Економічне становище єврейського населення українських губерній смуги осілості наприкінці ХІХ – на початку ХХ століття

Abstract

Introduction. At the end of the 19th century, one of the ways to force the Jews of the Russian Empire to renounce the faith of their parents was to create conditions that greatly complicated their economic activity and even made some of its types impossible. Jews had to earn a living in the conditions of economic anti-Semitism, which gained momentum during the 19th century. This article examines the employment of the Jewish population in the economy's structure, determines the size of the Jews' income, and finds out how it affected their living standards at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Methods. The methodological basis of the research is the principles of historicism, systematicity, and objectivity, which allowed us to consider the questions in the relevant historical context. A complex of general scientific and special historical methods was applied: induction and deduction, analogy, synthesis, comparison, statistical method, as well as historical-genetic and historical-systemic methods. The results. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, the Jewish population mainly continued to engage in traditional types of economic activity: trade and mediation, crafts, leasing, and usury. A small number of Jews managed to expand production. During the 19th century, Jewish colonists appeared who, at the turn of the century, engaged in agriculture quite skillfully and effectively. Due to the limited access to education and public service, a very small part of Jews was engaged in "liberal professions." Conclusions. The number of wealthy representatives of the Jewish population was small compared to the vast majority of co-religionists who tried to make ends meet in the conditions of the efforts of the authorities of the Russian Empire to solve the "Jewish question," including through restrictions and prohibitions related to economic activity. The exception was a small number of representatives of trade, industry, and banking circles.