Transition in Moscow: Urban Industrial Moscow

Urban Industrial development started to flourish around 1696 under the reign of Peter the Great. Moscow became one of two major centers of metal production in Russia. Not only was it the center of metal production, but Moscow also produced linen and woolen textile mills. Other small factories were used for manufacturing glass, paper, and leather goods. Once Peter the Great died in 1725, the industrial development of Moscow began to slow down greatly, falling behind Western Europe and North America.

The American Civil war was a catalyst which enabled industrial development to take off once again. Moscow was growing because of its many deposits of minerals and valuable metals and because the world was in desperate need for an assortment of foods. All of Moscow’s industries were rising incredibly, some even 100 fold including coal, pig iron, steel, and oil production. Moscow had become one of the largest textile centers internationally.

(Jens Olaf factory in Moscow)

Moscow, which became the most important “old center of market-oriented, labor-intensive industries”, was producing thirty percent of Russia’s industrial goods. Although the city had few natural resources, Moscow developed industrially before the 1917 revolution because of its central location and because it is the capital of the Soviet Union. By 1991, Moscow accounted for nearly twenty percent of the Soviet’s industrial output. The capital had become an engineering, textile, manufacturing, and commercial center. A decade later, Moscow was producing thirty-five percent of Russia’s total industrial output.

The city had become so rich and politically powerful partly because of river trade. River trade opened way to the Middle East, central Asia, and China. Most traffic at the beginning of urban industrial growth moved by rivers. Other forms of transportation included railroads. In 1851, a railroad was built that connected Moscow to St. Petersburg. Later on plenty more railroads had developed connecting Moscow to many other cities including Saratov, Warsaw, and Crimea. In 1892, the construction the railway that connects Moscow to Siberia began. This railroad known as the Trans-Siberian Railway became imperative for urban industrial growth.

During the Soviet rule, the common people of Moscow lived in microrayons. Microrayons were constructed near industry and other places of work to minimize journeys to work. They housed 8,000-12,000 people in living areas designed as integrated units of high-rise apartment buildings, stores, and schools to provide consumers with cultural and educational services required by Soviet norms.