Abstract: The object of this research is the Russian civil society, while the subject is the national relations in the process of civil development using the example Perm Governorate during the post-reform period. The authors analyze the increased attention of Zemstvo institutions to the living conditions of non-Russian population of the governorate demonstrated by activities in the spheres of education and medical care. The peculiarities of ethnic composition of the governorate, their displacement, level of social and economic development are determined. The main forms and fields of activity of Zemstvo institutions and various organizations pertinent of the development of indigenous peoples are described. The scientific novelty consists in the fact that for the first time in Ural historiography national development is viewed in correlation with the key elements of the Russian civil society, which found its reflection in the attempts of solving social issues of a significant portion of population of Perm Governorate. The conducted analysis of the evolution of national relations in the Urals proves that their development becomes an inseparable part of the Russian civil society, and their interaction – a crucial attribute of civilizational transformations in Russia of post-reform period.