Nationalization of the UK Coal Industry in the Middle of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of studying the activities of the fuel and energy complex, which plays an important role in the modern economy, is supported by the fact that in this sector there is an active interaction between the authorities and private business. In Russia, this issue has not been fully resolved, and therefore the experience of a state such as Great Britain will be important in carrying out transformations. Methods and materials. The key ones in the study of the topic are regulations, statistics and office documentation in English, as well as the works of foreign authors. By nature, the study is historical and implies the use of specialized and general scientific methods of cognition. Analysis. The subject of the study is the British coal industry, which in the interwar period was faced with a structural crisis, related to shifts in the global economy and the impact of domestic market factors. As a response, controversy arose in the ruling circles and the scientific community of the United Kingdom regarding the increased influence of the authorities on economic processes and related measures of support to the population. The nationalization of coal mining, planned even before World War II, was carried out only in 1946–1947 and led to the formalization of a state monopoly that gave stability to the domestic coal market. The multi-level management structure of the association made it possible to quickly respond to emerging problems, and the involvement of members of the public and experts helped to build a system for exchanging information and interaction between the company’s management, industry enterprises and coal consumers. In fact, the authorities took control of the modernization of coal mining and its adaptation to the needs of industry, transport and households, emphasizing not only quantitative but also qualitative indicators of the coal sector. Results. Thus, state regulation of economic processes and transfer of coal industry facilities in favor of the Crown, they did not act as goals in themselves, but were a stabilizing measure during the transitional period for the country.