Organization of Management of the Gold Mining Industry in Siberia in the Early 1920s

Abstract

The main purpose of the article is to analyze the evolution of organizational forms of management of the Siberian gold industry in 1920–1922. The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that significant gaps in historiography of the industrial development of Siberia are filled, the experience of managerial decisions on the organization of the work of the Siberian gold mining in the emergency conditions of the early 1920s is studied. The author used primarily historical-genetic, historical-comparative, concrete-historical methods. The methodological basis of the research is a region-oriented approach developed within the framework of the modernization theory. The study found that during the revolutionary events in Siberia, the gold mining industry in this region declined, so the central and Siberian authorities had to do a lot of work to restore this industry. In 1920, the Siberian Mining Department with a specialized sub-department Sibzoloto was organized to manage the mining industry and the gold mining industry as an integral part of it. Numerous problems made it difficult to manage the gold mining complex, but the activities of the Siberian Mining Department should be recognized as very useful. Regional departments of the gold mining and platinum industry were formed to organize gold mining operations on the ground. The work of all district departments was coordinated by the Siberian Mining Department, through which their interaction with the center was carried out. However, such large units as Lenzoloto often directly interacted with Moscow. At the end of 1921, the Siberian Mining Department was reduced and the management of the gold mining industry was seriously disrupted. At the same time, during this period, there was a significantly greater interest in the development of gold mining on the part of the central authorities than on the part of Sibrevkom and Sibpromburo, which in turn hindered the development of the industry. In general, a number of poorly thought-out management decisions, and above all, the liquidation of the unified management body of the Siberian mining industry, aggravated the unstable work of the industry