The role of the macroeconomic environment in the formation of the industrial workers of Yelysavetgrad (1860s – early 20th century)

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of this article is to highlight the key elements of the macroeconomic environment within the Russian Empire from the 1860s to the early 1900s, and to examine their impact on the formation and establishment of the industrial working class in Elisavetgrad. Scientific novelty. In Ukrainian historiography, researchers' attention has traditionally focused primarily on the most industrialized regions - Donbas and the Dnieper region - while working-class communities in cities beyond these areas have largely remained understudied. Thus, this article for the first time comprehensively analyzes the influence of macroeconomic factors on the formation of the industrial workers of Elisavetgrad. It demonstrates how broader imperial trends - such as the industrial and transport revolutions, interregional economic integration, policies of foreign capital attraction, and customs protectionism - shaped the dynamics of this process. Conclusions. The influence of the macroeconomic environment of the Russian Empire and the Dnipro region in the second half of the 19th–early 20th century on the formation of the industrial workers of the Yelysavetgrad area was ambivalent. The transport revolution, including the construction of railways, integration with neighboring industrial regions, and the policy of attracting foreign investments contributed to the successful completion of the industrial transformation in the region. At the same time, rigid customs protectionism and bureaucratic obstacles limited the economic activity of the bourgeoisie and periodically provoked crises, which, in turn, led to a reduction in the number of workers and the deterioration of their material conditions.