Anisimova D.V. Opening of Russian Bank Branches in the Grand Duchy of Finland in the early 20th Century

Abstract: The process of opening the State Bank of Russia and private Russian banks branches in the Grand Duchy of Finland in the early 20th century represented one of the most important steps to financial integration of an almost autonomous region into the Russian Empire. This process experienced some troubles and problems related to the Finnish opposition and complicated domestic situation in Russia. It had not shown any results because of the start of the First World War. However, to some extent, it managed to unlock its potential. This research has become possible with the help of office archives of Governor-General and stats-secretariat of the Grand Duchy of Finland. Their thorough examination allowed the uncovering of factors, main steps and results of Russian Bank operations in Finland. In addition to the fact that this article is the first to introduce some of the sources, it can also give an indepth understanding of complex relations between the Russian government and the Grand Duchy. The study of an attempt to financially rather than forcefully integrate periphery, that was moving further and further away in cultural and economic terms, is extremely important for contextualizing and redefining the already existing ideas of core actions towards newly annexed territories in the pre-revolutionary time.

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