The Mining Industry Urals of the Second Half of the 19th Century: Continuous Social Conflict. Review of: Gavrilov, D. V. (2018). Gornozavodskii Ural 1861–1900 gg.: vlasti, predprinimateli, rabochie. Ot soglasiia — k konfrontatsii [Ural Industrial Mining 1861–1900: Authorities, Businessmen, Workers. From Consent to Confrontation]. Moscow; St Petersburg: Nestor History. 464 p., ill.

Abstract

The monograph reviewed studies the socio-political dynamics in the Urals in the second half of the 19 th century. The main actors of the social process were the state, entrepreneurs, and workers (the emerging working class). These three actors functioned as part of a single production organism, interacted and collaborated with each other, but they also defended their own interests. Periods of social harmony were accompanied by “turmoil” and conflicts. The author makes extensive use of archival materials and demonstrates a detailed picture of the growing social conflict. The state’s efforts to mitigate the contradictions between workers and factory owners were insufficient and the proliferation of conflicts led to the 1905 revolution in the long run.