The stages and features of the russian far east electrification (late 19th - mid 20th C.)

Introduction. The relevance of the research topic is conditioned by the need to comprehend the historical experience, the place and role of the Far East in the process of Russian modernization. Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is the concept of modernization. Modernization is understood as a process in which traditional societies are transformed into industrial, modern ones. Analysis. Studying the historyof the Russian Far East electrification makes it possible to distinguish three stages of the region electrification during the period under study: the first stage is the late 19th c. - the late 1920s; the second stage is the late 1920s- 1930s; the third stage is the late 1930s-1940s. Results. The periodization of the history of the Far East electrification proposed in the study in the late 19th - mid 20th centuries is based on the stages of the country’s economic development and the specifics of the Russian Far East technical modernization. The paper reveals that the Russian Far East electrification was heavily influenced by economic-geographical and historical factors. The article establishes that electrification plays an important role in creating a technical basis for forming a regional economy of the industrial type with predominance of extractive industries and the military-defense industry.