Factory Legislation of Russia (1882–1917)

Abstract

This article presents a historical and legal analysis of the fundamental laws in the field of factory legislation of the Russian Empire of 1882–1917. The author highlights the importance of the formation of Russian factory legislation both in the context of socio-economic development of Russia in the last quarter of the 19th century — the first quarter of the20th century, and within the framework of global trends in the field of labor legislation. Large-scale workers› movement that certainly affect public order and require the solution of certain issues form a factor in the formation of factory legislation both in Russia and in Europe.

The author deduces: the factory legislation was founded as a part of modernization of the socio-economic system of Russia, which took place in continuous connection with the processes of transformation that affected the whole Europe. The state power sought to satisfy the interests of entrepreneurs and workers in the conditions of increasing industrialization and the lack of clear legal regulation of certain aspects in this area. One way or another, the period of formation of factory legislation in the last quarter of the 19th century — the first quarter of the 20th century allowed to create the regulatory and legal foundation necessary for the further development of labor relations in Russia. The author believes that the research interest in factory legislation of this period is confirmed by the extraordinary position of the Russian Empire that, having recently abandoned the model of serfdom relations, switched to market relations and turned out to be directly related to the processes of industrialization. An unconditional significance of Russian factory legislation is related to its influence on the formation of domestic labor legislation.