Olga Vladimirovna Churakova,
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Arkhangelsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Problems of Development of the North of Russia in the Creative Heritage of Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2023-6-8
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov (03.16.1823–07.12.1887) – a Siberian merchant, successful gold miner, active public figure, champion of the development of communications in Russia, researcher and publicist. The article examines the works of M.K. Sidorov, related to the problems of development of the Russian North in 1860–1870s. It is important to note that the variety of creative heritage of M.K. Sidorov’s work is unusually wide: it is not limited only to projects, books and articles, but also includes texts of reports and notes submitted to various scientific societies and public organizations, catalogs of exhibitions in which he was an exhibitor, letters to newspaper editors, and correspondence with public figures. The main problems of the development of the North of Russia, highlighted in the works of the merchant Sidorov, have been identified. They include industrial development of the outskirts of the country (shipbuilding, timber industry, oil and mineral extraction), organization of communications in the North of Russia, development of maritime industries, improvement of “material and the moral life of northern foreigners”. Contents of the works of M.K. Sidorov can serve as a source for research by historians, ethnographers, ethnologists, and Arctic scientists. A lot of his works are dedicated to the memory of the Russian monarchs Peter I and Catherine II, because in his activities M.K. Sidorov followed their policy of protectionism. “A restless citizen of Russia”, Sidorov advocates for the revival of Pomor crafts and shipbuilding, opposes the dominance of foreign capital in the North, and participates in the struggle of Russian industrialists with entrepreneurs from neighboring countries for the development of the natural resources of the Arctic. M.K. Sidirov’s main interests as a researcher and a publicist included the Arctic territories (Murman, Spitsbergen, Novaya Zemlya). Therefore, in the context of the growth of attention for the Arctic, research conducted by M.K. Sidorov and his experience can be applied to solving problems of regional development of the Far North of Russia.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
The article has been received by the editor on 16/11/2023
How to cite: Churakova O.V. Problems of Development of the North of Russia in the Creative Heritage of Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 107–121. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-08.pdf]
Links: Issue 6 2023
Keywords: M.K. Sidorov; creative heritage; North of Russia; Northern Sea Route; Pomors; maritime industries; Arctic peoples