THE FORMATION AND ACTIVITIES OF THE KARAKALPAK MERCHANT CLASS WITHIN THE SYSTEM OF REGIONAL TRADE RELATIONS (SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH – FIRST QUARTER OF THE 20TH CENTURIES)

Abstract

The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the professional activity of the Karakalpak merchant class in the second half of the 19th – first quarter of the 20th centuries has so far remained insufficiently explored in domestic historiography. The article examines the peculiarities of the formation of this social group in the region and its role in the development of trade relations. The aim of the research is to identify the contribution of Karakalpak merchants to the evolution of entrepreneurship and the socio-economic development of the region. Based on archival materials, pre-revolutionary sources, and historiographical studies, the article analyzes the socio-economic functions of the merchant estate, as well as the specifics of its interaction with the local population and state institutions. The scientific novelty of the article lies in a comprehensive analysis of the socio-professional structure of the Karakalpak merchant class. The author identifies the distinctive features of the emergence of the Karakalpak merchant community, its participation in the transformation of the trade and economic system, and its influence on the integration of the region into the all-Russian and international trade networks. The materials presented in the study make it possible to shed more light on the socio-economic history of Karakalpakstan during the period of agrarian development and the region’s transition to industrial forms of economy.