Mining possession in Russia in the confrontation between the state and factory owners at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries

Introduction. The study is aimed at determining the importance of the legal factor in the development of large-scale industrial production in a developing economy. It is devoted to the study of the unique possession law in the mining industry of the Russian Empire. Materials and Methods. On the basis of the documentation of the commissions and institutions of the mining department, legislation, journalism and scientific literature, the history of the preparation of the reform of possession law in the mining industry in Russia is reconstructed, covering the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. Particular attention is paid to the discussion about the essence of this restrictive right, which extended to the factories of the Urals, Zamoskovye and the Caucasus. Results and Discussion. It is shown that the views of the state and breeders-possessors initially coincided on the need to abolish the possession rights, but fundamentally differed in terms of its qualifications, which was reflected in the development of a reform option that suited both parties. At the turn of the XIX and XX centuries this led to an open confrontation between the state and the plant owners, who advocated alternative projects of redemption or opening of the possessions. Conclusion. In this situation, the general reform of possession law was replaced by a fairly effective practice of individual removal from factories of an obsolete legal status.