Government policy and corporate interests: search for the development of agricultural engineering in Russia in the late XIX - early XX centuries

Introduction. Against the backdrop of increased government participation in the economic development of the country, support for agricultural engineering was seen as one of the tools for transformation in the agricultural sector, as well as a way to increase public welfare. In addition, the government was interested in the growth of agricultural production and exports, which became one of the most important sources of foreign exchange funds. This article will attempt to explore the position of the state and the forms of its participation in the development of agricultural engineering in Russia. Special attention will be paid to the process of folding the corporate organization of manufacturers of agricultural machinery and implements, against the backdrop of the strengthening of monopolistic trends in the Russian economy in the late XIX - early XX centuries. Materials and methods. In solving the research problems, archival materials, published data of official statistics, and also scientific literature were used. The study was conducted on the basis of the principles of historicism, objectivity and system approach. The need to process quantitative data necessitated the use of a statistical method. The use of modernization theory made it possible to include the development processes of the production of agricultural machinery and implements in the trend of industrial modernization. Results. Based on a study of archival and published sources, as well as available scientific literature, the main development problems were identified, and the evolution of government policy in the field of agricultural engineering in the late XIX - early XX centuries was examined. Against the backdrop of increased government participation, the processes of capital self-organization are shown, the forms and results of interaction between government structures and corporate-monopoly organizations in the development of this industry are studied. Discussion and Conclusion. At the end of the XIX and beginning of the XX centuries, state participation in the development of the industry took place in two directions. Firstly, the customs regulation of imports of agricultural machinery, which was protectionist in nature. Secondly, direct support to manufacturers of machinery and complex technical devices for agriculture (bonuses and soft loans to owners of specialized enterprises, assistance in the transportation and marketing of products, etc.). In parallel, there was a consolidation of domestic manufacturers of agricultural machinery and implements in order to exchange experience, jointly solve the most pressing problems and lobby their interests in government circles. Since 1907, congresses of Russian manufacturers of agricultural machinery and implements began to be regularly held. In fact, this corporate organization has transformed into a monopolistic type of association. The study showed that the interaction of government structures and corporate-monopoly associations of manufacturers of agricultural machinery and implements, despite some differences, was generally cooperative in nature and had a very positive effect on the development of the industry.