Роль купечества в формировании городского пространства Петропавловска на рубеже XIX–XX вв.

Abstract

The article indicates the peculiarities of the development of Petropavlovsk city in the late XIX–early XX centuries, its transformation from a military-strategic fortress into a major trade centre in the north-eastern part of Kazakhstan due to its location on the transit route from Western China, Central Asia to the European part of Russia and further to Europe. The paper presents materials illustrating the development of what had once been a Cossack stanitsa into a large trade centre with trade shops, industrial enterprises for processing livestock raw products, shopping houses, a cinema, a Botanical garden. Founding educational institutions, opening libraries, publishing newspapers show the interest in education in the city. The period in question was characterized by the rapid development of capitalist relations in Russia, which contributed not only to the strengthening and development of economic ties between the metropolis and the Kazakh steppe but also to the inclusion of the region in the unified all-Russian capitalist market. The article considers the evolution of the trade process from barter to money resulting in the emergence of banking in the region. The author uses materials archives and local historians dealing with the development of Petropavlovsk city in the period under study. The data on the contribution of merchants to the construction of buildings and structures that changed the architectural look, as well as to the social and cultural life of the city, are given. The work may serve for further study of the formation of the cultural environment of historical cities and understanding of the features and differences of their development.