Принципы реформирования денежной системы в России в XIX в. (К 150-летию памяти Н. И. Тургенева)

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to characterize the Russian model of monetary circulation during the transition from pre-capitalist forms of economy to a relatively developed capitalism in the late XIX century. The paper provides the analysis of theoretical ideas on the specifics of metal, paper and credit instruments of circulation. The key principles of the Russian model of monetary circulation are formulated in the programs of statesmen (M. M. Speransky, E. F. Kankrin, S. Yu. Witte), in the works of economists who presented alternative concepts of money, the theoretical provisions of which formed the conceptual «core» of the new monetary system. The article reveals the features of quantitative approach of N. I. Turgenev, who was the first to analyze the factors of inflation development associated with issue of banknotes, and possible scenarios of monetary reform aimed at its mitigation. The author identifies fundamental differences in the methods of reforming Russia’s monetary system in 1839-1843 and 1895-1897, considers the characteristic features of the new system of «state credit money», the concept introduced by M. M. Speransky, and the criteria for its stabilization. He then shows that the concept of «state credit money» arose at the intersection of the interests of market and state economy and reveals the role of state and commercial institutions in forming a new model of monetary circulation. The paper reveals the specifics of the domestic monetary system during the transition to capitalist production. The study contributes to the development of the theory of money, as it shows the relationship between the evolution of national economic system, the model of monetary circulation and the instruments of state regulation of the market situation. The author concludes that the changes that occurred in the theories of money are a reflection of changes in the monetary system itself and state monetary policy during the periods of economic transformation.