The raw material problem as a major hindrance to development of cottage industry in Tambov Governorate from the second half of the 19th till the first third of the 20th century

We discuss the negative impact of the raw material problem on the development of the cottage industry in the late imperial period, military communism time and the New Economic Policy in Tambov Governorate. The availability of the raw material base was of great importance for craft activities, since in the absence of the required materials, the craftsmen would not be able to start their work. Craftsmen could obtain the raw materials necessary for their work either on the personal, communal lands or in local markets. In the first situation, dependence on natural and climatic conditions increased. In the second, everything depended on the buyers, who understood the demand and sought to extract the maximum profit from trade, therefore put the craftsmen at unfavourable conditions. The state authorities of both late imperial and the Soviet Union tried to solve the raw material problem in their own way. In Tambov Governorate of the late imperial period, craft storage houses were organized to help the craftsmen. Also, the government offered large credits. The Soviet Union leadership hoped for mass cooperation of the craftsmen. The article provides the examples of the fact that the difficulties faced by craftsmen have not disappeared despite the actions of the authorities. The cottage industry gave way to the manufactured goods after industrialization.