Demeshko Y. Demeshko Y. O. The participation of merchants in the realization of the imperial management in South Ukraine in the pre-reform period.

For the first time in the course of historiography the merchants involved in the realization of the imperial management in South Ukraine in the pre-reform period are comprehensively investigated. The extent and level of the development of the topic in the Ukrainian and foreign historiography are analyzed; the legislation regarding the role of the merchants in the imperial administration is defined. The specific character of the participation of merchants in local governments is determined; the level of participation of merchants in the judicial system is established; the contribution of the merchant class to the functioning of the notarial sector is traced. The role of merchants in the tax administration and functioning of the customs system of South Ukraine is discovered; the position of the merchant class in the banking sector is defined.