Udmurtia: the capital of the republic and its history

The Russian Federation includes more than twenty republics. One of them is Udmurtia. The capital of this subject of the federation is Izhevsk.

Basic information

About 640 thousand people live in Izhevsk. It is the twentieth largest city in the country. It is famous for its defense and arms enterprises. Most of this industry appeared in the city during the Great Patriotic War. Izhevsk is the unofficial arms capital of Russia. This status can only be challenged by Tula.

History

The city was founded in 1760 on the bank of the river Izh, thanks to which it received its name. In the XVIII century there was only a lone iron producing plant. Metal was discovered in the interfluve of the Kama River several decades before. It was an era when Russian settlers actively populated the Urals, which became the Stone Belt of the country. Industry began to develop under Peter I, it was he who exploited all the resources within the state for the development and reorganization of the obsolete army.

His descendants continued this policy, giving privileges to industrialists, who decided to open factories in the outback. Some of them became influential and wealthy moguls, for example the Demidovs. The Ural deposits temporarily obscured the discovery of ore in the place where modern Udmurtia is now located. The capital of the Republic of Izhevsk began as a small steel plant.

Initially, the metal that was produced in these places was sent to Tula, where guns, rifles, etc. were made from it. Most of the time it was state-owned, it was not independent industrialists who controlled it, but government officials. In 1774 the Izhevsk plant was seized by the army of Emelian Pugachev. The rebels executed executives of the enterprise. Pugachev was also supported by the Udmurts - the indigenous inhabitants of these lands. The national question in this province has not been solved for centuries. All Udmurt land was in the territory of Vyatka province.

The coming of Soviet power

After the revolution of 1917 and the victory in the civil war, the Bolsheviks took up the formation of republics. These formations were part of the RSFSR. First in the region was the Votsky Autonomous Region. Its capital was Glazov, later - Izhevsk. In 1934, the Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed. Soon the Constitution of the state subject was adopted.

At the same time settled Izhevsk, which finally became the capital of the republic. In 1935 the first trams appeared in the city. Electrification of houses is over. So the Republic of Udmurtia developed. Its capital did not lag behind other Soviet cities.

During the war

During the Great Patriotic War, the leadership of the country had to hide urgently the factories that were in the western occupied areas. The equipment from the enterprises was transported in parts to regions in the rear, one such place was Udmurtia. The capital of the republic adopted about 40 new factories, most of which remained here in peacetime. The choice of Izhevsk was not accidental. This city has historically grown on the site of a factory engaged in the production of iron and steel.

East, in the first place, evacuated enterprises that could help the country in the fight against the Wehrmacht. These were weapons and automobile factories, which were rebuilt for the production of tanks and other armored vehicles.

After the war

Over the years of the war, more than 12 million units of various weapons were produced in Izhevsk. Many specialists evacuated to the city stayed here and brought in families. In 1948, the industrial mass production of the Kalashnikov assault rifle began. His model AK-47 became a universal weapon - the most popular throughout the world in the second half of the XX century.

Another industry developed in the city. In 1966 the first Izhevsk cars appeared. Their mass production began in a few years. In 1984, Izhevsk was renamed Ustinov, in honor of Dmitry Ustinov. It was the marshal and the Minister of Defense of the USSR, who, during and after the war, did much to make the city a new industry. Nevertheless, the state decision to rename the city was not popular among citizens. In the years of perestroika, a public campaign for the return of the historical name began. As a result, in 1987 the city was returned to the old name of Izhevsk.

In Russian federation

The modern Udmurt Republic, whose capital continues to develop, is part of the Volga Federal District. Izhevsk is divided into five administrative districts. There are several universities in the city that produce a large number of specialists, thanks to which there is no point in the place of Udmurtia. The capital of the republic is famous for its city holidays, where the residents get acquainted with the culture of the indigenous people.

The modern Izhevsk industry consists of a quarter of the production of vehicles and equipment for them. The city actively maintains links with the regional centers, including Glazov. This is the former capital of Udmurtia (in 1921), when the region was the region of Votskaya. Another important regional center of Sarapul also has its own industry, which meets local needs.

For the Russian Federation, a region such as the Udmurt Republic is important. The capital and regional centers of the subject are developing despite all the difficulties. This is due to the inflow of capital. Various investments are attracted to Izhevsk. The capital of Udmurtia closely cooperates with Tolyatti's VAZ and other enterprises of the country, which open their branches in the city.