Presidential Library tells about history of trade relations between Russia and other countries

During the XXVIII St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the electronic collection Russia in Foreign Trade: History and Modernity is available on the Presidential Library's portal.

Foreign trade relations in the modern world play an important role for economic development and strengthening the foundations of a multipolar world. They promote economic development, strengthen international cooperation, diversify the economy, exchange technology and knowledge, and enable countries to maintain and strengthen their sovereignty.

The materials of the collection cover the period from the 15th to the beginning of the 21st century and reflect the history of trade relations between Russia and other countries. The collection includes legal acts, archival documents, statistical reviews, periodicals, research and abstracts. Special attention is paid to the analysis of Russia's trade relations throughout the country's history: from trade with the Hanseatic League to modern legislation.

For example, the historian Mikhail Berezhkov tells about the trade of Russia with the Hanseatic League until the end of the XV century in an 1879 edition. An essay by the historian and ethnographer Nikolai Kostomarov, published in 1862, talks about the trade of the Moscow state in the XVI and XVII centuries.

The documents and materials presented in the collection make it possible to trace the evolution of the customs policy and foreign trade strategies of the state over different historical eras.

The collection includes such periodicals as Historical Description of Russian Commerce at all Ports and Borders, "Review of Russia's Foreign Trade along the European and Asian borders, and many others.

The collection was formed using materials from the funds of the following institutions: the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, the Russian State Historical Archive, the M. Gorky Vladimir Regional Universal Scientific Library, the State Public Historical Library, the Far Eastern State Scientific Library, the A. S. Pushkin Magadan Regional Universal Scientific Library, the N. K. Krupskaya Moscow Regional State Scientific Library,  National Library of the Republic of Buryatia, Russian State Library, Russian National Library, Russian State Historical Archive, Pacific State University, Tobolsk State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, D. I. Mendeleev Tyumen Regional Scientific Library.