Private capital and state interests: the gold mining operations of the Sintashty partnership in the context of ensuring the strategic security of the Russian Empire (1913–1918)

Abstract

The article examines the history of gold mining in the Orsk District of the Orenburg Governorate. The development of this industry in the Russian Empire took quite a long time, but by the end of the 19th century, the state had become a world leader in gold mining. The imperial authorities placed great hopes on the development of mountainous areas filled with the precious metal throughout the country. Thanks to the personal initiative of, among others, foreign entrepreneurs, gold mining companies began to emerge everywhere. This study is devoted to one of them - the Sintashty partnership. It is based on materials from Fund 154 of the Russian State Historical Archive, which are being introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time. The author examines the conditions for the establishment of the partnership and analyzes the measures taken to extract gold. The ability to work cohesively as a team made it possible to overcome the difficulties associated with harsh weather conditions, insufficient and untimely technical equipment, and to ensure the gold reserve state. Attention is paid to the people who actively participated in the development of deposits of the precious metal and in managing the gold mining enterprise. Their correspondence demonstrates a caring and responsible attitude towards their work. According to the author, the Sintashty partnership had quite high potential, which in the future would have helped it to become a large mining joint-stock company. However, the Sintashty partnership existed for only five years. The First World War and the revolutionary events that followed it led to the liquidation of the association.