Fair trade in Akmola Region of the Steppe territory in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries

We present the development history of fair trade and fairs in the Akmola Region of the Steppe territory in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. We show the dynamics of fair number and the geography of their distribution in the counties of the region. We analyze the range of goods at the fairs, total trade and directions of goods flows, identify growth causes and factors of the fair trades in the Akmola Region and substantiate importance of the fairs in development of commodity-money relations and formation of a market space in the region. The historical importance of the Akmola fairs was that there was a commercial and economic development of the Asian outskirts of the Russian Empire due to them, and also tasks of promoting the goods from Asian regions to the all-Russian market were solved. The Kazakh steppe attracted Russian capital as a market for cheap raw materials and a market for industrial products of the central regions of the country due to the underdevelopment of industry in the region. The fairs in the Akmola Region attracted a wide population of the region into trades, which ensured their stability and gradual growth. The fairs promoted development of various crafts and handicraft industries among the local population.