Workers remuneration at concessionary enterprises in the Russian empire at the beginning of the 20th century

Soviet historiography estimated that Russian proletariat’s wage level was quite low in most cases and the living standard was unsatisfactory. An attempt to adjust the established historiographical tradition is made in the article. The wage level is analyzed using the example of the Moscow department of «Obshestvo Elektricheskogo Osvesheniya 1886 g.» («Electrical Illumination Company of 1886») that was one of the largest electro-technical enterprises in Russia owned by German capital. The authors argue that high wage level of workers of the Company was caused by its leading market position in Russia of that time which allowed using a part of the profit for the wage fund replenishment and workers welfare benefits payment.