STATE POLICY AND PRIVATE INITIATIVE IN COLONIZATION OF THE NORTH-EAST OF RUSSIA IN THE LATE XVIII - FIRST HALF OF THE XIX CENTURY
E.V. Komleva
Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IH SB RAS), Russia, 630090, Novosibirsk, Akad. Nikolaev str., 8
Keywords: the North-East of Russia, economic and socio-cultural development, government policy, private capital
Abstract
The article considers main directions of governmental policy aimed at the development of the North-Eastern territories of Russia and their incorporation into the economic and social life of the state in the late XVIII - first half of the XIX century. The author studies cooperation between the government and private individuals in this sphere; analyzes solutions for such problems as settlement of the North-East regions, construction of transport networks, providing food for population, policy towards the indigenous peoples. It is concluded that during the period under investigation there was no long-term state strategy for the development of North-East areas of the Empire; any measures taken by the government were implemented within the plans of general development of Siberia. The paper focuses on colonization of key strategic regions in the North - Kamchatka and Okhotsk coast. Projects on colonization of the remote Northern territories proposed by the officials or merchants proved that both civil servants and private entrepreneurs clearly realized that the majority of problems connected with colonization of Northern territories could not be solved without the state’s active participation. Special attention is paid to the largest project implemented during this period of history - the Russian-American company’s activities. However there had been no considerable accomplishments by the middle of the XIX century - largely due to the lack of systematic efforts aimed at colonization of North-Eastern areas.
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