Development of trade in Southern Kazakhstan in the second half of the XIX — early XX centuries

Abstract

Trade was one of the most important areas of the economy of South Kazakhstan, which provides income and  means of living for most of the population. Research and generalization of archival and published materials  on the history of trade development in southern Kazakhstan in the second half of the XIX–XX centuries shows that the conquest of the South of Kazakhstan by the Russian Empire contributed to certain change in the entire social life of the region, which also affected the trade industry. During the period under review, due to the colonial policy of tsarism, industry did not receive its true development. There was an intensive process of turning the region into a source of raw materials and a market for finished products of the metropolitan industry. South Kazakhstan's trade relations with Russia and Central Asia led to the formation of the Kazakh trade bourgeoisie, but the process of its consolidation was slow. Russian capital dominated the domestic and foreign markets. Local merchants sold their goods at lower prices, which was a consequence of the tsarist colonial policy in Central Asia.