Arsenev, Konstantin

Arsen’ev, Konstantin Ivanovich 

Born Oct. 12 (23), 1789, in the village of Mirokhanovo in Kostroma Province; died Nov. 29 (Dec. 11), 1865, in Petrozavodsk. Russian statistician, historian, and geographer. Born into the family of a village priest. Professor at St. Petersburg University (1819–21). Academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1836).

In his works Statistical Outline of the Russian State (parts 1–2, 1818–19) and Statistical Sketches of Russia (1848), Arsen’ev attempted to establish an economic regionalization of Russia. In his lectures at the university he proved the advantage of free labor over serf labor and the necessity of freedom of crafts and trades, for which he was relieved of his job. From 1828 to 1835 he taught history and statistics to the future tsar Alexander II. From 1835 to 1853 he was head of statistical work at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was one of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society. His Short Universal Geography (1818) was published in 20 editions and served for 30 years as a unique scholarly textbook. The historical works of Arsen’ev have lost their significance.

REFERENCE

Nikitin, N. P. “Akademik K. I. Arsen’ev i ego rol’ ν razvitii ekonomicheskoi geografii ν Rossii.” In Voprosy geografii, 10th collection. Moscow, 1948.