Home – Home – Jornals – Humanitarian sciences in Siberia 2014 number

The article addresses a problem of identifying the meaning of the notion “Siberian rear», its origin and development; analyzes governmental plans to form the rear areas as an element of geopolitical and military-defence strategy of the Russian state. The concept of “Siberian rear» is treated as a project reflected in the ideas and plans which sooner or later were implemented in practice as a result of objective necessity. The author focuses on the fact that in the late XIX-early XX centuries the semantic value of the notion “Siberian rear» was determined. It led to creation of the image of the territory as central parts of the state relatively protected from the border intrusions. During this period the “Siberian rear» in the latitudinal direction was geographically identified in the area from the Eastern spurs of the middle Ural to the area between the Irtysh and Ob Rivers. Natural resources were estimated from a perspective of colonization and further socioeconomic development with agricultural and industrial production. From the officials and entrepreneurs’ point of view the development of mining and metallurgical industries was of particular interest. In the problem field of the article the concept of “Siberian rear» is linked with its spatial and geographic characteristics. The concept’s historical role in the geopolitical strategy of the Russian state is also shown. The author notes that the need to create the rear industrial areas became more clear when the First World War began. During this period, the railway construction was for Siberia of primary importance in terms of self-organization of the territory, its settlement and economic development. The first and most effective step was the Trans- Siberian railroad construction, which initiated the construction of other railroads and laid down the foundations of the future economic development of the region.