Russian metallurgical industry of the late XVIII - first half of the XIX century in the global dimension of industrialization

Introduction. One of the topical problems of Russian industrial history is still the determination of its place in the global dimension of industrialization. In particular, this article analyzes, using the history of metallurgical production as an example, the question of the state and the missed opportunities of the domestic industrial development of the late XVIII - first half of the XIX century. As it is known, at the beginning of this period the country was growing new lands, developing socio-economically and culturally, and in the world production of ferrous metals, the leading branch of the economy, which determined the country’s place in the world GDP, even led. Russia was able to meet the needs of Europe in cheap and high-quality metal, which accelerated the formation of industrial societies there, primarily in England. However, by the mid-19th century, Russia’s economic development was industrially dependent on Western technologies, and its international position deteriorated significantly due to the defeat in the Crimean War of 1853-1856.