The process of legal implementation of the organization and the work of the cooperative organizations in the Russian Empire at the second half of the XIXth - the beginning of the XXth centuries has been observed in the article. Three basic steps with substantiation of the key ideological stereotypes have been pointed out. The role of the state and central authorities in the development of legal framework for the national cooperative movement has been defined.

Key words: cooperative legislation, standard "normal" regulations, model rules, cooperative societies, agricultural societies, loan-saving partnerships.