A HISTORIOGRAPHICAL OVERVIEW OF TOBACCO DURING THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE* UN BALANCE HISTORIOGRÁFICO SOBRE EL TABACO EN EL IMPERIO RUSO IRINA YÁNYSHEV-NÉSTEROVA Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ABSTRACT This article aims to present a historiographical evaluation of the research re- garding tobacco in the Russian Empire, from seventeenth century Muscovy until 1917. The studies about tobacco embrace issues related to governmental poli- cies and the appropriate legislation, the regions of cultivation, centres of trade, and prosopography, among others. The article has the following objectives: to outline the periodisation of the tobacco studies, to reveal the works of Russian Imperial, Soviet, contemporary Russian and foreign scholars, to expose the main topics of the research carried out, and set out approximate directions for future research. Keywords: tobacco, Russian Empire, Muscovy, historiography. RESUMEN El objetivo de este artículo es presentar un balance historiográfico de la inves- tigación sobre el tabaco en el Imperio Ruso, desde la Moscovia del siglo XVII hasta 1917. Los estudios sobre el tabaco abarcan los temas relacionados con las políticas gubernamentales y la legislación apropiada, las regiones de culti- vo, centros de comercio y prosopografía entre otros. El documento persigue los siguientes objetivos: esbozar la periodización de los estudios sobre el tabaco, revelar los trabajos de los eruditos imperiales rusos, soviéticos, rusos contempo- ráneos y extranjeros, exponer los temas principales de la investigación realiza- da y establecer direcciones aproximadas para futuros trabajos. Palabras clave: tabaco, Imperio ruso, Moscovia, historiografía. * All the translations from Russian and Ukrainian into English, as well as the responsibility for the possible mistakes, are mine. 227 http://dx.doi.org/10.6035/Millars.2020.49. 10 - ISSN: 1132-9823 - VOL. XLIX 2020/2 - pp. 227-243 RESUM UN BALANÇ HISTORIOGRÀFIC SOBRE EL TABAC A L'IMPERI RUS L’objectiu d’aquest article és presentar un balanç historiogràfic de la recerca sobre el tabac a l’Imperi rus, des de la Moscòvia del segle XVII fins el 1917. Els estudis sobre el tabac abasten els temes relacionats amb les polítiques go- vernamentals i la legislació apropiada, les regions de conreu, els centres de comerç i prosopografia entre d’altres temes. El text tracta d’assolir els següents objectius: fer una proposta de la periodització dels estudis sobre el tabac, ficar de relleu els treballs dels erudits imperials russos, soviètics, russos contempora- nis i estrangers, exposar els temes principals de la recerca realitzada i establir direccions aproximades per a futurs treballs. Paraules clau: tabac, Imperio rus, Moscovia, historiografia. 228 IRINA YÁNYSHEV-NÉSTEROVA A historiographical overview of tobacco during the Russian Empire INTRODUCTION den on the country’s health system Currently, the Russian Federation is (ZARUBOVA ROSS, SHARIFF & GIL- the world’s third-largest market for to- MORE, 2008: 4–20, 32). bacco products, behind China and As Shirokova and Skul’skaya the USA, ruled by the transnation- (2016) underline, after the dissolu- al tobacco companies (GILMORE, tion of the Soviet Union, the farming 2009; ZARUBOVA ROSS, SHARIFF of tobacco in the Russian Federa- & GILMORE, 2008: 26). Russia is tion underwent a complete decay 1 whose in the top-10 list of countries and mostly depends on the acqui- citizens smoke tobacco from the sition of raw materials and other age of 15 and upwards; 41.5% in substances for cigarette production 2005 and 39.3% in 2016 (RITCHIE abroad. Considering the dimension & ROSER, 2020). Given this, tobac- co represents a source of replenish- of the tobacco market and the cur- ment of state taxes2 and offers job rent state of the Russian tobacco vacancies in agriculture and trade, industry, the studies of its history contributing positively to economic are indispensable. Therefore, it is growth. However, excessive tobacco particularly important to examine use negatively affects national popu- the roots of tobacco treatment in lation health, leads to the develop- the Russian Empire,3 as well as to ment of diseases, increases mortality trace the historiography regarding rates, and places an additional bur- this crop. 1 The top-10 countries in 2016 are: Kiribati, Montenegro, Greece, Timor, Nauru, Indonesia, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Chile. 2 Tobacco revenues consisted in 28.9 billion of roubles or 27% of the revenue from excise taxes collected on the sale of automobile fuel, alcohol, and tobacco, or 0.13% of GDP in 2005. 3 The state-of-the-art tobacco studies during the Soviet period are omitted due to the limited size of this article and the intensity of the topic, which is the theme of the prospective paper. 229 http://dx.doi.org/10.6035/Millars.2020.49. 10 - ISSN: 1132-9823 - VOL. XLIX 2020/2 - pp. 227-243 Tobacco, a colonial product from al expansion with an appropriate America, spread to Muscovy in the climate for tobacco growing, the sixteenth century, contributing to the Russian trade statistics registered Europeanisation of tobacco (GOOD- tobacco export from the first third MAN, 1993:54), and, simultane- of the nineteenth century (VALETOV, ously, from China, through the new- 2017). ly-affiliated Siberian territories (MO- In general terms, in the mid-nine- NAHAN, 2009: 61–82). In Imperial teenth century, the Russian Empire Russia, tobacco legislation, tax poli- was characterised as a backward cy, cultivation allocation, production, agrarian country, where wheat and trade are closely related to the and rye represented a considera- dynamics of the recently incorporat- ble share of export commodities. ed territories and, consequently, dif- The ‘Development of Capitalism in ferent social groups and nationalities Russia’ (LENIN, 1899) began firmly (YÁNYSHEV-NÉSTEROVA, 2019). after the serfs’ emancipation reform This article pursues the following in 1861, and the government prac- objectives. First, it aims to outline tised a protectionist policy to keep the periodisation of the tobacco the nascent, as said by Alexander studies, linked, in case of the na- Hamilton (1791), national industry. tional scholars, to the economic de- Russian Imperial scholars involved velopment of the country. Thus, the in tobacco research occupied pub- paper lists in chronological order lic service positions or belonged to the works of the Imperial, Soviet, the aristocracy and large landown- contemporary Russian, and for- ers’ class. They drew attention to eign scholars. Second, it attempts the comparative history of tobac- to expose the main topics of the co in Russia and other European investigation, and third, to set forth countries, legislation, tariff policies, approximate directions for future studies of cultivation regions, and research with the indications of the elaboration of the handbook over primary sources’ allocation. tobacco farming. The major ideas laid in the sphere of tobacco’s ap- pearance, production, and benefits’ STUDIES OF RUSSIAN IMPERIAL SCHOL- income for the treasure, reflect the ARS, FROM THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO main policies of the state. 1917 Thus, Chulkov (1786, 1855), a The 1762 decree of Catherine the state-employee of the Department Great replaced the monopoly of to- of Commerce, published the histo- bacco and paved the way to free ry of tobacco regulation in Russia tobacco cultivation and commerce. from the sixteenth century to 1762, As a direct consequence of the fa- broadly using primary documents vourable legislation and territori- from the Senate Archive and the 230 IRINA YÁNYSHEV-NÉSTEROVA A historiographical overview of tobacco during the Russian Empire Complete Collection of Laws of the problems: the history of tobacco Russian Empire. Ragozin (1871), a appearance, the initial and current Moscow noble, and economist, stat- regions of cultivation, some aspects istician, and publicist by profession, regarding excise policy, and the re- dedicated his work on tobacco and cent state of the Russian tobacco in- its taxes in the Russian Empire. His dustry. Grumm-Grzhimaylo argued publication is especially valuable, that despite the laborious process as it represented some quantitative of tobacco breeding, its cultivation, data regarding recovered tobacco further processing, and selling, it taxes, expressed in monetary units could be a beneficial business, es- from 1839 to 1869; information on pecially in the southern regions of the number of planters and planta- the Empire. Finally, the author de- tions for 1868; and cigarettes and tailed the expansion of tobacco and papirosy4 production from 1862 indicated that it could play a more to 1869, recovered from the Ex- important role in foreign trade. cise Duty Management Department The publication of Storozhev (1890) (Upravlenie Aktsiznymi Sborami) or outlined the origins of Malorossian General Directorate of Consolidated (now Ukraine, the Sumy region) to- Fees and Treasury Sales (Glavnoye bacco-growing within the frontiers upravleniye neokladnykh sborov i of the Russian Empire, whereas kazennoi prodazhi pitei) under the Tverdokhlebov (1886:178–182) Ministry of Finance (RASKIN, 2001). addressed his research to the first Grumm-Grzhimaylo, a descendent tobacco manufacture of Akhtyrka, of the impoverished noble family founded in 1718 and located on (GRUMM-GRZHIMAYLO, 2014) be- the Malorossian soil of the Empire. gan his public career in the Ministry Ponomarev (1888:116–127), a of Finance, and later, worked in the PhD in Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry of Justice. He