The demographic consequences of the evolution of Russian society : B.C. - 1914 A.D

Abstract

This thesis attempts an investigation of the demographic consequences of the changing Russian society over the period beginning with the first signs of Homo Sapiens on Russian territory to the end of the Imperial period in 1914. The aim is to discern trends in the growth and structure of the population, as well as accounting for the specific changes in the context of economic, social, political and environmental factors. The study covers the period up to the reign of Peter the Great in the second chapter, concentrating thereafter on the Imperial era, particularly the late nineteenth century. The population of St Petersburg provides an interesting case study of a major city in Imperial Russia. The major findings of the study are that Russia, more than any other country, seems to have been afflicted by a continuous cycle of harvest failure, famine, disease, epidemic, which together with constant internal struggles and wars, prevented population growth of a respectable level until the eighteenth century. The massive size of the country in the latter centuries of the study acted unfavourably on the development of the country, and therefore a hurdle to impovement in the quality of life. Russia appears to resemble the countries of today's developing world rather than the countries of Western Europe, with which it is commonly compared. This thesis does not employ any complex demographic techniques, nor any of the fashionable models of the moment. However, it does hope to present a framework for future studies of Russian historical demography and to glimpse a picture of the patterns of growth and composition of population over time. It is emphasised that the thesis takes neither a Marxist nor Imperialist line.