Trade and economic relations of Eastern Caucasus with Russia (17th–18th centuries)

Importance. In the 17th–18th centuries the development and strengthening of trade and economic relations between the peoples of Eastern Caucasus and the Russian state took place, which became systematic since the second half of the 16th century. The urgency of the work is due to the importance of studying these relationships, identifying the ways in which trade and economic relations took place. The aim of the paper is to consider the relations of the peoples of Eastern Caucasus with Russia, to reflect the role of cities, villages acting as trade centers between peoples.Materials and Methods. The object of the study was trade and economic relations of the peoples of Eastern Caucasus with Russia. The main scientific methods used in the paper can be attributed – the method of description, synthesis, analysis, the principle of objectivity, etc.Results and Discussion. It is noted the growing role of cities as trade centers, through which trade routes passed to different countries. Thus, Tersky city is a link in the trade of the peoples of Eastern Caucasus with the Russian state. Local feudal owners are given free trade for loyalty to the Russian state, which testified to the further development of the productive forces of the region and external economic relations. The peoples of Eastern Caucasus traded with the townspeople and merchants of Astrakhan, from Terki to Astrakhan went goods and products of Caucasian production and from Astrakhan to the mountain people are delivered Russian, Western European and Eastern goods. In the 18th century, in Eastern Caucasus there are trading centers, where the exchange of goods is conducted between the plain and the mountainous parts.Conclusion. Initially, the trade of the peoples of Eastern Caucasus with the neighboring peoples is of an exchange nature. Gradually there is a transition to the development of commodity and monetary relations, which is characteristic for foreign trade operations. The local feudal elite are mainly involved in trade, which managed the process through their own people, and later the middle classes became involved.