Смоленская губерния после Отечественной войны 1812 года: между символической славой и экономической маргинализацией

Вестник Пермского университета. Серия: История. 2024. Т. 64. № 1. С. 73–82.

Ivanova M.

This paper addresses to multiple narratives about Smolensk province that appeared after the French invasion of Russia through the aspects of economic history. The purpose of the article is to identify the economic state of the Smolensk provinces and the image of the region after 1812. The author suggested that in the post-war 30 years there was a significant gap between the public perception of the Smolensk province and the actual state and position of the region. Smolensk province turned into marginalized region in terms of economics and governance, which could not return to the pre-war levels. The problem of restoring the province was associated both with the insufficiency of measures taken by the central imperial ministries, and with the work of local officials. At the same time, almost immediately after the end of the war, a compensatory narrative about loyalty, heroism and the significance of Smolensk (and its province) was actualized in the mental space of the Russian Empire. The relevance of this narrative was articulated among regional actors, mainly from the economic perspective. As a result, this contradiction created a contradiction between the symbolic image and the actual state of the province. The article is based on archival materials from the funds of the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GA RF), the State Archive of the Smolensk Region (GASO), and the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA).  

Keywords: экономическая история, loyalty, economic history, marginality, маргинальность, Отечественная война 1812 года, Patriotic war of 1812, Смоленская губерния, Smolensk province, верноподданничество

Publication based on the results of: Russia’s Regional History of 18th – 20th centuries: socio-political, anthropological perspectives and agency relationships (2024)