About Moscow Russia

When Moscow was merely a minor stronghold and of low importance in 1147, it was first mentioned in the Chronicles. It didn’t start to play a part until the 14th century, when it started to rise to become one of the most powerful principalities. The Schukinskaya site on the Moscow River, which was discovered during the New Stone Age, has the city’s first signs of human habitation (Paranyushkin n.p.). Recent research has also revealed that the city served as a Dyakovo culture village and Fatyanovskaya culture graveyard. The Slavic tribes that conquered the region also settled in Moscow. The precise nature of the Slavic languages led to the etymology of the city’s original name Moskva to Moscow. Moscow’s strategic importance was acknowledged in 1147 when Prince Yury Dolgoruky built a palisade that was moat-ringed and wooden and invited allies to a banquet (Paranyushkin n.p.). The palisade was built on a hill and became the first Kremlin. The Kremlin’s walls had merchant rows which attracted artisans and traders making Moscow flourish economically. In 1236, a Mongol-led army (Golden Horde) burnt the city, killed the governor, and took control. The Mongols were interested in tribute following Moscow’s strategic and convenient location for monitoring road traffic and river trade. Prince Ivan Danilovich, acting as the Mongol tax collector, helped the city collect the huge amount of taxes that contributed to the prosperity of the place. Therefore, the city developed rapidly and its political fortunes increased.

Moscow grew into a prosperous city because of performing various functions such as religious ones. In the 1270s, Daniel, son of Alexander Nevsky, took part in power struggles with lasting success in ruling as the Grand Duke of Moscow. He established the first monastery on the right bank of Moscow-river (Paranyushkin n.p.). The Saint Daniel Monastery also had a cemetery which formed burial grounds for the city residents. Later in the 1450s, the place became a robust religious center following the establishment of the independent and organized Russia Orthodox Church. Moreover, Moscow grew into one of the most influential cities because of its military functions. In 1380, a united Russian army, led by Prince Dmitry of Moscow brought great victory over the Mongols, liberating all of Russia from the domination by them (Paranyushkin n.p.). Prince Ivan III broke Russia from the control by Tatar in 1480 and made Moscow the capital that could include Siberia, the whole of Russia, and several other regions of the land. The fight against Tatar enlarged the city’s territory increasing the population and the square kilometers occupied by the place. Moreover, the Kremlin walls were reconstructed and became large trade settlement regions. The eastern wall had a moat constructed to link Neglinnaya and Moskva. It was filled with water from Neglinnaya to serve the people. The growth and expansion of the city’s territories saw greater developments and prosperity. By the 19th century, Moscow had developed into an educational center. The city hosted the first University in Russia, newspaper, and museum. This literary and intellectual scene led to a Slavophil movement that was nationalistically inspired, to celebrate the distinct culture of Russia.

Industrialization overtook commerce in the 1850s and became the economic driving force of Moscow. The city grew into a textile industry following the steady cotton supply from Central Asia. The vast population of Russia settled in rural areas and practiced primitive agriculture. Moscow was, however, a growing industrial region with numerous railroads and factory workers (Harrison 205). The city alongside other Russian industrial regions produced coal, steel, and iron. Some of these areas included St. Petersburg, Russian Poland, the Baltic cities, and lower regions of the Dnepr and Don Rivers. The production of these goods grew tremendously between 1890 and 1900 (Rowe 24). Nevertheless, exports and grain production failed to grow consistently making imports rise faster compared to exports. Russia’s foreign trade could not meet the needs of the empire. As a result, higher industrial tariffs were introduced. Industrialization was critical after the government realized the inadequacy of Russian agriculture to finance foreign debt, its expenses, and imports. The increased taxes and the levied labor had a substantial impact on legal, cultural, military, financial, and educational spheres. Huge infrastructure programs were implemented mainly railway constructions to promote the transport sector. These railroads permitted transport into remote areas for the building of factories, dams, and mines.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the city got engaged in War I that exhausted it. Moscow’s social and capital systems failed for several years. By 1900, the city’s community had increased following its significant industrial development. The high population brought about a housing crisis in the postwar years. This problem saw the invention of high rise apartments to house the majority of the people of the city (Krasheninnokov 2). Notably, the Moscow Metro was established in 1935, and it became the centerpiece of the transportation system. This Stalinist device became the prototype for most of the future Soviet large-scale technologies. For instance, one of the subway stations, Sverdlov Square, had porcelain bas-reliefs to show the artwork and daily life of the Soviet people. Additionally, the Dynamo Stadium glorified sports and the Soviet Man’s physical prowess. The metro, therefore, became a symbol for social order and source of employment for the Soviet workers. Additionally, in 1961, the MKAD ring road was constructed with four lanes across the city borders. The ring road marked Moscow’s administrative boundaries until the incorporation of the suburbs in the 1980s. The development of these transport systems increased industrialization since raw materials could easily get to the various factories and products could be transported faster to their different markets (Harrison 198). The early development of industries such as the iron production in Moscow can be attributed to the local availability of charcoal, iron ore, and a nearby market. The industry obtained its raw materials from the smelting of the small deposits of the locally available iron ore with the use of charcoal that was obtained from the surrounding forests (Rowe 25). After War II the iron and steel industry increased with new plants being built. For example, the Cherepovets iron and steel plant near Tula, south of Moscow, was constructed. Its iron ore originated from Kola Peninsula, coal from Vorkuta, and limestone from the Baltic area.

During the industrial era, the city faced binding social pressures. The peasants quit working on their farms and moved to Moscow to work in the developing industrial factories. Their migration into the city was in search of improved living standards and to gain a little more income. However, these peasants did not realize Tsar’s trap to acquire more labor. The industrial employees worked for long hours with little pay and sometimes none. Their living conditions were also poor since they lived in filth, consumed sickening food, and developed diseases (Krasheninnokov 5). Their working days included even Sundays with less or no food. The consequence of this industrialization was the formation of a middle class in the hierarchical structure of the city and the entire Russia. This class was of the capitalists who were traders, industrialists, landowners, and bankers (Krasheninnokov 4). Ultimately, industrial developments created jobs, wealth and the fast and cheap production of goods. Nevertheless, it had detrimental social effects on the industrial workers making the city experience numerous social problems. In the early 1800s, Moscow had a population of more than 100,000 residents and was one of the most occupied cities. By 1900 the place had over a million inhabitants. By the year 2002, Moscow had grown to have over 10.3 million residents. The establishment of new industries led to the movement of landless peasants into the city in search of employment (Krasheninnokov 3). Moscow was not however prepared for the rapid urban growth hence the formation of a rising social class by these farmers. The sudden population growth did not match the construction of new housing. For these reasons, industrial employers housed workers in tenements and ramshackle dormitories. The congestion in Moscow also contributed to the social problems faced by workers. They lived in unhygienic housing with freezing conditions.

Nonetheless, the increase city population declined under two circumstances: during War I and War II (Krasheninnokov 3-4). In the Soviet era, there was a temporary restriction of migration into Moscow except in cases of joining higher educational institutions, marriage or employment in particular jobs. Notably, the Stalinist policies ensured the strict supervision of the movement of the population. After the abolishment of residence registration (propiska) in 1993, there was a dramatic increase in migration into Moscow. The dominant population group remained Russians across the years (since 1900) while other communities included Ukrainians and Tatars (Paranyushkin n.p.). After 1991, the Jews population declined following the mass emigration to Germany, Israel, and the United States. On the other hand, the population of Caucasians had been augmenting over the years. These Caucasians comprised of the Georgians, Armenians, Chechens, and Azerbaijanis.

Notably, the poor working conditions in the city led to the development of labor unions. For instance, the Shop and Factory Committees took control over the economic struggle and the extraordinary strikes (Krasheninnokov 2). Through a simple declaration, they introduced an eight-hour working day. The overthrow of Czarism marked the beginning of organizing masses. Czarism’s end implied the end of the capitalist system, profits, and the exploitation of masses. These committees forced the industrial employers into complying with their demands since the government was not protecting them. Nonetheless, this movement was terminated after the Bolsheviks consolidated power hence nationalizing the industry. In the Soviet era, trade unions were also formed and operated on the basis of democratic centralism and were a government apparatus. The Soviet trade unions had the primary objective of furthering the management of the government and enhancing the production interests. Notably, these unions had some input in the construction of local housing and improvement of capital in the factories (Paranyushkin n.p.). Furthermore, they had an influence on the production plans and agreements on remuneration with the management. The unions also attempted to promote worker morale, labor discipline, and productivity. Other functions included issuing passes to health centers, overseeing the construction of factories and local housing and awarding bonuses.

Moscow suffered significant ecological stress. In the Soviet Union, various dangerous environmental conditions were recognized by the public. The city, however, did not experience the worst three disasters that struck Russia and attracted attention. One of them included a nuclear explosion at Ukraine at the Chernobyl’ Nuclear Power Station. Such accidents caused injuries and loss of lives of the workers and locals. The city of Moscow suffered high levels of vehicular and industrial air pollution. There was also an improper disposal of the radioactive wastes. Moscow being a populated city and heavily industrialized contained the highest number of pollutants. The vehicles used leaded fuel increasing the hazardous emissions into the environment. This pollution, therefore, affected the urban inhabitants while the rural areas had reduced pollution because of the few inhabitants and less industrialization (Eroshina Danishevski, Wilkinson, and McKee 198-199). In the 1990s, strategies were established to help mitigate industrial production. These efforts aimed at improving the city’s air quality as well as that of entire Russia. Nonetheless, Russia is still rated among the most polluted countries in the world.

In conclusion, Moscow contributed to social mobility in the poorer regions. The higher income obtained from working in the developing industries promoted the emigration peasants. The laborers who moved to Moscow had an opportunity to increase their living standards with the increased wages and could access public goods (Krasheninnokov 4). The city gave them the privilege to utilize the established resources such as better transport systems. Ultimately, Moscow gave its inhabitants the opportunity to interact with foreigners hence eliminating the poverty traps and the interregional differentials in wages, unemployment rates, and income.

Works Cited

Eroshina Ksenia, Danishevski Kirill, Wilkinson, Paul, and McKee, Martin. Environmental and Social Factors as Determinants of Respiratory Dysfunction in Junior Schoolchildren in Moscow. Journal of Public Health, vol. 26, no. 2, 2004, pp. 197-204.

Harrison, Mark. Agriculture and Economic Growth from the Eighteenth Century to Present: Soviet Agriculture and Industrialization, pp. 192-208. 1996.

Krasheninnokov, Alexey. The Case of Moscow, Russia. UN Habitat and Development Planning Unit of the University College London, Understanding Slums: Case studies for the Global Report, 2003, University College London, London.

Paranyushkin, Dmitry. Brief History of Moscow. Way to Russia, 2014. http://waytorussia.net/Moscow/History.html Accessed 2 Dec. 2014.

Rowe, James. The Development of the Russian Iron and Steel. Pp. 24-30. http://www.gammathetaupsilon.org/the-geographical-bulletin/1970s/volume10/article4.pdf