Formation and development of agricultural engineering in Russia before 1917

Abstract

Material is presented on the formation and development of agricultural engineering in Russia in the 19th - early 20th centuries. The research materials were archival funds, Internet resources, historical works, and literature. The prerequisites and features of the emergence of agricultural machine-building enterprises, namely repair shops and factories, against the background of social changes are examined. The information on the creation and development of Russia’s fi rst agricultural machine-building plants is given and analyzed. Prior to the abolition of serfdom, 60% of enterprises manufacturing agricultural tools belonged to artisanal workshops, and 10% – to small factories. This volume accounted for less than 50% of the market needs, the rest of the equipment necessary for agriculture was supplied by foreign plants. By 1880, the number of domestic enterprises increased to 340. In 1913, agricultural machinery production already accounted for 20.5% of the total volume of Russian mechanical engineering. The largest agricultural engineering plants were located in the south and in the central part of Russia. In 1913, the share of southern plants amounted to 53%, the share of the plants of central provinces – 20.5% of the total output (by value). In other regions, artisanal production of equipment and machinery of simple designs prevailed. After World War I, agricultural machinery production declined to 8% from the 1913 level. Enterprises created in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries became the basis of agricultural engineering in Russia. The following features of the Russian agricultural machine-building industry are noted: small-scale production, limited nomenclature, manufacture of tools of simple designs, focus on the local market, lack of export, dependence of production volumes on the yield, lack of narrow specialization of enterprises, seasonal character of production.