Evolution of the state policy regulating the oil industry of Russia during the late 19th - early 20th centuries

This article is concerned with the process of the formation and development of the state oil policy in the period of commercial oil production in the Russian Empire. The question under investigation is considered in the context of the government’s search for the optimal conditions of the lease of state-owned oil lands (onetime payment, by-pood (weight) fee, royalties, conditional price, etc.) to private enterprises. The author deals with the influence that the state developed policy had on the development of the oil sector.