Unrealized ideas of Ivan Khristoforovich Ozerov. Economics for millions

,
RSFSR (1917-1922),
USSR USSR

Biography

Ozerov was not an armchair scientist, but a practical scientist, an enthusiastic and tireless educator. “As a son of the working people, I wanted to be useful, and, being brought up at the expense of the people, climbing up over their shoulders, I wanted to be useful in spreading knowledge among them and awakening in them energy and creativity in economic life,” he wrote.

In April 1917 he resigned from Moscow University. After the revolutionary year of 1917, Ozerov, unlike many Russian bankers and entrepreneurs, did not emigrate and remained in Russia, where he continued his scientific activities, in particular, he developed the concept of creating an agricultural bank, studied the financial problems of domestic and foreign trade, and studied the issues of the scientific organization of labor. .

Views on industrialization

Russian society in the issue of industrialization of Russia stood at a very low level. Russian society lived by the morality of the nobility: away from industry, this deed is unclean and unworthy of every intellectual. But sitting down to play cards, drinking at the same time and scolding the government - this is the real occupation of a thinking person.<…>We were still dominated by populist ideas<…>that is, that industry is not a state affair, but a private one, that every industrialist is a swindler who should be imprisoned, that he does nothing useful; they did not understand that the planting of a large and strong industry and, together with it, the working class in our country is the greatest thing.

I was a great enthusiast of the industrialization of Russia, and I was often called the troubadour of Russian industry. I dreamed of making our country drunk, of infecting our country with creative enthusiasm, and I urged everyone to take part in the creation of industry in our country; it is time to stop being tributaries of Europe, we must stand on our own feet, especially when we had such natural wealth at our disposal; and I urged everyone, from old to young, to stand under the banner of economism, to buy shares in industrial enterprises, if not creative activity to participate in the creation of the industry, then at least with their savings.

Perspectives on Entrepreneurship and Cooperation

Ozerov believed that "we need to create a new type of entrepreneur, with a broad outlook, on a large scale, with other methods." He spoke and wrote about the need to establish in Russia an “elastic social system that would enable everyone to develop their strengths”, advocated raising an interest in science, educating “another generation with other heads, other habits”, spoke out for the transition from the regime of low-paid work to a highly paid one.

Ozerov was looking for more equitable socially organized forms of production and considered cooperation as a counter to monopoly. He believed that in historical perspective cooperation could make adjustments to the legal system, improve the budget, and reveal its potential. Ozerov was the most consistent of the so-called consumer societies, capable of uniting different classes, reducing or even blocking the social tension that inevitably grows under capitalism. According to him, in a consumer society "persons of different classes, estates<…>come together for a common cause, and they learn to appreciate and respect each other. upper classes will not be so indifferent to the demands of the working class, and the workers, in their turn, having familiarized themselves with the mechanism of production, the conditions of sale, and the influence of the market on it, will make practical demands.

It is noteworthy that the Old Believer entrepreneurship relied on the ideas of Ozerov in their successful business activities.

Views on government intervention in the economy

Ozerov was convinced that a lot depended on the government, that a far-sighted government would build the economic well-being of Russia “on its natural foundation - the well-being of the Russian peasant. Otherwise, all this economic development will be ephemeral.” The economic life of Russia under Nicholas II reminded Ozerov "the life of a player depending on the harvest and crop failure."

Ozerov emphasized that without a turn in the general economic policy from Stolypin's agrarian reforms, which he welcomed as a "creative" undertaking of the government of "huge importance," "there can be little sense."

Views on financial policy

Ozerov was outraged by the course of the Ministry of Finance, when huge sums were sent to the current accounts of foreign banks, nourishing the foreign money market, instead of using these funds to develop the domestic national economy.

Ozerov spoke out against bringing the wine and vodka foundation under the budget of agricultural Russia and called for "pumping and pumping very vigorously into the pockets of the population."

Taxation has been practiced in the country for decades - uniform for certain segments of the population. This is despite the fact that the peasants have long been different in terms of property, and the landowners - who got rich and who went bankrupt, and the heterogeneity of the merchant fraternity was downright evident. For years, Ozerov advocated the introduction of a differentiated (elastic) income tax, convinced of the stimulating value of this innovation (long known in Europe and America) for the development of classes and economic life, for replenishing the state treasury.

Ozerov had his own (“non-partisan”) program to improve the Russian budget, which was fed mainly by taxes on consumption. It provided for the redistribution of the tax burden in favor of the poor and a wider taxation of inheritances, a revision of official salaries for top-ranking officials, an end to the pernicious practice of secret budgets, strengthening the system of state control and turning it into an effective force, and cultivating conscientiousness among Russian taxpayers.

In the book “How people's money is spent in Russia” (1908), Ozerov writes:

State funds were often spent in our country, in essence, incorrectly, not in the interests of the national economy as a whole, since expenditures of a productive nature occupied an absolutely insignificant place in our budget ...

Keeping our state economy should be absolutely public, and it would be high time to put an end to the clerical secret here ...
Our central bank is in an abnormal position, he is known to be subject to the sole authority ...
The figures of our state budget do not always express the actual costs of this or that need. Many departments and institutions have their own special funds or special capitals, from which funds are drawn for various purposes and tasks ...
Our oil economy is being conducted irrationally. Government power is under strong influence big capital. The country is in need of money, and the oilmen never get big dividends...
We had enough money for everything, but not enough for the culture of the brain, the head ...

Our ugly tax system needs to be radically overhauled. Until now, it has been built under the influence of momentary moods: money was needed, and they tried to scoop it up where given time it would be the easiest and easiest way to get them, not at all coping with how this will affect the population.

urban planning

Writing activity

Under the pseudonym Z. Ikhorova, at the beginning of the 20th century, he released the works of art "Confession of a Man", "Notes of a Suicide", "Songs of a Homeless Man".

commercial activity

Ozerov was a shareholder and board member of the Lena gold mines, Erivan cement plant, the Tula Land Bank, the Khanzhonkov Joint Stock Company, the Russian Stationery Factory, the Sytin Publishing House, the Lapshin Match Factory and others. He offered I. D. Sytin cooperation for publishing his own newspaper in order to “gain influence on the formation public opinion with us, ”however, Sytin did not want to quarrel with the government, which gave orders for the printing of textbooks. Shortly before the February Revolution, Ozerov bought up the shares of the Erinsky Cement Plant for 105 rubles, and then sold them for 300, earning more than 1 million rubles on this.

Lifestyle

I.Kh. Ozerov walked around in the same clothes for years, did not show off in restaurants, traveled in the second class. However, this did not prevent him from yielding to various temptations: “He was not averse, in his words,“ to drink and walk with ballerinas ”, tried drugs, wrote screenplays for A. A. Khanzhonkov” .

Ozerov more clearly than many (especially after the revolution of 1905) saw what troubles threaten Russia with the unresolved political, economic and social problems. He considered the tsarist system obsolete, unproductive, and contrary to the interests of the country.

In 1917, the scientist spoke unflatteringly about the Provisional Government, whose ministers "discussed not about land reform, but about whether rallies could be allowed on the territory along which trams pass and their rails are laid."

In January 1918, Ozerov published an article in the Nashe Vremya newspaper entitled "Future builders - cold and hunger." In it he writes:

We will not ignite the European proletariat with our insane childish attempt to create a socialist system. True, we will insure the whole world at our expense against the production of such experiments, and perhaps this is our historical mission - to be manure for true culture.

Compositions

• Income tax in England and the economic and social conditions of its existence (1898; master's thesis);
• "The main trends in the development of direct taxation in Germany" (1900; doctoral dissertation);
• What is a consumer society? How to establish and lead it "(St. Petersburg, 1896) - gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris (1900) and a prize from the Faculty of Law of Moscow University;
• "The struggle of society and legislation against bad working conditions (Sweating system)" (St. Petersburg, 1901);
• "Results economic development XIX century "(St. Petersburg, 1902);
• "Mail in Russia and abroad" (St. Petersburg, 1902);

Ozerov Ivan Khristoforovich (1869 - the year of death has not been established) is a major Russian economist, head of the Department of Financial Law at Moscow University. Main works: "The organization of income taxation in England and a critical analysis of it" (1898), "The main trends in the development of direct taxation in Germany" (1899), "Fundamentals of financial science" (1909).

Having deeply and comprehensively explored tax systems foreign countries, Ozerov, using the example of the national economy of Russia, developed serious proposals for improving the tax system. It is important to emphasize that he used not only the theoretical developments of previous authors, but also extensive statistical material on the economy not only of Russia, but also of foreign countries. Having examined the ratio of budget revenues and expenditures, he criticized the use by the government of such sources of public revenues as excises, the wine monopoly, and other state regalia. He was a supporter of tightening control over the rational use of budgetary funds.

progressive income tax

He considered the introduction of an income tax with a progressive scale as the main direction of reforming the tax system and emphasized that the scale should be moderately progressive, that is, the transitions from one rate to another should not exceed 5%. Having substantiated the need for a transition to income tax, I.Kh. Ozerov believed that its introduction should not cancel other direct and indirect taxes, otherwise it would be impossible to concentrate budget revenues received from various sources. At the same time, he pointed out that for the normal operation of the income tax system, it is necessary to ensure a decent level of income for the population. As an example, he cites the impoverishment of the peasantry, which prevented the introduction of a normal income tax system.

The stimulating role of taxes

Studying taxes as a source of state budget revenues, I.Kh. Ozerov pointed out their important role in stimulating production. He believed that the tax is an instrument of economic and social transformations, a tool for the redistribution of property, the development of various forms of industry.

Considering general principles taxation, I.Kh. Ozerov emphasized that taxes should spare capital and promote the development of production. Before today his expression that taxing capital means “killing the goose that lays the golden eggs” has not lost its relevance. However, he believed that taxes should not reduce the level of consumption of the population.

After analyzing the development of the theory of taxes in Russia, it can be noted that many theoretical problems of taxation are reflected in the works of domestic economists. Theoretical searches were especially successful in the 19th century, and it is important to emphasize that the results of the research were introduced into the practice of taxation. The most important of them are the abolition of the poll tax, the introduction of excises on alcoholic products, the trade tax, the streamlining of the land tax, and the theoretical substantiation of the income tax.

Moscow, March 10 - Vesti.Ekonomika Ivan Ozerov is a well-known scientist-economist of post-reform Russia, whose activity fell on the most difficult period - the beginning of the 20th century. His vision of budgetary and tax policy has not lost its relevance in modern times. About the professional fate of the Russian financier - in the joint material "Vesti.Ekonomika" and the magazine "Budget".

Ivan Khristoforovich Ozerov (1869–1942), the son of a former serf, ended up in a gymnasium only because he showed unprecedented curiosity in a two-year public school. The teachers contributed to the definition of the peasant son in the gymnasium, where he studied on a scholarship named after Susanin and graduated with a gold medal. Having chosen the law faculty of Moscow University, Ozerov became a surprisingly sensitive and prolific specialist in financial law, saying modern language, economist.

Monument to tax

The tax, according to Ozerov, was an important force public policy. He considered it a serious mistake of the pre-revolutionary Ministry of Finance to adhere to taxation, which was uniform, ignoring the fact that after the abolition of serfdom and the gradual formation of an all-Russian market, the difference in incomes and savings of people began to vary greatly.

It was for this reason that Ivan Khristoforovich argued for the need to introduce a differentiated income tax, which could "both better fill the treasury and revive the economy." At the same time, Ozerov noted that the Russian taxpayer would then become conscientious when taxation was not secret, but explicit and, preferably, fair. For these purposes, he called for the introduction of a serious inheritance tax, a partial redistribution of budget revenues in favor of the poor, and most importantly, to strengthen the system of effective state control in budgetary affairs.

"The Other Side of Our Budget"

Finance, according to Ozerov, requires a strategic attitude. And you can't decide key issues Russian Empire without a serious reform of the tax system, because "until now it has been built under the influence of momentary moods: money was needed, and they tried to scoop it up where at the present time it would be easier and easiest to get it, without at all coping with the How will this affect the population? The only strong foundation Russian economy Ozerov considered "the well-being of the Russian peasant." He called for the development of a creative attitude to life and economic ingenuity in people, which, with support, could lead to the development of cooperation, in fact, the only, in his opinion, economic alternative to the growing monopolization at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries.

In 1907, Ozerov published the book "How is the People's Money Spent in Russia? Criticism of the Russian Expenditure Budget and State Control (Based on Unpublished Documents)". Such a publication became possible only during the revolution of 1905-1907, because it was based on closed ministerial documents, to which Ozerov was given temporary access. After the publication, they even tried to bring Ozerov to court for disclosing official information. But the prosecution did not take place, as Ozerov himself assumed, perhaps because he did not publish, but kept incriminating documents about the illegal budget spending of the Grand Dukes.

Ozerov formulated the main problem of the state budget as follows: "A lot is taken from the population, but very little is returned to it with useful work." In the fight against the "policy of stinginess", he paid special attention to underspending on public health and infrastructure, such as roads and mail. Ozerov insisted that if the people's well-being lags behind the requirements of the time, it is necessary first of all to solve the problem of the development of productive forces: "When a patient's strength drops, they try to feed him better." And the budget in the treatment of the Russian economy could become a catalyst for economic activity, including small business. "Russia is terribly rich in its potential forces, you just need to wake them up," Ozerov called.

Troubadour of the Russian industry

Ozerov was known not only as a theoretical economist, but also as a successful financier who followed his own advice. He was a shareholder and board member of the Lena gold mines, the Erivan cement plant, joint-stock company Khanzhonkov, Russian stationery factory, Sytin's publishing house, Lapshin's match factory. His economic intuition did not fail him: he knew how to buy shares on time and sell them on time. Even in the revolutionary year of 1917, he managed to earn a million on the sale of shares in the Erinsky cement plant.

Ozerov strongly reminded that in national economy each sector depends on the other and any development cannot be free, everything is done at someone's expense: "We have created an industrial Russia in agricultural Russia, living on borrowed capital, currently supported by significantly artificial measures, and this Russia drinks and eats, dresses and dresses up. The cultivation of this industrial Russia has sucked out the agricultural Russia even more."

The only obstacle in business matters for Ozerov was his honesty. When, on the recommendation of the former Minister of Finance A. I. Vyshnegradsky, A. I. Putilov invited Ozerov to the board of a large Russian-Asian bank, he agreed. But, having seen the daily banking practice from the inside, he published a revealing article about banking speculation in the Russian Word, and the bank had to leave the board. No wonder Ozerov's university teacher Academician I. I. Yanzhul insisted on economic importance honesty.

Ozerov believed that the development of industry is hampered by the wrong attitude towards industrialization on the part of society. He spoke about various prejudices: "noble morality" said that this was not a matter for an intellectual, and populist ideas consisted in the fact that entrepreneurship was not a state matter, but exclusively private. The formation of industry at the beginning of the 20th century seemed to him a guarantee of the country's further success, although a certain lag in economic growth could not be overlooked. Industry is not only industrialists and capitalists, but above all workers. Ozerov vividly supported the idea of ​​creating workers' societies, believing that it was in this way that much more benefit could be achieved - the economic education of the people.

"To fight against the people's darkness!"

"Where are we going? The results of the economic development of the 19th century", "On a new path. Towards the economic liberation of Russia", "What does America teach us?", "Financial reform in Russia. Where does the state get money from and what does it spend on?" - the very titles of Ozerov's books speak of how broadly and deeply he saw the move historical development Russian Empire and how sincerely he hoped for the education of healthy forces in society.

Ozerov sometimes liked to ridicule the unsightly features of the surrounding world. He did it in literary form. Under the pseudonym Z. Ikhorov, he published "The Confession of a Man at the Turn of the 20th Century", ridiculing narrow-minded people, on whose decisions the fate of the country may depend. When they found out about the real author of the book, they even wanted to deprive Ozerov of the department. The book drew the attention of Maxim Gorky, who spoke in defense of the author and his literary instinct. In Ozerov's archival papers, a note was preserved: "This was shown to Nicholas II, and he wrote:" Are there really such professors at my universities? big story, but S. Yu. Witte saved me. "Despite the difficulties with the authorities, Ozerov was elected a member of the State Council from the Academy of Sciences and Universities.

After the revolution

After the revolution, Ozerov lectured at Moscow State University and the Industrial Institute, worked at the People's Commissariat of Finance and the Institute for Economic Research, and published in the Economist magazine. The main theme of his reflections in the early 1920s. - Measures to combat economic disruption. Ozerov makes presentations, in particular against the introduction of gold circulation in Soviet Russia. Criticism of the economic policy of the Soviet government turned into an accusation and arrest for Ozerov "for distrust of Soviet power, for disbelief in its measures. "There was a proposal to send Ozerov on the famous "philosophical ship." Ozerov recalls how he was personally interrogated by F. E. Dzerzhinsky, who asked if the professor believed in the possibility of building socialism in Russia. Ozerov replied that “his knowledge of the economy and finances of Russia does not allow him to hope for the possibility of socialism in a country not ripe for this.” Dzerzhinsky ordered him to be released because “Ozerov is an outspoken person.”

But he could not avoid exile even on a pension, which, due to an aggravated heart disease, Ozerov went out in 1924. In 1931, 62-year-old Ivan Khristoforovich was already on Solovki in solitary confinement. In exile, he fell ill with emphysema, but did not lose his spirit. “While imprisoned,” Ozerov recalled in 1934, already after the amnesty, “I asked many times either to release me - I so wanted to return to my work“ On the Conditions of Economic Creativity and Awakening Creative Enthusiasm, ”or shoot me.” In 1935 Ozerov's criminal record was expunged, but his health could not be returned, and in 1936 he was placed in a nursing home for scientists in Leningrad, where Ozerov met the blockade.The scientist died on May 10, 1942 and was buried in a common grave of besieged Leningrad.

Today we should not forget the testament of the outstanding economist I. Kh. Ozerov, who said that economic policy requires patience and discretion. "The development of productive forces cannot be achieved with a stroke of the pen," Ozerov emphasized, "it will take time before a new generation grows up, with different habits, inclinations, with a different horizon. Economic decisions must be made here and now, balanced and thinking about future generations" .

Andrey Yurievich VOLODIN, Associate Professor, Department of Historical Informatics, Faculty of History, Lomonosov Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov

Economist. Genus. in 1869 in a peasant family. He graduated from the course at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University. Having received a master's degree for his thesis: "Income tax in England and the economic and social conditions of its existence" (M., 1898), he began teaching financial law at Moscow University. In 1900 he defended his doctoral thesis: "The main trends in the development of direct taxation in Germany" (M.). Composed by prof. Moscow University, Department of Financial Law. In addition to dissertations, he published: "What is a consumer society? How to establish and lead it" (St. Petersburg, 1896); "Results of the economic development of the XIX century" (St. Petersburg, 1902); "Mail in Russia and abroad" (St. Petersburg, 1902); "Factory committees and the collective agreement" (M., 1902); "Society of Consumers" (St. Petersburg, 1900); "Development of universal human solidarity" (M., 1902); "On the methods of studying financial science" (M., 1903); "America goes to Europe" (St. Petersburg, 1903); "From the life of labor" (1st collection of articles on the labor issue, M., 1904); "Essays on the economic and financial life of Russia and the West" (2nd collection of articles, Moscow, 1904); "Confession of a Man at the Turn of the 20th Century" (under pseudonym. Ihorov, M., 1904); " Economic Russia and its financial policy at the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century" (Moscow, 1905, with 72 diagrams); "Financial Law. Issue. I. The Doctrine of Ordinary Income"; issue II: "Budget, local finance, state. credit" (M., 1905); "Needs of the working class in Russia" (M., 1905); "Big cities, their tasks and means of management" (M., 1906); "Insurance of workers in Germany" (bro. For several years, O. conducted an internal review on economic and financial issues in the journal "Russian Thought", and also worked in another periodical edition and in this "Encyclopedic Dictionary". Abroad published: "Finanzpolitik Russlands" ( in the collection "Russen über Russland", Frankf., 1905); "Industrial Development of Russia" ("Forum", 1899, April), "La question sucrière en Russie" ("Revue économique internationale", 1906, January), " Die Entwicklung d. Finanzwirtschaft in XIX Jahrhundert" ("Blätter für Wirtschafts- und Sozialpolitik", 1905) and friend.

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"Ozerov, Ivan Khristoforovich" in books

Adam Khristoforovich Tishkin

Adam Khristoforovich Tishkin