Legislative Regulation of Fair Trade in Transbaikalia in the Second Half of the 19th Century

Thе article provides a comprehensive analysis of the legislative framework governing the organization and functioning of fair trade in Transbaikalia in the sec-ond half of the 19th century. The primary focus is placed on key regulatory acts — the 1857 Commercial Charter and the 1863 Statute on Fees — which established the legal foundations of fair activity by defining it as an open and estate-neutral form of commerce, a factor that can be seen as pivotal to the development of commodity–money relations under the conditions of the region’s economic isolation. The author identifies two stages of state policy: a liberal stage (1860s — mid-1880s), characterized by preferential treatment and exemption from fees, which stimulated the growth of fairs and the formation of a trading network; and a fiscal stage (from the mid-1880s onward), during which the state, driven by fiscal interests, introduced mandatory trade certificates and classified fairs into categories with differentiated taxation, effectively equalizing them with other forms of commerce. The 1900 law simplified the procedure for establishing fairs by transferring part of the authority to local administrations. The article also examines the specific regulation of trade for the indigenous population and highlights wool as a key commodity. Particular atten-tion is paid to urban fairs, as the largest in Transbaikalia was the Verkhneudinsk Christmas Fair, which influenced re-gional pricing and, in the second half of the century, became a nexus of trade routes from both the east and the west. The study concludes with the observation of the dual role of the state: on one hand, legislation encouraged entrepreneurship and integration of the region into the nation-al market, while on the other, it increased administrative and fiscal control, particu-larly toward the end of the 19th century.