SOCIAL STATUS OF RUSSIAN MERCHANTS IN THE XVIII - THE FIRST HALF OF THE XIX CENTURY
The author analyzes the process of raising the social status of merchants, who, being aware of their role in the national economic life, not only participated in the governmental institutions’ activity as advisors on important economic issues and held high-level official positions, but also were actively involved in the law-making process. Consequently the authorities granting certain privileges to merchants approached the third estate representatives to the nobility.