A Study On Russian Industrial Monopolies During Late19th Century To Early20th Century

After the Reform of1861, Russiameta peak of industrialization. Enormousdevelopment of productive forces had promoted high concentration of industrialproduction and high capital accumulation in Russia, thus prepared necessaryconditions for Russian capitalist industry to transit from free competition to monopoly.Formation and development of monopolies advanced the concentration of Russianindustrial production a high level, and it had very important influence on not onlyRussian industry itself but also economy and politics. However, at present domesticacademia have not launched a special deeply research on this topic. The authorreferred many Russian archives and relative academic fruits, took the history ofRussian industrial monopolies during late19thcentury to early20thcentury as theobject of study. Not only inspect the overall trend of the Russian industrialmonopolies from macro viewpoint, but also got a systemic and detailed exposition onformation and development of petroleum, metallurgy and textile industrialmonopolies from micro viewpoint. As a result, to comprehensive and objective revealthe basic development laws of Russian industrial monopoly in this period.The Dissertation divided into three parts including introduction, main body and conclusion.The introduction mainly elaborated on significance of the topic, research status,research methods, innovations and deficiencies.Chapter1discussedthe overall trend of Russian industry monopoly. Factors suchas accomplishment of industrial revolution, establishment and development of stockcompanies, introduction of foreign capital were promoting production and capitalconcentration twice climax of Russia industry, thus prepared necessary conditions forappearance and rapid development of Russian industrial monopolies. Thedevelopment process of Russian industrial monopolies mainly experienced threeperiods: early monopolies emergence in industrial rising of1870s-90s; Cartels andSyndicates extensive expansion during from the crisis of1900-1903to1909-the eveof industrial upsurge; emergence and development of Trusts and Concerns inindustrial upsurge of1910-1914. The change of relationship between Russianindustrial monopolies and states during late19thcentury to early20thcentury reflectedthree distinguishing features. First, deep and wide combination between state powerand industrial monopolies was the overall trend of their relationship. Second, takingadvantage of state apparatus to serve their interests was consistent ambition ofindustrial monopolies. Third, though tsarist government tried to expand interventioninto Russian industry and enhance the impact onto country’s economic life, asindustrial monopolies gradually played a leading role in the country’s economic life,all links of state apparatus also gradually became subordinated instruments ofindustrial monopolies. Chapter2discussed the formation and development of monopoly in Russian oilindustry.Monopolies in Russian oil industry during late1890s to early1900sdeveloped rapidly.The reasons mainly were establishment and promotion of stockcompanies, fierce free competition among enterprises, participation of foreign capitaland integration of bank capital and industrial capital, these elements jointly promotedunprecedented centralization of production and capital in Russian oil industry,provided necessary conditions for appearance of monopolies.During late19thcenturyto early20thcentury, three types of petroleum monopoly (Cartels, Syndicates andTrusts) had established in succession and carried out wide range of activities, such asgrabbing high monopoly profits by monopoly price of petroleum and its products;strongly opposition to state regulation of oil price; actively fighting for the world oilmarket.Chapter3discussed the formation and development of monopoly inRussianmetallurgicalindustry.During late19thcentury to early20thcentury,monopolies in Russian metallurgical industry formed and obtained a rapiddevelopment. Because of elements such as completion of metallurgical technologyrevolution, extensively application of joint organization form, integration of bankcapital and metallurgical industrial capital and tsarist government’s economic policy,highly concentration of production and highly accumulation of capital appearedwithin Russian metallurgical industry, provided necessary conditions for appearanceand development of monopolies. During this period, metallurgical monopoliesrepresented by Syndicate of "Prodamet" in South Russia and Syndicate of "Krovlia" in Urals, reduced production, provided high monopoly price to grab high monopolyprofits, fought for Russian metallurgical market, and took advantage of MetallurgicalServices Committee to serve their own interests. Activities of Russian metallurgicalindustrial monopolies promoted the rapid development of the Russian metallurgicalindustry also had a negative impact.Chapter4discussed the formation and development of monopoly in Russiantextile industry. During late19thcentury to early20thcentury,elements such astechnological innovation in the textile industry, participation in textile industry affairsof bank and extensively application of joint organization form promoted centralizationof production and capital in Russian textile industry, thus created necessary conditionsfor the formation of entrepreneurs’ union of the Russian textile monopolies. At thattime, Cotton Textile Factory Union Cartels, Cotton Textile Factory Union Syndicatesand Large Cotton Group Trusts appeared one after another and carried out a widerange of activities. To grab high monopoly profits, they reduced production, establishand improve monopoly price by their monopolistic dominance. They strengthened theexploitation of workers and repressed workers’ movements jointly. After the break ofWorld War I, in order to mobilize the textile industry production to meet the needs ofthe armed forces, tsarist government established a series of national regulatoryagencies in cotton, wool and linen and other textile industrial sectors.Textilemonopolies actively sent representatives to participate in the activities of stateregulatory agencies, enabling the use of these institutions serve the purpose of theirown interests. The conclusion considered that economic conditions which created by monopolyhas brought a double impact to the development of Russia industry, that promotedalso inhibited both exist.Formation and development of monopolies within a certainperiod were adjustments of production relations by Russian industrial capitalist,which had a definite progress on the development of Russian industry. When themonopoly achieved further development, high capital accumulation and highconcentration of industrial production exacerbated disconnection of production andconsumption, leading product realization problem more acute and Long-term fall incommodity prices. At that time large enterprises of various industrial sectors in Russiawhich faced competitive pressures increasingly inclined to Joint or mutual collusion,to limit competition, raise monopoly price and ensure high monopoly profits. On theother hand, few oligarchs who grasp enormous financial capital emerged in Russianindustry, they mastered most of means of production and labor of main industrialsectors in Russia, dominating the whole of Russian economic lifeline and closelyintegrating with the state power. This phenomenon had a negative impact not only toRussian industry itself but also to Economic and political development of the country.