State preferences for the people in remote and northern territories of Russia

The necessity of special benefits and guaranties for distant territories, and areas of the Far North and equivalent territories, allocated in a special group, aimed at involvement of people and providing the needs of national economy with natural resources are described in the article. The author’s periodization of the legal development of northern benefits and guaranties was presented. The grounds for separating the periods were the years of regionalization of these territories and a set of state preferences granted to the population in different periods. Five stages are highlighted: first — pre-Soviet, tsarist period, when the benefits and guaranties were introduced for distant localities; second stage — 1923–1932, the foundations of the benefit system by territories and branches were laid; third — 1942–1945, the WWII years, when all benefits were collapsed or cancelled, fourth stage — 1946–1967, recovery of earlier established benefits, introduction the new benefits; fifth stage — 1990–2014, was ordering of benefits and guaranties due to the new economic realities; a part of benefits became a competence of labor law, defined by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. The authors conclude that the development activities in the northern territories were the main goal of the government, and, therefore, the legal regulation of guaranties and benefits for the employees of the Far North and equivalent for them territories were also a priority. During the 20th century and in the beginning of the 21st century, the benefits for the employees of the Far North and equivalent territories had been repeatedly changed. They were expanded or limited depending on the necessity and opportunities of the state.