History and Peculiarities of Foreign Entrepreneurship Development in St. Petersburg in the Eighteenth Century

The Northern capital of Russia began its history in the eighteenth century. Almost simultaneously with the will of Tsar Peter the Great, the foundations of commercial and industrial power were developed in the capital of the Russian Empire. Trade people moved there from various trading regions of Russia on the initiative of the Tsar, often to their detriment. Artillery and Admiralty plants were built in the capital, and various branches of industries started to be developed. That required qualified personnel. Peter the Great pursued an active policy of inviting foreign specialists to St. Petersburg. The tsar concluded an agreement with each expert according to which the conditions for the trade, industry and construction development were provided for foreign citizens. The sovereign guaranteed the payment for the experts’ labor for a certain period of time, provided that those specialists would not only contribute to the development of St. Petersburg’s commercial and industrial prosperity but also train and educate specialists from among Russian citizens. Peter the Great’s policy attracted the interests of foreign specialists, as the state provided them with safeguards and guarantees. Therefore, the flow of representatives of various specialties was great, as well as the geography of the states from where merchants, industrialists, craftsmen, and representatives of various specialties came to St. Petersburg. The chapter analyzes the directions of private foreign business proliferation and development in St. Petersburg in the eighteenth century.