‘Oil is useful and not harmful to fish.’ Historian Andrei Vinogradov on oil spills in the Russian Empire, from the burning Volga to the demolition of all the oil refineries in Baku – interview to “Kedr.Media” (in Russian).

Peer-reviewed publications(selected)

Vinogradov, Andrei, and Stanislav Petriashin. 2018. “Chemical Industry, the Environment, and Russian Provincial Society: The Case of the Kokshan Chemical Works (1850–1925).” Ambix 65 (2): 143–68.

This article explores interactions between the chemical industry, the environment, and Russian provincial society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, using the example of the Kokshan chemical works, in the Elabuga District, Viatka Province, Russian Empire (today Mendeleevsk District, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation). The plant’s location facilitated its rapid development due to a number of factors, including a cheap labour force, the availability of raw materials, and the absence of local competition. However, the factory’s development came in conjunction with the deterioration of the environment and subsequent health problems for employees and the surrounding population. Conflicts connected with the Kokshan works illustrate differences between this case and similar examples in Russia and Europe. In Viatka Province, the local community remained mostly silent regarding these issues, and made no demands for improving sanitary control and working conditions or reducing pollution; rather, it was distant activists who personally suffered no harm who intervened in the interest of social justice. The history of the company reflects the contrast between the transfer of European technological innovations to Russia and laborious efforts to increase national wealth on the one hand, and the exploitation of the environment and endangerment of workers’ health on the other.

Andrei Vinogradov. 2020. “‘Profit to the landlord, death to us!’ Peasants’ struggle against industrial pollution in late imperial and early Soviet Russia (1850-1925),” Bulletin of Surgut State Pedagogical University, no. 6 (69): 24–33 (in Russian).

The article explores how peasants in late imperial and early Soviet Russia perceived industrial pollution and what means they had to resist it. Unlike urban populations, which have received more scholarly attention, rural communities were often more attuned to environmental degradation but had limited access to public arenas in which to advocate for their rights. The author examines several cases of confrontation between peasants and industrial enterprises, asking whether the former were merely subaltern actors without a voice or active participants in pollution-related conflicts. The analysis reveals that public recognition of peasant grievances was typically contingent upon the involvement of public activists or state institutions. On their own, peasant protests against industrial pollution stood little chance of success without the backing of privileged social groups.

Andrei Vinogradov and Ivan Mantserov, “Science and Industrial Pollution in Late Imperial Russia: The Life and Work of Grigory Vitalyevich Khlopin (1863–1929),” Sociology of Science and Technology 13, no. 2 (2022): 68–87 (in Russian).

In this article, the authors examine the role of science and technology in combating industrial environmental pollution through the lens of the biography of the prominent Russian hygienist Grigory Vitalyevich Khlopin (1863–1929). The biographical approach shifts the historiographical focus from social groups and institutions to micro-contextualization, allowing for a deeper understanding of the issue by exploring phenomena and processes tied to a particular individual and the range of opportunities available to them in a specific historical setting. As one of the most sought-after experts in the fields of hygiene and sanitation, Khlopin contributed to the development of the most effective sanitary legislation and regulations of his time and served as an expert witness in several landmark cases against factories accused of industrial pollution. Based on an analysis of scientific literature from the period and biographical sources, the authors argue that Khlopin’s effective collaboration with relevant government agencies in matters of air and water protection was rooted in his ability to produce highly relevant scientific knowledge. This knowledge addressed not only the technical and medical dimensions of pollution control but also its social context — which often proved even more significant for governance practices.

Andrei Vinogradov, Anna Agafonova, and Ivan Mantserov, “‘The Right of the Poor to Unpoisoned Air and Water’: Urban Self-Government in the Fight Against Industrial Pollution in Late Imperial Russia,” Tomsk State University Journal of History, no. 79 (2022): 34–43 (in Russian).

The article examines the role of municipal councils (city dumas) in the development of industrial pollution control in late imperial Russia. It highlights the mechanisms urban self-government employed to address sanitary issues and analyzes its patterns of interaction with central and regional authorities. Drawing on an analysis of the most prominent conflicts in this field, the authors argue that local self-government played a crucial role in shaping Russia’s environmental policy. However, this role varied significantly depending on the economic, cultural, and social characteristics of each region.

Andrei Vinogradov, “The Public Movement Against Chemical Pollution of the Environment: The Historical Experience of Pendleton and Kazan (1846–1917),” Bulletin of Udmurt University. Series History and Philology 28, no. 1 (2018): 23–32 (in Russian).

The article presents a comparative analysis of public movements aimed at protecting the environment and human health from industrial pollution in Britain and Russia, using two case studies: Peter Spence’s factory in the suburbs of Manchester and the Ushkov & Co. Partnership’s plant in the Igumnova Sloboda district of Kazan. Both enterprises had a detrimental impact on the environment: toxic gases emitted from their production processes led to the death of plants and domestic animals, as well as increased illness among workers and local residents. While the ecological damage and the mechanisms behind it were similar, the differing social contexts significantly influenced both the resolution of the conflicts and the extent of the harm caused. Under the pressure of public opinion, Peter Spence decided to relocate his factory to a more remote area, even before the court issued a ruling. In contrast, in Kazan, the Ushkov & Co. Partnership, protected by the provincial authorities, resisted for twelve years the efforts of local self-government, the Governing Senate, and the Ministry of the Interior, all of which demanded that the harmful production be shut down. Based on an analysis of the social actors involved in the conflicts in Russia and Britain, the author concludes that the decisive factor in both cases was the established mode of interaction between the state and society.

Reviews (selected)

Andrei Vinogradov. Review of: David Moon, Nicholas B. Breyfogle and Alexandra Bekasova (eds) Place and Nature. Essays in Russian Environmental History1 Winwick, Cambridgeshire: The White Horse Press, 2021.

Andrei Vinogradov. Review of: Morgan, Ruth A.: Climate Change and International History. Negotiating Science, Global Change, and Environmental Justice. London 2024, ISBN 978-1-3502-4013-1, in: H-Soz-Kult, 31.07.2024, https://www.hsozkult.de/publicationreview/id/reb-142093.