Free Economic Society: goals and establishment. Free Economic Society The Free Economic Society was

Companions of Catherine

Orlov and Vorontsov could not do without ..., however, academicians also participated in his education. This society, as is already clear, arose during the reign of Catherine the Great (Second). The founders were highly respected people of the state. And why was there a need to form such an association? Explained quite prosaically. Russia at that time lived mainly in villages, of which there were about 100 thousand. As for the peasants, about 60% were serfs. Therefore, the establishment of the VEO is not an accident.

There are a number of reasons for the emergence of an economic society. Since Catherine herself did not favor serfdom, she wanted to change the position of the peasants, but she was afraid of losing the support of the nobility, and therefore she did not dare to come out openly with radical changes, this organization was supposed to serve such a mission. By the way, this was the first union in Rus' where it was possible to openly gather without fear of being convicted of treason or freethinking.

The second main idea was the spread of new, innovative means of farming and peasant farming in general!

A noteworthy fact: the promised reward of 1000 chervonets to the one who solves the problem better, what does the peasant need more: movable or immovable property? As always, there were more questions... and Eksterina herself is not very consistent on this issue...

The nobles did not support the idea ...

In fact, the hopes associated with this free economic society did not materialize. If we consider the position of the peasantry, it has worsened. An example is in the picture below.

But! There was one ruined nobleman who picked up the idea of ​​Catherine, Mr. Polenov, who left an essay "on the serfdom of Russia", the main ideas of which were included in the reform of Alexander the 2nd, who abolished serfdom.

Conclusion: choose an option development Agriculture in Rus'.

Reviews of the competition in other age groups:

• Catherine's reforms 2. which led to the deterioration of society?

oldest of learned societies Russia. Established in 1765, as it seems, on the initiative of Empress Catherine II, which is evident from the first composition of the members of the society, who were close to the court of the empress. The purpose of the society was to disseminate among the people knowledge useful and necessary for agriculture and house-building, to study the state of Russian agriculture and the conditions of the economic life of the country, as well as the state of agricultural technology in Western European states. In the first period of the existence of the society, issues were put on the agenda that are still being discussed today: the establishment of spare shops for food for the peasants, the introduction of public plowing, etc. Empress Catherine II herself raised the issue of the benefits of forms of land tenure (communal and private) and advantages for agriculture of free and serf labor, which caused a whole literature (see. complete analysis her in 1 vol. op. V. I. Semevsky: "The Peasant Question in Russia in the 18th and the First Half of the 19th Centuries." In the course of its existence, the V.E.O. managed to show energetic activity aimed at achieving the goal outlined in the charter. He initiated the collection of information about the economic life of Russia. The program compiled by him, with a variety of questions, was sent to individuals and institutions. The answers received provide very interesting material for comparing not only the methods of managing the economy of that and the present time, but also the economic situation of different regions of Russia. The distribution of the program and the collection of information continued for three reigns. In the reign of Nicholas I, due to the variability of bread prices, which landowners endured, the V. Economic Society, on the initiative of S. Maltsev, drew attention to this issue and published a Code of Opinions on Average Bread Prices (1847). The society also collected information about the state of the economy in foreign countries. The most important fact in the activity of the society for the study of Russian agricultural life is the joint sending of expeditions with the Geographical Society to study the grain trade and productivity in Russia (see the "Proceedings" of these expeditions). When (1876) the question arose about the study of chernozem as a productive force and its distribution, the society published the work of V. V. Dokuchaev: "Russian Chernozem". To clarify the question of the soils of Russia, a "soil commission" arose under the Society. V. economic society, seeking to disseminate useful information about agriculture and its various branches among landowners, published more than 160 works, both original and translated, relating mainly to agriculture. In addition, it published and publishes periodicals: "Proceedings of V. Economic Society" (see), etc. In order to publish a national agricultural library, the so-called Mordvin capital has been collected, which has now reached 43,000 rubles. The society took measures to spread the culture of useful plants (potatoes, cotton, etc.), to improve flax and hemp. The organization of the sale of seeds undertaken by him was not successful. It was engaged in the improvement of Russian cattle, contributed to the development of the dairy industry, spending on this business, in the 1860s. (at the call of N.V. Vereshchagin), up to 10 thousand rubles. It took care of beekeeping already under Empress Catherine II, but in particular did a lot on this issue thanks to the famous chemist A. M. Butlerov, who managed to interest many in the publication of the "Bee Leaf" (see). The rich library of the society, consisting of more than 26,000 volumes of works of an economic and agricultural nature, is accessible to all. The society arranged agricultural exhibitions, awarded outstanding figures in the field of agriculture, took and is taking measures to spread smallpox vaccination (74 thousand rubles were spent on this in 1890), arranged public lectures. Within its walls, reports are constantly read on the burning issues of the people's and agriculture.

V. E. society, according to the new charter (1872), is divided into three departments: the first - agricultural, the second - technical agricultural production and agricultural mechanics, and the third - political economy and agricultural statistics. The society has a literacy committee (see this word). The Free Economic Society is headed by a president elected by its members, and its branches are headed by chairmen elected by them. The general meeting is chaired by the president. The secretary elected by the society is in charge of office work, the vice-president and members of the council are also elected. The places of president, chairmen, and others were occupied in V. E. society by many prominent persons, such as, for example, the well-known statesman N. S. Mordvinov, K. D. Kavelin, A. M. Butlerov, and others. Both the government and private individuals provided benefits and donations to the V. E. society, thanks to which at present the V. economic society is the richest of all scientific societies in Russia: it has valuable property (a house, a library, etc.), valued at 185 thousand rubles. , and money capital placed in% securities, worth 373 thousand rubles.

See "History of V. E. O. from 1765 to 1865", compiled on behalf of the society by its secretary A. I. Khodnev (1865); "A historical sketch of the twenty-five-year activity of the Imperial Economic Society from 1865 to 1890", compiled by A. N. Beketov (1890).

encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .

See what the "Free Economic Society" is in other dictionaries:

Free Economic Society- (VEO), the oldest scientific society in Russia. Established in St. Petersburg in 1765 by large landowners who, in the conditions of the growth of the market and commercial agriculture, sought to rationalize agriculture and increase the productivity of serf labor. ... ... Encyclopedic reference book "St. Petersburg"

Modern Encyclopedia

Free Economic Society- (VEO), Russia's first scientific economic society. Founded in St. Petersburg in 1765. Organized competitions on political economy and applied agricultural and technical problems, economic questionnaire surveys, exhibitions ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (VEO) the first Russian scientific society, founded in 1765 in St. Petersburg. Published the first statistical and geographical studies of Russia, contributed to the introduction of new agricultural techniques in agriculture, and discussed economic ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (VEO), the first Russian scientific society. Founded in 1765 in St. Petersburg. Published the first statistics geographical exploration Russia, contributed to the introduction of new agricultural technology in agriculture, discussed economic problems ... Russian history

- (VEO), the oldest scientific society in Russia. Established in St. Petersburg in 1765 by large landowners who, in the conditions of the growth of the market and commercial agriculture, sought to rationalize agriculture, increase the productivity of the serf ... ... St. Petersburg (encyclopedia)

Coat of arms of the Free Economic Society The Free Economic Society of Russia, or the Imperial Free Economic Society (until 1918) is one of the oldest scientific societies in Russia, the very first public organization in the Russian ... ... Wikipedia

- (VEO) one of the oldest in the world and the first economic society in Russia (free formally independent of government departments). Established in St. Petersburg in 1765 by large landowners who, in the conditions of market growth, sought and ... ... Big soviet encyclopedia

- (VEO) one of the oldest in the world and the first in Russia economic. about in (free independent from departments). Established in St. Petersburg in 1765 by large landowners G. G. Orlov, R. I. Vorontsov and other close associates of Catherine II, who aspired in conditions ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

- (VEO), the first Russian scientific society, founded in 1765 in St. Petersburg. Published the first statistical and geographical study of Russia, contributed to the introduction of new agricultural techniques in agriculture, and discussed economic ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• "A century-wolfhound rushes around my neck ...". Rethinking the fate of Russia in the XX century. In 2 volumes (set of 2 books), G. Kh. Popov. The two-volume book by G. Kh. Popov "A century-wolfhound is thrown around my neck..." is prepared by the Free Economic Society of Russia and the TONCHU Publishing House. This edition…

The Free Economic Society was created in order to disseminate among the nobility progressive ideas of organizing agricultural work in order to increase productivity and make labor more rational. The society was founded on November 11, 1765 and was under the auspices of Catherine II (it was the first scientific society in Russia), as part of the implementation of the ideas of enlightened absolutism. Members of the society published books, magazines, held exhibitions. The article is devoted to the description of the history of the organization of the Free Economic Society, as well as to the analysis of the main results of its activities.

What was the purpose of the Free Economic Society

In the 18th century, the ideas of the Enlightenment began to gain popularity in Russia. The basis of these ideas is the role of science and education in social and state progress. For the first time, the ideas of the Enlightenment came to Russia under Peter 1, as a result, the Academy of Sciences was opened. Later, the spread of the ideas of the Enlightenment led to the opening of a university in Moscow and other educational institutions. The peak of the popularity of Enlightenment thinkers falls on the reign of Catherine II. The Empress herself was on friendly terms with Voltaire and Diderot, who were considered classics of the French Enlightenment. Communication with Diderot made Catherine think about creating scientific publications in Russia, following the example of the Encyclopedia. Correspondence with Voltaire pushed the empress to create organizations that would carry progressive ideas to the people. The main branch of the Russian economy was agriculture, which is why this area required reforms, using the best practices and progressive ideas of Europe.

Creation of the Society

In 1765, dignitaries close to Catherine, Grigory Orlov and Roman Vorontsov, approached the Empress with the idea of ​​creating an organization that would spread progressive ideas of farming, as well as knowledge of animal husbandry and agronomy, among the landowners. According to the initiators, the Russian nobles knew only one way to increase productivity - the expansion of the territory, as well as an increase in peasant duties. Thus a free economic society was born.

On modern language economy, the landlords chose the extensive way of farming, and the newly created Society, and in fact a public organization, will spread the ideas of the intensive method, that is, increasing productivity through rational policy and scientific achievements (fertilizers, and later technology). The Empress supported the idea, and the Free Economic Society was organized. Adam Olsufiev and Ivan Chernyshev also joined the two creators.

As for the organizational moment, the Society was to be headed by the president, who was elected by the participants, and the monarch approved. Until 1783, Grigory Orlov was president. In the first years of its activity, the society published the journal "Proceedings", on the pages of which articles were published about the latest methods of soil cultivation, information about fertilizers. In addition, members of the Free Economic Society collected statistical information about climatic features regions of Russia. The magazine was published until 1855, and in total more than 30 volumes were printed. However, the most high-profile event in the activities of the Free Society was an essay competition on improving peasant life.

Peasant Reform Competition

Later Free Society announced a competition for the best plan for solving the peasant question in Russia. The peculiarity was that foreigners could participate in the competition. So several interesting projects were submitted.

A. Polenov was singled out from Russian works, who proposed to weaken serfdom in Russia as much as possible, transferring large plots of land to the peasants, but in return giving them duties. Polenov's work was never published because it contained a detailed critique of the feudal system in Russia.

The most radical was Voltaire's project, which proposed to completely free the peasants by transferring land to their ownership. The very fact of participation in this competition of the great philosopher and poet attracted the attention of all Europe to this event.

The winner in the competition was the project of the Frenchman Bearde de Labey, who proposed to free the peasants, but transferring them to the ownership of small plots of land, which would force them to rent land from the owners - the nobility.

Despite the great interest in the competition, his ideas remained projects. However, despite this, for the first time, the nobility faced the question of the future of the serfdom system.

Free Economic Society in the 19th century

In the middle of the 19th century, the Society expanded significantly and consisted of three sections:

• Agriculture;
• Agricultural machinery;
• Agricultural statistics.

An interesting fact is that the society bought land near St. Petersburg and created a site for experiments there. This was called the Okhta farm. In 1899, the Society began publishing the journal Soil Science.

During the reforms of Alexander 2, the Free Society became a place for discussing liberal ideas. That is why at the end of the century it came under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture, effectively ceasing to be a public organization. In fact, the Free Society ceased to exist in 1915, the society was finally dissolved in 1919 during the civil war.

Has the society achieved its goals?

Despite the great scientific and statistical work, as well as the popularization of progressive ways of farming, historians are wondering about the effectiveness of the Free Economic Society. Today, most historians believe that the Society did not fulfill its task, because, despite a large number of publications, only a few nobles became interested in the modernization of the village. However, the very fact of the existence of the Society prompted discussions about the future of the village in Russian Empire. It was the Society that first forced the nobles to think about the serf system and its problems. Thus, the main merits of the Free Economic Society lie in the theoretical sphere; the matter has not reached large-scale practice.

VEO emblems previous years

In 1765, a group of well-known figures in Russia (Count R.I. Vorontsov, Prince G.G. Orlov, Count I.G. Chernyshev, Senator A.V. Olsufiev and others) sent a letter to Empress Catherine II with the following content:

Most Merciful, Most Sovereign, Great - Wise Empress and Autocrat of All Russia, Most Merciful Sovereign!
The reign of Your IMPERIAL MAJESTY is the plan for the fatherland, in which our bliss is visibly accomplished. With Your Majesty's tireless work and care for affairs, the integrity and well-being of the Empire that make up, apparently, your patronage acts so much on the Sciences and Arts; and this encourages the subjects of your hearts lovers in teaching themselves and in enlightening others. In view of this, we all subjects will unite by voluntary agreement to establish a meeting between us, in which we intend to work together to improve agriculture and house building. Our zeal and zeal, no matter how great, but when they are not backed up by the patronage of the Monarch, then our work will be without implementation.
Members of the Free Economic Society

In a response, Catherine wrote:

Gentlemen members of the Free Economic Society,
The intention you have undertaken to improve agriculture and house-building is very pleasing to Us, and the labors resulting from it will be direct evidence of your true zeal and love for your Fatherland. Your plan and charter, which you have pledged to each other, WE praise and, in agreement with the most merciful, test that you have called yourself the Free Economic Society. Please be trustworthy that WE accept it in Our special patronage; for the seal you request, we not only allow you to use in all cases, with your labors, Our Imperial coat of arms, but also as a sign of Our excellent goodwill towards you, we allow you to put your own Our motto , bees in the hive bringing honey with the inscription Useful. On top of this, we also grant your most merciful society six thousand rubles for hiring a decent house, both for your collection and for the establishment of an Economic Library in it. Your work, with God's help, will be rewarded to you and your descendants by your own benefit, and WE will not leave Our Favor to you as you multiply your diligence.
Catherine
October 31 days
1765

The indicated date on the letter is considered the beginning of the existence of the world's oldest scientific and public organization, the first institute civil society in Russia.

Founders of the Imperial Free Economic Society
Expressing full agreement with the program and charter of the organization, she approved the name - "Imperial Free Economic Society of Russia." And as a token of good will, she allowed her coat of arms and motto to be used in the symbols of the Society: “Bees that bring honey to the hive” with the inscription: “useful”.

Catherine II defined two main principles of the activity of the VEO: to be "Imperial" (sovereign)- serve the Russian state; be "Free"- provide an independent and objective approach, representing a variety of points of view, uniting for this the constructive forces of the country: from the ruling to the opposition.

A prominent role in the fate of the VEO of Russia was played by outstanding economists, scientists, educators, statesmen, V different years who were members of the Society: Leonard Euler, Dmitry Mendeleev, Andrei Nartov, Nikolai Beketov, Samuel Gmelin, Mikhail Kutuzov, Thaddeus Bellingshausen, Ivan Krusenstern, Nikolai Miklukho-Maclay, Gavriil Derzhavin, Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Radishchev, Nikolai Mordvinov, Grigory Orlov, Roman Vorontsov , Mikhail Speransky, Pyotr Stolypin, Sergei Witte. VEO of Russia had great merits before Russian state, served the purposes and practical affairs of enlightenment. The first Charter of the Society said: “There is no more convenient means to increase in any state of the people’s welfare than to try to bring the economy to a better state, showing the proper ways in which natural products are used with greater benefit and former shortcomings can be corrected.” Society determined not only the pressing problems in the economic life of the country, but also the ways of solving these problems. The practical impact of the activities of the Society, its focus on effective reform, on the dissemination of new methods and technologies were no less important than the theoretical studies of the members of the VEO.

An effective system of organizational measures was developed to encourage creative search in the VEO:
- announcement of competitive tasks and awarding the winners with medals and cash prizes. Already in 1766, the VEO held the first competition on the question sent by Catherine II: “What is the property of the farmer - is it in the land that he cultivates, or in movables, and what right can he have for both for the benefit of the people?”. This competition marked the beginning of future social and economic reforms in Russia;
- study by well-known experts and even commissions of proposals of domestic inventors. At the same time, complex projects were subjected to many years of testing in different natural and climatic zones and by various persons specially invited for this work;
- organization of exhibitions and sales of the latest agricultural machinery. In the second half of the XIX century. agricultural exhibitions began to be arranged not only by provincial government bodies and societies, but also by county ones;
- and much more.

From the first days of its life, the VEO turned around and practical work - free distribution of seeds, the introduction of potato culture, hitherto unknown to Russians. In 1766, the Society raised the issue of spare stores and public plowing. Soon, VEO also began to manufacture an anti-smallpox vaccine for the population. However, economic analytics remained the main activity of the VEO.

In 1801, Alexander I issued an imperial decree addressed to the governors, requiring them to fulfill the tasks of the Free Economic Society in order to work together for the good of Russia. At the direction of Nicholas I, the VEO prepared a conclusion on the effectiveness of introducing technical achievements into the Russian economy, since the 20s of the XIX century, the Society has been actively involved in agricultural education, for this purpose in 1833 Emperor Nicholas I granted VEO capital, which the VEO used to train rural teachers .

In 1790, the Society developed and published an extensive program of local research under the title: "Inscription for the everlasting task and rewarding of those writings that economic descriptions of private Russian governorships will inform him." In 1801, the VEO achieved the highest command to “compel governors to answers”, and since 1829 it has been collecting the necessary information from the landowners and the clergy. In 1847, the Society collected and published data on the prices of bread, on forests and the timber industry, two years later it sent a special expedition to collect information about the black earth zone, and in 1853 it published materials on agricultural statistics.

On the day of its 100th anniversary, the VEO organized a congress of rural owners of Russia, at which the question was comprehensively discussed: “What should be the measures for the study of Russia in economic terms, and what participation can be taken in this matter by both the Free Economic Society and others scientists". The following year, together with the Geographical Society, an extensive study of the grain trade and productivity in Russia was undertaken, which resulted in a number of scientific works (by Barkovsky, Janson, Bezobrazov and others).

Since 1870, the VEO began to study the activities of zemstvos and published a special "Zemsky Yearbook", and in 1877 undertook a study of the Russian community, culminating in the publication of a solid collection. In 1889, the Society conducted a study of the arrears of peasants on the example of one of the districts of the Russian hinterland, in 1896-1898 a study of agricultural artels of the Kherson province was carried out. At the same time, according to the reports of Chuprov, Posnikov, Annensky, the question of the influence of harvests on various aspects of economic life was studied, according to the reports of Tugan-Baranovsky and Struve, the question of the direction economic development Russia.

The financial problems of the country were also in the field of view of the members of the Society. In 1886, the VEO raised the issue of income tax, in 1893 strongly protested against the salt tax, in 1896 discussed the draft monetary reform in Russia, and in 1898 petitioned for a revision of customs tariffs.

Since the 1920s, the Society has been actively involved in agricultural education. For many years, VEO maintained its own agricultural school, beekeeping school, had its own workshop and even a museum. Being engaged in the development of problems of soil science, the Society summarized the well-known works of Dokuchaev in the book "Russian Chernozem".

The Society paid much attention to the issues of statistics, developing the methodology and ways of organizing the appraisal business. In 1900, a congress of zemstvo statisticians gathered at the special statistical commission of the VEO.

Since 1849, under the auspices of the VEO, numerous exhibitions have been held: herd cattle, dairy farming, agricultural tools and machines, dried fruits and vegetables, etc. In 1850 and 1860, the Society organized exhibitions of "rural works" on an all-Russian scale. At several international and world exhibitions (Paris, 1878, 1889; Prague, 1879; Chicago, 1893 and others), VEO expositions were awarded the highest awards.

Among the most significant achievements of the VEO, which were of particular importance for the development of the country, the following should be noted: the members of the Society initiated the abolition of serfdom, the introduction of universal primary education, developed a reform mechanism implemented by Alexander II. The society became the ancestor of Russian statistics, the initiator of the spread of new varieties of agricultural crops in the country, the development of soil science, the formation of the domestic cheese industry, and much more.

In 1909, the VEO had more than 500 members, and there were correspondents in a number of foreign countries. The Society existed at the expense of government subsidies, numerous private donations and membership fees, had its own house in St. Petersburg, at one time owned part of Petrovsky Island and an experimental farm on the Okhta River.

All scientific and practical activities of the VEO are reflected in the Proceedings of the Imperial Free Economic Society (281 editions), published from its very foundation until 1915, not counting over 150 separate essays on various issues and publications of the Literacy Committee, which worked under the Society from 1861 to 1895 year. In addition, under the auspices of the VEO, periodicals were published at different times: “Economic News”, “Circle of Economic Information”, “Atlas of the Museum of the Imperial Free Economic Society”, “Forest Journal”, “Economic Notes”, “Russian Beekeeping Leaf” and others .
The privileged position of the VEO and the rights given to it were confirmed by each of the successors of Catherine II (with the exception of Paul I) upon their accession to the throne. In the last imperial rescript, given on November 21, 1894, attention was drawn to the useful activity of the Society and goodwill was declared for its labors.

From the second half of the 1890s, the period of the rapid flourishing of the Society's activities was replaced by a time of growing decline, which was facilitated by the liberal sentiments of some of its members, which caused dissatisfaction with the authorities. In 1895, the “unreliable” Literacy Committee was rejected from the VEO, in 1898 the Committee for Assistance to the Starving, which operated under the Society, was closed, some publications of the VEO were banned, and the minutes of its meetings were confiscated. In 1900, the authorities banned public meetings of the Society, put its work under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture and State Property, and demanded that the Charter be revised in the direction of narrow practical issues. The VEO actually curtailed its work, restoring it in full only after the tsar's Manifesto of 1905.

When the first one flared up World War, the VEO organized assistance to the victims of the war, while simultaneously discussing the issues of the state wartime budget and the situation of economic disorder. During one of these meetings in 1915, the activities of the Society were suddenly interrupted and banned. After February Revolution In 1917, the VEO became active again, under it even the Petrograd branch of the League of Agrarian Reforms was created. In 1919 the first public organization Russian economists ceased to exist. Only many years later, in 1963, the Society, which had done so much for the good of the Fatherland, was remembered in connection with a letter to the Central Committee of the CPSU from the historian A.P. Berdyshev, who proposed to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the VEO. But functionaries from the Central Committee of the CPSU and VASKhNIL blocked the initiative, considering it "inappropriate."

The revival of the Society began in the 1980s, when there was a renewed interest in the profession of an economist. At this time, the Scientific and Economic Society was created, which at the II Congress was renamed the All-Union Economic Society. In 1988, a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR "Issues of the All-Union Economic Society" was issued. Outstanding scientists, practical economists, academicians L.I. Abalkin, A.G. Aganbegyan, A.Yu. Ishlinsky, N.Ya. Petrakov, T.S. Khachaturov, S.S. Shatalin; Professor G.Kh. Popov, P.G. Bunich, N.N. Gritsenko, O.V. Kozlova, V.N. Kirichenko, A.M. Rumyantsev, A.D. Sheremet, V.N. Cherkovets, E.G. Yasin; heads of state structures (planning, financial, statistical and other economic departments): N.V. Belov, A.I. Lebed, N.P. Lebedinsky, N.V. Garetovsky, L.A. Kostin, V.S. Pavlov, N.I. Ryzhkov, V.I. Shcherbakov and many others.

In 1992, the historical name of the Free Economic Society of Russia was returned to the organization of economists. The VEO of Russia is the spiritual successor and continuer of the traditions of the Imperial Free Economic Society, which is legally enshrined by the Ministry of Justice Russian Federation.

A huge contribution to the formation of the Society's activities rightfully belongs to the President of the VEO of Russia, Professor G. Kh. Popov.

In 1765, by decree of Her Imperial Majesty Catherine II, the oldest public organization, the Free Economic Society, was formed. It was independent of the Government, which is why it was called Free. The special position and rights of the organization were confirmed by each successor of Catherine II during his accession to the throne. And even more than that, quite often the Free Economic Society received impressive sums from the treasury to implement their ideas.

Purpose of the Free Economic Society

At the origin of the formation of the organization was a whole group of courtiers, representing the interests of liberal-minded nobles and scientists, headed by M.V. Lomonosov. At that time, these people put forward very revolutionary ideas:

1. Development of the monetary economy.
2. The growth of industrial production.
3. Abolition of serfdom.

The truth that ruled then did not support them. And only Catherine II allowed the project to begin and encouraged it in every possible way. Free Economic declared the primacy of the interests of the state, which should develop based on effective economic activity.

Beginning of work

And back in 1765, finally, the Free Economic Society was adopted. The first step was to hold a competition among 160 specialists representing various states. The main topic was the distribution of the right to land owners to bring maximum benefit to their country.

The main merits of IVEO before the Empire

The creation of the Free Economic Society was of great importance for the state. Among the merits of the organization both to the reigning dynasty and to the people of the country, it should be noted:

1. Initiation of the abolition of serfdom.
2. Universal Primary Education.
3. Beginning of work of statistical committees.
4. The laying of the first cheese factories.
5. Distribution and popularization of new species and varieties of various cultivated plants (in particular, potatoes and others).

Publishing and educational activities

Members of the organization tried to convey their work on the intensification of agricultural production, increasing the industrial power of the state and many other topics to the widest possible masses of the population. The Free Economic Society of Russia published both monographs and periodicals. The library of the organization consisted of almost two hundred thousand monographs, and in the collection of Zemstvo publications there were more than forty thousand copies of brochures and books. At various times, such major thinkers of the Russian Empire as A. M. Butlerov, G. R. Derzhavin, D. I. Mendeleev, N. V. Vereshchagin, P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, V. V. Dokuchaev , A. and L. Euler, A. S. Stroganov, V. G. Korolenko, L. N. Tolstoy, A. A. Nartov, A. N. Senyavin and many others.

Contribution to the defense of the country

The First World War forced to mobilize everything that the Russian Empire had. The Free Economic Society did not stand aside either. In its structure in Moscow, a special unit was created for the needs of the troops - Voentorg. His tasks included providing officers who were directly involved in hostilities with various goods at reduced prices.

Fall and rebirth

The activities of the IEVO structures were severely undermined by the world war and subsequent revolutions. And after the events of 1917, the organization of Russian economists ceased to exist. Work resumed only after many years. Restoration began in the 1970s public association leading economists. At this time, there was a need to improve economic activity states. It was then that economists organized their own organization - the NEO. The newly formed Community carried out work throughout the country. Already at the end of the eighties, the transformation of the NEO took place. It became known as the "All-Union Economic Community".

Modern activities of VEO

In the early nineties there was significant event. The Organization of Russian Economists again regained its former historical name. Now it has become known as the Free Economic Society of Russia. A great contribution to the restoration of the work of the organization was made by Professor Popov. Today VEO operates in every region of Russia. This organization employs thousands of scientists and various specialists. The WEO seeks to use historical experience to play a major role in understanding the challenges facing national economy countries. The organization pursues the goal of raising Russian entrepreneurship. This large army of economists and administrative workers must find a new approach to solving the pressing economic problems of the country's development.

Research

The organization is engaged in major scientific programs. The most famous of them:

Modern VEO Editions

In Russia, the organization again began to publish "Scientific Works". During the first three years of activity, 4 volumes were printed, which are devoted to the most topical issues domestic economy. IN " Scientific works"most Russian articles are printed. VEO also released:

1. Analytical and information publications.
2. "Economic Bulletin of Russia".
3. Monthly magazine "The Past: History and Management Experience".

Revival of reviews

With the help of the active work of the VEO, the tradition of holding various national competitions was restored. At the end of the 1990s, the Moscow government and the VEO held reviews in which young scientists, many students and pupils took part. Two topics were considered: "Russia and beginning of XXI century", as well as "Moscow is the basis of the country's economic development". Being a member of International Union, which united the workers of the economic sector, the VEO is working to improve the country's integration ties in the current system.

VEO developments

Among the numerous works, a few stand out:

1. Employment of the population, problems of unemployment.
2. Investments, finances and the possibility of cash investments.
3. Further improvement of the banking system.
4. Caspian Sea: problems, choice of directions and priority solutions.
5. Ecological problems.
6. Increasing economic growth.

All proposed works of the VEO are supported and approved by the President and the Government of the Russian Federation.