“Knowledge of the Fatherland... Is Very Necessary for All State Institutions”: M.V. Lomonosov’s Geographical and Statistical Programme

The article examines the activities of Mikhail Lomonosov as head of the Geography Department of the Academy of Sciences, focusing on the “academic questionnaire” of 1760 as a pivotal tool for collecting geographical and statistical data on the territory, population, and economy of the Russian Empire. The questionnaire is analysed as part of a broader research programme that encompassed the processing of census data, the acquisition of information from central governmental institutions, the preparation of geographical descriptions and maps, as well as the active collaboration with local administrations and provincial intellectuals. The study highlights the methods of data collection and verification employed within the programme. These included not only questionnaires but also formal requests to state institutions, processing of information from cadastres and the establishment of a network of correspondents associated with the Academy of Sciences. The findings demonstrate that Lomonosov’s research programme played a significant role in the institutionalization of statistics in Russia, despite numerous organizational challenges and interdepartmental conflicts. The article concludes that Lomonosov envisaged the Academy of Sciences as the main centre for collecting and processing geographical and statistical information. His proposals were underpinned by a comprehensive approach to gathering and handling data, which relied on diverse sources, key among them being state authorities accumulating materials withing their areas of competence. Operating outside the formal framework of state administration, the Academy sought to develop effective mechanisms for interacting with central and local authorities. In this context, the Academy’s requests were sanctioned by an imperial decree formalized through a Senate order. The article emphasizes the lasting influence of Lomonosov’s research programme on the development of Russian geography and statistics as scientific disciplines.