Page 4

The Northern war having finished, all the Petrovsky plants had been closed but Konchesersky. However, the Russian-Turkish war (1768-1774)gave a new impulse for metallurgy development. In 1773-1774 Alexandrovsky cannon plant was built in Petrovsky settlement, and it became one of the leading military enterprises of the state by the end of the 18-19 century.

The most part of Karelia was included into Petersburgskaya and, later, into Novgorodskaya provinces, and since 1784 had become part of Olonetskaya province with the administrative center in Petrozavodsk. The rest of the territory was included into Viborgskaya and Archangelskaya provinces.
Since the second half of the 18th century the capitalism had been developing in Karelia, some private saw mills were built in the settlement. After the serfdom abolition (1861) the logging had been developing rapidly. Saw mills were equipped with steam engines. The amount of workers had been growing, too. Karelia became one of the most important supplies of wood and saw materials for inner markets and for export. In 19th century the Onega lake and the Byeloye sea saw the first ship; a regular ship rout was established between St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk. Overall the economy of Karelia kept its traditional features. For 215 thousand of population there were only 3 000 workers and employees. A new railway road was built up to Murmansk in 1914-1915. It promoted economic and cultural connections with Petrograd and other towns of the state.

Soviet power was established in November 1917-April 1918. Since the spring of 1918 Karelia had been an arena of the battles between the Red Army and the Byelaya Army and interventionists. By the summer of 1919 the Byelaya Army and interventionists seized Karelian Pomorye and the northern shore of the Onega lake, and the Byelofinns captured the western boundary districts of Karelia. But the Red Army troops overtook the initiative after the victorious battles near Petrozavodsk, Vidlitsa and Lizhma and the rival was defeated in February-March of 1920.

From the history of Karelia | the most important historical dates and events