Russian State Policy for the Development of the Far East at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

The proposals of the authorities on the development of the Far East at the beginning of the 20th century are considered. The relevance of studying the past experience in the development of this region is due to the increased attention of the authorities to the introduction of large-scale programs to strengthen the eastern borders of the state. The authors note the increased scientific interest in the study of the history of the Far East development at the beginning of the 20th century. An analysis of government actions in the Amur region during this period allowed the authors to determine their relationship with the foreign policy position of the empire in the Far East. It was determined that the formation of the Committee for the Settlement of the Far East was aimed at consolidating the actions of the central and provincial authorities. The authors note that at the stage of preliminary coordination of the directions of the Committee’s activities, the members of the government did not have a holistic idea of the regional development strategy. A comparative analysis revealed that the proposals of the central and regional authorities did not have any fundamental differences. The pragmatism of the proposals of local governors was noted. The authors come to the conclusion that the creation of the Committee for the Settlement of the Far East and the organization of the Amur expedition were undertaken under the influence of an external threat and aimed at strengthening the military-industrial potential of the region. The authors note that the administrative and economic development of the region was not a priority for the central authorities.