Salt trade in Bessarabia in the context of the inclusion of the province in the economic system of the Russian Empire (1812-1850)

The study is focused on the issue of trade with salt in Bessarabia, from the annexation of the province, by the Peace of Bucharest of May 16/28, 1812, and until the saline lakes in southern Bessarabia flooding in 1850. Broadly speaking it is a well studied problem in the historiography of the MSSR and Republic of Moldova. Despite this, we found it necessary to come up with new archival documentary data, to make some additions on less developed issues. The scientific novelty of the study is given by the approach to the examination of the issue. This particularly approach has several important research goals. First, note that the salt trade in the Russian Empire in the set out period represented a state monopoly. Russian state typically granted the right of extraction and marketing of salt to different persons. Secondly, the issue of salt trade in Bessarabia is closely linked to the problem of protectionist policy of the Russian Empire towards the newly annexed province. Russian government's tendency to protect producers of salt form the Crimea, by the ban imposed on export of salt from Bessarabia, did not suite the dealers of salt extraction from the province. The antagonism of the situation is relevant in understanding the issues related to the inclusion of Bessarabia into the economical system of the Russian Empire. Another goal of our approach to the research of trade salt in Bessarabia is related to suppression of customs and sanitary cordon on Dniester River by the Regulation of 26 September 1830. In return, the Russian government established in the province a Department of salines, in order to assert its control over the export of salt and thus continued its policy of disadvantaging producers of salt in Bessarabia for the benefit of those from Crimea. This was despite the fact that the province was de jure included in socio-political and economic system of the Russian Empire after the withdrawn of last levers of autonomy by the Establishment of administration of 1828.