The Economic Life of Sevastopol During the Late 18th and Early 19th Centuries

This article examines aspects Sevastopol’s economy from its founding in 1783 through the beginning of the nineteenth century in order to identify the main components in the city’s economic development during that period. Five key patterns in Sevastopol’s economic development emerged from this analysis. First, the city’s economic development was influenced by a policy that favored integration by making the local population loyal to Russia, settling farmers in the surrounding territory, declaring the city open to friendly nations, and undertaking ambitious civil and military construction. Second, over 95 percent of the population in Sevastopol at the end of the eighteenth century was military, and for the purposes of this study that fact justifies designating the urban population military oriented. Third, the inadequate development of agriculture around Sevastopol ensured high prices but also contributed to increased trade. Fourth, there was a rather narrow sectoral specialization of industry, which was dominated by state-owned enterprises in ship repair, construction, food, and building material. The resulting shortage of industrial products in the city was partially offset by handicraft production and home industry. Fifth, the fast pace of trade development was essentially a way of compensating for the deficits in agriculture and industry; that is, Sevastopol’s specialization as a trading center helped it overcome the shortage of agricultural and industrial goods in the city.