Petty Bourgeois’ Financial Situation in the Cities of the Tomsk Province in the First Half of the XIX Century
The article analyzes the financial condition of bourgeois in the cities of the Tomsk province of the Russian Empire in the pre-reform period. The group diversity is considered. After examining archival sources, the author gives the description of the wealth status of the Siberian bourgeois, their controversial appearance. The author also describes the amount of their financial assets. The article reveals the contrast in financial position within this class in the cities of the south-western Siberia. Some representatives of this group were very poor and had to go begging, and others lived like wealthy merchants. The households of the bourgeois are considered an indicator of material prosperity. The value of housing property of petty bourgeois is analyzed, namely, the quality and quantity of their homes, their interior decoration and location. The paper also gives statistics of home ownership among lower middle class in the city of Tomsk. The author considers the property characteristics, as well as the challenges for lower middle class homeowners. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the cost of estate property. It is shown that the most of people of the given class lived in modest wooden houses, some of which were in need of repair. Only a small part of the petty bourgeoisie lived in spacious stone houses.