Introduction
The eighteenth century was one of the most brilliant centuries in the history of Russia. Resounding victories over Sweden and Turkey allowed Russia to strengthen its position on the shores of the Baltic and Black seas, to annex Poland, the Baltic lands, and the Crimea and ensured for itself the rank of a great military power.
Russia built up not only a powerful army and navy but also a national industry. The arts, sciences, and education were developing, foreign- and home-trade turnovers were growing, the economy was becoming commercialized, and considerable economic growth was evident. Some scholars even believe that at the turn of the nineteenth century, Russia neared Britain in terms of national income per capita (Blanchard 1989: 281—3). Much has been written about successes. But the issue of the material conditions of the people has been largely neglected. Were these victories accompanied by an increase in the physical and economic well-being of the Russian population in the eighteenth century or, on the contrary, were they achieved at its expense? That is the question to which I am trying to find answers in this chapter.2.
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