Vodlozerie (North-West Russia): former social potential in the light of historical data and geographical landscape

Abstract

The article presents a comparative evaluation of quantitative evidence of the living conditions in the Vodlozero region in northern Russia collected in five time periods (1791, 1873, 1905, 1926, 1933) on the basis of the General Land Survey (Generalnoe Mezhevanie of Olonets Gubernia – GMOG), reintroduced into historical research practice, and a thorough examination of the lists of known settlements. Based on the information about the number of households and the dynamics of their habitability over time, as well as on the data pertaining to economic activities of the region’s inhabitants, the author shows the increase of regional potential for social and demographic development from the end of the 18th century until the first third of the 20th century, which enabled the local peasant community to survive through the political upheavals of the first quarter of the 20th century. By showing how the established traditional economic and social practices had evolved over centuries and ensured the sustainability of human and economic resources specific to the natural landscape of the Vodlozero area, the paper offers a retrospective reconstruction of the specifics of the extent of human intervention with nature, as well as social consequences of this process in the long run.

Keywords

• Vodlozero area
• the untapped social potenti al
• the desolation of the region
• mean household size
• population density
• settlement patterns and land use