Discussion of Projects for the Development of the Amudarya Flotilla by the Russian Government at the Turn of the 19th–20th centuries

Abstract

The article examines the approaches of government departments regarding the development of private shipping on the Amu Darya, emphasizing the importance of the Amu Darya waterway in the context of the development of the Central Asian regional transit potential at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. The work also analyzes the financial indicators of this infrastructure project, its impact on strengthening the position of the Russian Empire on the territory of the southern Central Asian frontier. The author noted key role of the Military Department in the discussion and implementation of the Amudarya flotilla project, the contradictory approaches of government structures regarding private shipping projects, which ultimately led to the lack of a decision on this issue. The author concluded that, during the discussion of this water transport project, due to the uncertainty of many of its aspects and the unsettled financial issues the model of attracting private investors to its implementation was not accepted by the state. At the same time, due to geostrategic and economic reasons, the Amudarya flotilla remained important for the Military Department even in a situation of increasing budgetary unprofitability of this project. The main provisions and conclusions of the work may be of interest to historians specializing in economic history and orientalists studying the region of Central Asia and the Middle East.