In dire straits: The struggle with industrial water pollution in the late Russian Empire (1870-1917)
Final Report Abstract
The project was devoted to the history of industrial pollution – one of the most alarming environmental issues, which promoted the formation of modern environmental policies. Our research has demonstrated that efforts to combat water contamination from industrial waste fostered new modes of communication between citizens, experts, and government officials, ultimately contributing to the establishment of comprehensive environmental legislation. Pollution – understood as “matter out of place” – was closely intertwined with social hierarchies, political ideologies, and civic culture. A localized approach to historical analysis has provided fresh insights into the formation of early environmental movements: while many environmentalist ideas held undeniable global significance, their implementation was always contingent upon regional contexts. This study has filled a gap in the historiography of water pollution control in the Russian Empire. Unlike in Western Europe and the United States, where this subject has been extensively explored, Russia’s role in global discussions on water pollution in the 19th century had remained largely unexamined. Our findings have demonstrated that, as an autocratic state with advanced scientific knowledge, a burgeoning industrial sector, and vast territorial expanse, the Russian Empire had already developed mechanisms to address pollution long before the Soviet industrialization. Moreover, early environmental institutions and movements laid the groundwork for Soviet ecological policies, proving resilient enough to withstand the political upheavals of 1917. Extensive research was conducted in central and regional archives and libraries in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Tver, Kazan (Russian Federation), Baku (Azerbaijan), and Tartu (Estonia) during the project’s implementation. The key outcome of the project was a monograph authored by Andrei Vinogradov. The project’s findings were discussed at two academic workshops. The results of the workshop in Dedoplistskaro, Georgia (April 12-14, 2023) will be published as a special issue.
