摘要：The article examines the current historiography of the Don Cossacks in the second half of the XIX century, there is described the traditional and the alternative concepts advanced by historians after 2000 year. The article analyses the main studies on this chronological period, their advantages and disadvantages. It is shown that many of the events and reforms are not sufficiently understood so far. The authors note that the increase in the number of specialists on Don history of 1860–1890 should be considered the major trend in the development of modern historiography of this period, and it is hoped that the range of the studied issues will only expand in the future, and the level and number of publications revealing new facts and offering new concepts will continue to grow.
