Prospects for the Development of Mining Economy in the Altai District in the Assessments of Departmental Management and Regional Authorities (1917-1919)

In the pre-revolutionary period the mining industry of the Altai District had a secondary character, giving way to the exploitation of land and forest resources of the region. The article is devoted to revealing the attitude of departmental management and regional authorities to the prospects of development of mining industry in the Altai District in 1917-1919. The article analyses and compares the projects and proposals for the development of the mining economy in the Altai District prepared during the periods of the Provisional Government, the establishment of Soviet power in Altai and the antiBolshevik leadership of the region. Both the former prerevolutionary officials and the new revolutionary authorities were convinced that after the end of the war Altai would become an important industrial base for the development of the country. The author concludes that during 1917-1919 the central authorities and the regional leadership had no clear plans for the economic development of the Altai District. Both central and local authorities agreed on the necessity of large-scale geological research of the region, development of the communication system, and external investments.