Arctic exploitation issues in the works of the Russian and foreign researchers (XIX-early XX centuries)

The Arctic region attracts attention of different states as a potential source of geopolitical influence. The struggle for the resources of the Extreme North is not over - the states are trying to prove their rights to various sections of the Arctic shelf. Therefore, it is important to turn to the experience of previous generations, especially to the development of science in the region according to the changing geopolitical situation, to identify what difficulties the researchers of the past periods faced and how cooperation of states progressed not to harm the fragile environment of the Arctic along the search for new resources. The paper compares the ideas of the Russian and western researchers on the development of science in the Arctic in the XIX and early XX centuries. The study analyzes the sources and literature of the period under study. The paper examines such aspects as the prevailing geopolitical thoughts in the study period - what influenced the appeal specifically to marine resources, the development of Arctic resources - what resources scientists paid attention to, research potential - what tasks were set when studying the region and what difficulties science faced. Common are ideas on the ocean resources development, search for sea passages and the need of natural resources exploitation in the region. Different is realization of thoughts about cooperation and, in general, about development of the Arctic resources.