Professional organizations of the working class Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century

The article discusses the history of the emergence in Russia in the early twentieth century of professional organizations of the working class. The authors show the contradictory nature of the authorities: the creation of civil society institutions in the field of labor relations was accompanied by measures to limit or suppress them. Thus, the authorities hoped to curb the labor movement and put it on a loyal course. The article discloses the mechanism of activity of administrative bodies of state power of imperial Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century in solving the so-called working issue. The main directions of action of the authorities are reflected: legalization of workers’ organizations to protect their economic interests, tight control of the activities of created organizations, quick and decisive suppression of trade unions at the slightest political threat from them. When researching the activities of elders and trade unions in enterprises, the authors used a new approach. They relied on an understanding of these organizational forms as civil society institutions. The article can help in studying the history of the formation of the labor market, the development of the labor movement and the history of economic relations in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. The material presented by the authors of the article can also become the basis for the development of problems of historical and economic psychology.