- PII
- S0205-96060000616-4-1
- DOI
- 10.31857/S60000616-4-1
- Publication type
- Article
- Status
- Published
- Authors
- Volume/ Edition
- Volume 39 / Issue 1
- Pages
- 92-118
- Abstract
- Drawing on the example of the Kokshan Factory in the Elabuga Uyezd of the Vyatka Governorate, the paper analyses mutual influences of a large chemical factory, environment, and society in the Russian provinces in the 19th and early 20th century. Built in 1850, the factory specialized in producing dichromate, acid-proof stoneware, and vitriols, and soon became a leader in the chemical industry worldwide. Its location outside the metropolises facilitated its rapid development due to the availability of cheap labor, proximity to the deposits of necessary minerals, and lack of competitors on the local market. The development of the enterprise, however, was accompanied by the deterioration of environment and health of the workers and local population. The factory was actively polluting the atmosphere with gases and the hydrosphere and soil with solid chemical waste. The morbidity rate among the workers reached 100 %. Due to its isolated location from the big cities and industrial centers, the Kokshan Factory's sanitary and environmental condition seldom attracted public attention while the relevant authorities' oversight was but formal. The specifics of interactions between chemical production and various social actors (governorate authorities, intelligentsia, workers, etc.) are best revealed in a number of conflict situations that demonstrate that the factory, despite its high technological level, functioned in an extremely conservative social environment. Provincial location of production facilities that used to be its competitive advantage at the early stages began to seriously hamper the factory's development. The loss of markets and economic ties, established by the previous owners, in 1917 led to the enterprise's rapid deterioration and in 1925 it was liquidated.
- Keywords
- chemical industry, ecology, environment, social history, Russian Empire, 19th century
- Date of publication
- 01.01.2018
- Number of purchasers
- 8
- Views
- 1335
RAS PresidiumVoprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki
- ISSN (Print) 0205-9606
- ISSN (Online)2713-041X
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIETY IN THE RUSSIAN PROVINCES: A CASE STUDY OF THE KOKSHAN FACTORY (1850-1925)
Индексирование
Scopus
Crossref
Higher Attestation Commission
At the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
Scientific Electronic Library