited by the conditions of nature and climate. It required large financial investments that are necessary for the development of market relations in connection with the collapse of former ties with the peasant economy.
The transition from
There were noble estates, where the economy, after the reform, was quite "kept afloat". So, on the lands of E.P. Demidova in the estate of the Rastunovo-Shebantsevsky volost, the economy was carried out in the same size. With the amount of land in the estate of 400 acres, the owner managed to keep the same as it was before 1861, from the moment it was acquired in 1848, and in any case until 1877, which is indicated in the source. The only difference was that until 1861 the land was cultivated by corvée peasants, and after the reform by free labor. The economy continued to be maintained in the same mode as before, i.e. 20 farm acres per field and with a three-field system, however, with the active use of fertilizers. The estate had 31 horses and 22 cows until 1861, and after them several horses were added. The amount of plowing remained the same as the size of the sowing, but since serf labor was replaced by hired labor, with fewer working hands and the same space of the cultivated land, more arable land was obtained number of products.
The main source of the formation of an army of wage workers was the liberation of the multimillion masses of the peasantry from serfdom. A smaller part of it (approximately 4 million landless and low-land peasants) was immediately thrown into the free labor market, while the majority came there gradually, as the peasantry became stratified and ruined. By the beginning of the 1880s, the working class in Russia had already formed. Its number then reached 7.35 million people. For 1861–1900, according to A.G. Rashin, it grew numerically from 3.2 to 14 million people (industrial workers – from 720 thousand to 2.8 million), i.e. 4.4 times, while the entire population of the country increased from 70 to 132.9 million people (about 90%).
As for the accumulation of capital, post-reform Russia could use very advantageous, specifically inherent sources. The first of these was the redemption of peasant lands, during which the landlords received 2 billion
) The Yuzov Metallurgical Plant, which soon overgrown with its own iron mines and coal mines.In all sectors, there was a desire to improve the quality of products and to introduce improved production methods that contributed to cheaper production, making goods more accessible to the mass of consumers. The government laid the development of technical educational institutions and the direction of their activities to meet the needs of industry. In connection with the successes of industry, domestic trade was developing, which, according to approximate estimates, amounted to at least 4 billion rubles in goods turnover. The total turnover of foreign trade in imports and exports in total in 1857 reached approximately 300 million rubles and remained at that level until 1864. By 1878, the turnover reached 1,213.6 million rubles, including over 595 million – import and 618 million – export. In 1855, the number of joint-stock companies and companies with a capital of 41.4 million rubles did not exceed 50. By 1880, 506 commercial, industrial, banking insurance, shipping and railway joint-stock companies and companies with a capital of 862.5 million credit and 1 271 300 000 rubles.
Cities not only grew, but also improved. Their layout improved, new buildings appeared, straightened, planted green, paved and paved streets. The water supply system, which until 1861 existed only in Moscow,
, began to be built in all major cities. From 1879, electric light appeared on the streets of Russian cities, and from 1882, a telephone appeared in city apartments.Having joined the world cycle of capitalist production, Russia, together with other countries, experienced economic crises of 1873–1877, a prolonged depression of the second half of the 80s, and a steep industrial upsurge in the 90s. Industrial production in Russia over the last decade of the century has doubled, while in Germany – by 62%, in the United States – by 38%, in England – by 27%. However, the starting positions of the powers before such a jerk were enormously different.
Noble households in the Voronezh province
were pledged to state and private credit institutions; the capital received from there in most cases did not receive a productive occupation; Noble estates burdened with state and private debts did not increase productive turnover in the landlord economy.By 1861, the Voronezh province was a typically agricultural region, the vast majority of the province's population was engaged in tillage and animal husbandry. The focus of the activities of the noble households was agrarian, based on the ownership of serfs. The peasants carried "obrok" and "barshina" service with a predominance of "barshina" service. On the eve of the abolition of serfdom in landlords, an extremely rare phenomenon was the use of agricultural machinery and civilian labor (in view of the absence of a pronounced need).
The use of machines was only in large estates of such representatives of the estate as earl
A significant part of the nobility saw the easiest and most convenient way to earn income on a land lease, providing land primarily to peasants who needed it.
Monetary credit system of Russia
In 1860, to revive trade turnover and strengthen the monetary credit system of Russia, the
According to the
In 1883, the foundation was laid in the transformation of
The system of calculating and controlling state revenues and expenses was transformed. On 22 May 1862, the Rules on the preparation and execution of financial estimates and the state list of income and expenses were approved. The new system made it possible to obtain complete information on government revenues and expenditures. The ways of replenishing the treasury are determined by the wealth of the people and a good management system, the property of taxes and the way they are collected are only of secondary importance. If the state has the right approach to management, the tasks of the Ministry of Finance include finding ways to ensure and increase treasury income without depleting the people.
Business activities
The industrialists were waiting for the peasant reform, realizing that for the development of factory and commercial affairs free hands and a wide labor market were needed. The reform, it would seem, solved this problem, since the peasants, on the one hand, were freed from personal dependence, and on the other, many of them were ready to go to town to earn money. However, at first, other circumstances became decisive. In many factories, at the time of the abolition of serfdom, not workers were employed, but workers attached to them. As soon as these people got freedom, hatred of bonded labor forced them to leave work in droves and leave the factories, selling houses and gardens for nothing. The wages that increased several times did not help return the workers. Therefore, in the first time after the reform, many enterprises reduced production. This was especially characteristic of iron mills and cloth factories, which on a large scale used the labor of serfs. Only 10 years later, having mastered the new conditions, they began to increase their production.
New opportunities for entrepreneurial activity opened up after the reform of 1861. The beginning of the construction of railways made it possible to reorganize the heavy industry in a short time and seriously revive business in joint-stock activities. The development and reorganization of industry at that time was facilitated by the influx of foreign capital. In the 90s of the XIX century. in Russia, the industrial base of entrepreneurship was finally formed and began to be established, and at the beginning of the 20th century it has already become a mass phenomenon.
In the same period, a labor market was formed, a joint-stock form of entrepreneurship was developing, and private joint-stock banks were opened – commercial, land and others. It is curious that by the beginning of the 20th century. in the
The abolition of serfdom pushed the accelerated change of feudal serfdom to
Further reading
- Gregg, Amanda; Nafziger, Steven (2024). "The Births, Lives and Deaths of Corporations in Late Imperial Russia". The Economic Journal.
References
- ^ ISSN 0022-0515.
- Kornilov A. A. 19th Century Russian History Course. – M., 1993.( Корнилов А. А. Курс истории России XIX века. – М., 1993. )
- Troitsky N. A. Lectures on Russian history of the XIX century. – Saratov, 1994. ( Троицкий Н. А. Лекции по русской истории XIX века. – Саратов, 1994. )
- Kagarlitsky B. Yu. Peripheral empire: cycles of Russian history. – M., 2009. Litvak B.G. The 1861 coup in Russia: why the reformist alternative was not realized. – M., 1991. ( Кагарлицкий Б. Ю. Периферийная империя: циклы русской истории. – М., 2009. Литвак Б. Г. Переворот 1861 года в России: почему не реализовалась реформаторская альтернатива. – М., 1991. )
- The transition from feudalism to capitalism in Russia. Materials of the All-Union discussion. M., 1969. S. 79–80. ( Переход от феодализма к капитализму в России. Материалы Всесоюзной дискуссии. М., 1969. С. 79–80. )
- Pankratova A. M. The great past of the Soviet people. – M., 1949. ( Панкратова А. M. Великое прошлое советского народа. – М., 1949. )
- GAVO. F. I-30. Op. 1. D. 2288. L. 18 ( ГАВО. Ф. И-30. Оп. 1. Д. 2288. Л. 18 )
- Zhigachev E. Debt of private land ownership in Russia / E. Zhigachev // Russian Thought. – 1892. – No. 11. ( Жигачев Е. Задолженность частного земельного владения в России / Е. Жигачев // Русская мысль. – 1892. – No 11 )
- Collection of statistical information on the Moscow province. Department of Economic Statistics. M., 1879. ( Сборник статистических сведений по Московской губернии. Отдел хозяйственной стати- стики. М., 1879. )
- Milov Leonid Vasilievich History of Russia XVIII-XIX centuries ( Милов Леонид Васильевич История России XVIII-XIX веков )
- Review of the activities of the Ministry of Finance for the period from 1855 to 1886 // GARF. F. 678. D. 684. ( Обзор деятельности Министерства финансов за период с 1855 по 1886 г. // ГАРФ. Ф. 678. Д. 684. )
- Klyuchevsky, V.O. Russian History / V.O. Klyuchevsky. – M., 2005. ( Ключевский, В. О. Русская история / В. О. Ключевский. – М., 2005. )
- Shapovalov, V. A. The nobility of the Central Black Earth Region of Russia during the post-reform period / V. A. Shapovalov. – M. – Belgorod, 2002. ( Шаповалов, В. А. Дворянство Центрально-Черноземного региона России в пореформенный пе- риод / В. А. Шаповалов. – М.–Белгород, 2002. )
- Khokhonin, O. M. The landowner economy of the Voronezh province in the late XIX – early XX centuries. / O. M. Khokhonin // Collection From the History of the Central Black Earth Region. – Voronezh, 1976. ( Хохонин, О. М. Помещичье хозяйство Воронежской губернии в конце XIX – начале XX вв. / О. М. Хохонин // Сборник Из истории Центрально-Черноземного края. – Воронеж, 1976. )
- Perepelitsyn, A. V. Land lease by peasants of the central chernozem provinces of Russia in the post-reform period / A. V. Perepelitsyn // Social movement and cultural life of Central Russia in the 14th – 20th centuries. Collection of scientific works of Voronezh State University. – Voronezh, 2006. ( Перепелицын, А. В. Аренда земли крестьянами центрально-черноземных губерний России в пореформенный период / А. В. Перепелицын // Общественное движение и культурная жизнь Центральной России XIV–ХХ вв. Сборник научных трудов ВГУ. – Воронеж, 2006. )
- Anfimov, A. M. Peasant economy of European Russia. 1881–1904 / A. M. Anfimov. – M., 1980. ( Анфимов, А. М. Крестьянское хозяйство Европейской России. 1881–1904 / А. М. Анфимов. – М., 1980. )
- Price Rates. 2003.No6. ( Курс цен. 2003. No6. )