THE ROLE OF MERCHANTRY IN THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL LIFE OF THE UYEZD TOWN OF MUROM IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX CENTURY

DOI: 10.47026/2712-9454-2025-6-2-41-48

УДК 94(47)

ББК 63.3(2)5

Vera V. POPOVA

Key words

political and social life of a town, city public administration bodies, city Duma, mayor, city budget, charity.

Abstract

Merchantry played a key role in the life of Russian uyezd towns in the second half of the XIX century. In many provincial cities of central Russia, merchants, in addition to economic activity, actively manifested themselves in the social sphere and the sphere of public administration. They made up a significant part of electors when forming city dumas and often turned out to be in the majority among the members of local government bodies. Studying the role of the merchant class, in particular the merchantry of the city of Murom, in the political and social spheres of the uyezd town makes it possible to give a complete description of the development of Russian regions during the period under study.

The purpose of the study is comprehensive studying the role of Murom merchants in the political and social life of the city of Murom in the second half of the XIX century.

The scientific novelty lies in the fact that this work is the first comprehensive study devoted to the role of the merchantry in the development of the uyezd town of Murom.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted on the basis of analysis of office records, reference books, and sources of personal origin. Office documentation is presented by accounts and papers of officials, minutes of the City Duma meetings. Statistical information includes materials from the Yearbook of Vladimir Governorate Statistical Committee. Among the sources of personal origin, the «Memoirs of Anna Dmitrievna Zhadina about Ermakov» and the «Diary of Murom philistine A.I. Gladkov. 1853–1865», stored in the funds of Murom Historical and Art Museum, are used in the study. During the article preparation, documents from the funds of the State Archive of Vladimir region were used. The historiography of the work is represented by studies devoted to the study of Russian merchantry, including those in the field of regional history. The article is based on the method of historical analysis, systematic and statistical methods. The method of historical analysis made it possible to study the importance of Murom merchantry in the political and social spheres of the uyezd town in the context of historical situation of the second half of the XIX century. The systematic method gave the opportunity to study the activities of merchants in the second half of the XIX century as an integral part of public life. The statistical method was used in the study of quantitative data.

Results. Representatives of the Murom merchant class had a significant influence on formation and activities of city government bodies. A significant part of electors and the absolute majority of the City Duma councillors were representatives of this class. The position of mayor in Murom was held exclusively by merchants. Almost all local politicians from among the merchantry belonged to several of the richest dynasties: the Zvorykins, the Gundobins, the Suzdaltsevs and the Myazdrikovs. Donations from Murom merchants became one of the sources for replenishing the city budget and played a very important role in improving and developing the social sphere of the city. This state of affairs is typical for the cities of central Russia in the second half of the XIX century, including Murom, which was traditionally considered to be a «merchant» city. The greatest contribution to the development of the city was made by Alexei Vasilyevich Ermakov, whose tenure as mayor (1863–1869) was a period of prosperity and transformation of the city.

Conclusions. In the second half of the XIX century, representatives of the large merchant class occupied the key positions in the social life of Murom. Owning a significant part of the city’s real estate, they formed the majority in the local government. Unsurprisingly, the actions of local authorities often corresponded to the interests of this group. Nevertheless, public figures of merchant origin were quite successful in implementing local policies. Funds donated by merchants to the city became an important source of replenishing the local budget. Many socially significant facilities of the city were built and maintained with this money. Thus, the merchantry of Murom had a decisive influence on the development of the city.

References

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Information about the author

Vera V. Popova – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Law and Mass Communications, Murom Institute (branch) of the Vladimir State University named after Alexander and Nikolay Stoletovs, Russia, Murom (VeraV25@mail.ru).

For citations

Popova V.V. The role of merchantry in the political and social life of the uyezd town of Murom in the second half of the XIX century. Historical Search, 2025, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 41–48. DOI: 10.47026/2712-9454-2025-6-2-41-48 (in Russian).

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