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DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17543288
NON-INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN TURKESTAN AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE 20TH CENTURY AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE SOCIO-
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE OF THE COUNTRY
(ON THE EXAMPLE OF EAST SLAVIC PEOPLES)
No beko Sukh ob Fa khod o‘g‘li
Tashken Uni e si y o In o ma ion Technologies
named a e Muhammad al-Khwa izmi
Assis an o he Depa men o Physical Educa ion and Humani ies
E-mаil: no beko suh [email protected]
ANNOTATION
The a icle analyzes he p esence o Eas Sla ic peoples in he e i o y o
Tu kes an in he i s hal o he 20 h cen u y and hei in e ac ion wi h local peoples.
The speci ic social, poli ical and economic impac o Sla ic peoples, hei ole in
in oducing changes o Tu kes an socie y, as well as he oo s o hei in eg a ion,
mig a ion and con adic ions wi h local peoples a e s udied. Du ing he Russian
Empi e and la e he So ie Union, ela ions, cul u al in eg a ion, economic and
poli ical in luence o Eas Sla ic peoples wi h neighbo ing e i o ies de eloped a a
high le el, lea ing an imp in on he socio-economic s uc u e o Tu kes an socie y.
The a icle i s o all p o ides a de ailed analysis o he p ocesses o Sla iza ion o he
e i o y o Tu kes an, hei mu ual in eg a ion and con adic ions.
Keywo ds: he ques ion o s a ehood a he beginning o he 20 h cen u y,
Tu kes an ASSR, indigenous Uzbeks, Eas Sla ic peoples, So ie powe , mig a ion,
in e e hnic ela ions, economic li e, cul u al in eg a ion.
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INTRODUCTION
The e i o y o Tu kes an in he i s qua e o he 20 h cen u y had a g ea
in luence on his o ical p ocesses wi h i s geopoli ical signi icance, economic
de elopmen and changes in socio-economic sys ems. The colonial policy o he
Russian Empi e and la e he e olu iona y ans o ma ions o he So ie Union
adically changed socie y in he e i o y o Tu kes an. These changes a e associa ed,
in pa icula , wi h he mig a ion o Eas Sla ic peoples o he e i o y o Tu kes an and
he economic, poli ical and cul u al in luence o hese peoples. The new poli ical
s uc u e o Tu kes an, i s economic in eg a ion, in e e hnic ela ions and in e ac ions
wi h he Eas Sla ic peoples cons i u e a e y complex and in e es ing opic wi h i s
his o ical aspec s.
The in luence o he Russian Empi e on he e i o y o Tu kes an and changes in
hei economic policy di ec ly a ec ed he li es o he local popula ion. The economic
s uc u e o Tu kes an, which was mainly an ag a ian socie y, was ebuil on he basis
o indus ializa ion and capi alis sys ems wi h he a i al o he Eas Sla s. The
Russian Empi e’s monopoly on he p oduc ion and ade sys em, as well as he
cons uc ion o new in as uc u e, ailways and indus ial acili ies, b ough abou
majo changes in he local economy.
The new echnologies, indus ial me hods and p oduc ion me hods b ough by he
Sla s c ea ed new oppo uni ies o he local popula ion. Howe e , hese changes o en
con lic ed wi h he in e es s o he local popula ion and inc eased economic
dependence and e hnic inequali y. Fo example, he land sys em and he managemen
o labo esou ces led o he economic in eg a ion o many na ionali ies. A he same
ime, he new economic ies o he Eas e n Sla s also s eng hened ade ela ions wi h
new goods, p oduc s and ma ke s.
METHODS
Those ese led in he e i o y o Tu kes an we e ci izens o he Russian Empi e:
om a ious egions o Uk aine and sou he n Russia: Kha ko , Pol a a, Kie , he Don
A my Region, Yeka e inosla , Sa a o , Sama a, Vo onezh, Tula, As akhan, Ku sk,
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S a opol, O enbu g, e c., as well as om Sibe ia, No he n Russia, he Caucasus.
Thei e hnic composi ion was la gely composed o Eas Sla ic peoples: Russians,
Uk ainians, and Bela usians, since acco ding o he "Regula ions on he Adminis a ion
o he Tu kes an Te i o y", only "Russian ci izens o he Ch is ian eligion belonging
o he ca ego y o u al esiden s" we e allowed o be ese led[1;1].
Almos all he Russian-Uk ainian illages ha we e ese led in he Fe gana
Valley, which was he main pa o Tu kes an, we e loca ed in he no he n,
no heas e n and eas e n oo hills o he alley (Mayak and Ku shab olos s o Osh
uyezd; Baza ku gan, Jalalabad, Koga , Uzgan, Yassi olos s o Andijan uyezd; Ba ish
olos o Namangan uyezd). The ag icul u al condi ions in hese places we e ypical
o Russian and Uk ainian a me s, and a ming was possible wi hou a i icial
i iga ion. Only he illage o Russkoye was ounded on he si e o se e al illages in
he Ming epa olos o Andijan uyezd, and he se le s ecei ed a la ge amoun o
i iga ed land he e. Howe e , he bulk o he Eu opean popula ion ha a i ed in
Fe gana se led in ci ies, since he Russian adminis a ion, indus ial and comme cial
en e p ises we e loca ed he e. Fo example, in 1907, he e we e 24,346 Russians
(Uk ainians and Bela usians) in he Fe gana egion, o whom 14,722, o abou wo-
hi ds, li ed in ci ies, while only 9,624 li ed in u al a eas. This emained he case e en
a e he in ensi ica ion o he ese lemen o peasan s. As in all ci ies o Tu kes an,
new dis ic s, mainly inhabi ed by Eu opeans, appea ed in he ci ies o Fe gana[1;2].
RESULTS
The Eas e n Sla s, especially he Russians, b ough hei cul u e, language,
cus oms, and alues o he e i o y o Tu kes an. The local popula ion, in u n, came
in o con ac wi h new e hnic g oups. This p ocess ga e ise o cul u al di e ences, bu
o e ime, con lic s and con lic s also a ose. The in e ac ion be ween he Eas e n Sla s
and he local peoples led o signi ican changes no only in social s uc u es, bu also
in educa ion, eligious belie s, and he labo ma ke . The Eas Sla ic peoples b ough
wi h hem new cul u al alues. Among hem, he O hodox eligion, Russian a ,
musical and a chi ec u al adi ions we e widesp ead. The cul u al s uc u es, science,
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and educa ional sys ems b ough by he Sla s had an impac on he local peoples. The
Russian language and educa ion caused a ise in he local popula ion, which
con ibu ed o he de elopmen o new gene a ions in he ield o science. The p ocess
o cul u al in eg a ion also caused changes in he e i o y o Tu kes an by in oducing
new spi i ual alues and scien i ic app oaches. This u ned hese peoples in o g oups
ha occupied an impo an place in he socio-economic sys em. In e ms o cul u al
in luence, hese peoples, especially he Russians, b ough hei cul u e, science, and
echnology. These changes a ec ed he economic and cul u al de elopmen o
Tu kes an, bu a he same ime, social and cul u al con lic s wi h he local cul u e also
a ose.
In pa icula , despi e he in ensi ica ion o mig a ion p ocesses a he beginning o
he 20 h cen u y and he eme gence o nume ous Russian-Uk ainian illages and
hamle s, and he inc ease in he Eu opean popula ion in he ci ies, hei o al numbe in
Fe gana was small. As o 1910, he Eu opean, mainly Russian and Uk ainian,
popula ion he e was sligh ly mo e han 2% [1;3]. Howe e , his small g oup domina ed
and implemen ed i s will and policy, which na u ally inc eased he hos ili y o he local
popula ion owa ds all Russians. This was also due o he disc imina o y policy o he
Tsa is go e nmen owa ds non-Ch is ians and he change o he o icial language o
s a e ins i u ions o Russian. E en he eques s and complain s o he local popula ion
we e accep ed only in Russian, o which he local popula ion was o ced o use he
se ices o sec e a ies, in e p e e s o p oxies.
The mig a ion o he Eas e n Sla s o he e i o y o Tu kes an had a g ea impac ,
especially in he economic sphe e. The cons uc ion o he ailway, he eme gence o
new indus ies, and he in oduc ion o new echnologies b ough he economy o
Tu kes an o a new le el. By s eng hening he go e nmen and adminis a i e sys em,
he Russians ook ull con ol o he poli ical s uc u e and powe in his egion. A he
beginning o he 20 h cen u y, he economy o Tu kes an was mainly associa ed wi h
ag icul u e, c a s, and ade, bu wi h he a i al o la ge numbe s o Eas e n Sla s,
inno a ions we e in oduced in o hese a eas. Fo example, local a me s began o use
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a plow wi h a ine ins ead o a plow, a s one olle o h eshing, and Russian windmills.
Ag icul u al c ops such as po a oes, whi e-headed and cauli lowe , oma oes, suga
bee s, and oa s appea ed in Tu kes an. In Fe gana, and in pa icula in he Namangan
egion, an a emp was made o in oduce ine-wool sheep b eeding by K.V. Solo yo ,
he ounde o Russian ac o y wo k in Tu kes an[1;4]. New echnologies, p oduc ion
me hods, and ade ela ions b ough by he Sla s helped o enew he economy o
Tu kes an. Howe e , such changes had a nega i e impac on he cus oms and economic
li e o he local popula ion, since many sec o s o he local economy we e monopolized
by he Russians. As a esul , he local popula ion o en ough o hei eedom and
esou ces.
DISCUSSION
The numbe o Russian wo ke s who mig a ed o he indus ial, ailway and o he
in as uc u e sec o s in he Fe gana egion eached 5,000 in he 1900s. These wo ke s
wo ked mainly in ci ies and indus ial cen e s such as Kokand, Andijan and Namangan.
Russians and local wo ke s wo ked oge he on he cons uc ion o he ailway in
Fe gana. The ies be ween Russian and local wo ke s we e u he s eng hened du ing
he 1905 e olu ion. Du ing hese e olu iona y e en s, coope a ion be ween Russian
and local wo ke s in ensi ied, and hey join ly demanded social and poli ical eedom.
This p ocess, in u n, ga e ise o majo con lic s be ween e hnic g oups and
disag eemen s be ween poli ical o ces.
I is impossible no o dwell on he in luence o hese peoples on he poli ics o
Tu kes an, since, o cou se, he poli ical ac i i y o he Eas Sla ic peoples was mainly
associa ed wi h he sys em o go e nmen o he Russian Empi e. The poli ical powe
o Russia a ec ed he e i o y o Tu kes an, and hese changes ga e ise o poli ical
con adic ions among he local popula ion. The Sla s, in pa icula , ac i ely
pa icipa ed in he embassies, poli ical and mili a y s uc u es o he Russian Empi e.
These p ocesses led o mu ual in eg a ion and poli ical con lic s be ween e hnic g oups.
Al hough he Eas Sla ic peoples ied o impose Russian powe among he local
popula ion, many con lic s and social p oblems a ose.
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Social and e hnic ela ions be ween he Eas Sla s and he local popula ion we e
associa ed wi h se e al ac o s. The wide dis ibu ion o he Sla s in he e i o y o
Tu kes an is explained, i s o all, by poli ical and economic ac o s. In ela ions wi h
he local peoples, con adic ions, cul u al di e ences and economic inequali ies a ose.
The p ocess o in e ac ion and in eg a ion be ween he Eas Sla ic peoples and he local
popula ion was complex and ull o con adic ions. Economic, poli ical and cul u al
changes ook place be ween he Tu kic peoples and he Sla s. The s ong poli ical
sys ems and economic posi ions o he Sla s o en limi ed he local peoples socially
and economically. Howe e , in many cases, i can be said ha good ela ions we e
es ablished and in eg a ion p ocesses we e also ca ied ou .
The p ocess o mig a ion o Eas e n Sla s o he e i o y o Tu kes an, and in
pa icula o he Fe gana Valley, in ensi ied du ing he Fi s Wo ld Wa , and du ing
his pe iod, when e ugees om he wes e n egions o Russia began o a i e, i can
be said ha ano he in lux o Russians began o appea in Fe gana. In a sho ime, he
numbe o e ugees om Tu kes an inc eased sha ply. As o No embe 19, 1915,
21,000 people se led in he Fe gana egion - almos equal o he numbe o Russians
in he alley. The Fe gana egion, like Tu kes an as a whole, was no eady o accep
such a la ge numbe o e ugees. Diseases, an un amilia clima e, poo social
condi ions led o a sha p inc ease in he high mo ali y a e among hem. All his caused
he go e nmen o change i s policy owa ds such e ugees. So, he go e nmen issued
an o de o ese le such e ugees om Tu kes an o o he p o inces o Russia. As a
esul , by June 1, 1916, only 2,464 e ugees emained in he Fe gana egion[1;5].
Unlike Sou h A ica, Rhodesia, Kenya, o Alge ia, he Eas Sla s o Tu kes an
did no de elop a dis inc c eole poli ical and cul u al iden i y ha migh one day
challenge me opoli an con ol. One eason o his was ha he Russian Empi e did
no c ea e sepa a e colonial s a es ha could ha e se ed as al e na i e cen e s o
e i o ial allegiance. Ano he eason was ha only i y yea s had passed be ween he
a i al o he i s Eu opean colonial popula ion in Sou h Cen al Asia and he
eplacemen o he sa is egime by he So ie Union. The new egime, howe e ,
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pu sued a comple ely di e en policy in he Cen al Asian egions, based on he logic
o na ion-building. Ne e heless, in he u bulen yea s be ween he 1916 up ising and
he es ablishmen o So ie powe a e 1920, he ac ions o he colonial popula ion
showed ain echoes o a unila e al decla a ion o independence. Du ing he yea s o
he e olu ion, e hnic wa s we e ully mani es ed in Tu kes an. The colonial
popula ion, aking ad an age o he puni i e measu es aken a e he 1916 up ising,
began o seize land a he expense o he local popula ion in he Sy da ya and Ye isu
egions. When he sa is go e nmen comple ely collapsed in 1917, he colonial
popula ion, unde he guise o “Bolshe ism,” sough o app op ia e he p i ileges o
he o me o icial uling class. The So ie s ha claimed powe in Tashken , Ve niy,
and o he ci ies o Cen al Asia consis ed almos exclusi ely o Russian soldie s and
ailway wo ke s. They e used o accep Muslims, conside ing hem backwa d and
lacking a p ole a ia , and esponded iolen ly o a emp s by Muslim in ellec uals o
es ablish hei own au onomous go e nmen s in he egion[2;1].
CONCLUSION
I we u n o he ole o he Eas Sla ic peoples in he Tu kes an ASSR and hei
ela ions wi h he local popula ion in he las yea s o he i s qua e o he 20 h
cen u y, du ing he ci il wa o 1918-1922, he Eas Sla ic popula ion played an
impo an poli ical and mili a y ole in he Tu kes an ASSR. Thei sha e was especially
signi ican in he Sama kand and Sy da ya egions. The So ie au ho i ies encou aged
he mig a ion o he popula ion om he amine-s icken egions o Russia o
Tu kes an, which a ec ed he demog aphic composi ion o he local popula ion. The
So ie au ho i ies we e ini ially o ced o use he Russian and Uk ainian adminis a i e
and mili a y pe sonnel in Tu kes an, since he e was a sho age o local pe sonnel.
La e , he Bolshe iks, e alua ing he o me impe ial adminis a ion and mili a y uni s
composed o Eas Sla s as an “un eliable elemen ”, pu sued a policy o excluding hem
om socie y[3;1].
In 1918-1924, he Eas Sla ic peoples o med an impo an demog aphic and
social g oup in he Tu kes an ASSR. Mos o hem mig a ed o his egion due o he
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ci il wa and amine in Russia. In 1920, he Tu kes an ASSR had a o al popula ion o
5.2 million, o which 536,671 we e Russians, 4.7% we e Uk ainians, and 0.2% we e
Bela usians[3;2].
An impo an aspec o So ie na ional policy was he eshaping o he
popula ion s uc u e o he Tu kes an ASSR, and s a ing in 1921, housands o Eas
Sla s we e ese led o Tu kes an om he amine-s icken egions o Russia. The
So ie au ho i ies aimed o se le his popula ion "among he peasan popula ion o he
Sy da ya and Sama kand egions"[3;3]. This p ocess had a signi ican impac on he
e hnic composi ion o he Tu kes an ASSR
The policy o ole ance played an impo an ole in main aining social s abili y
in he Tu kes an ASSR. Howe e , his p ocess was some imes ca ied ou a i icially,
which led o in e e hnic con lic s. Al hough he So ie s a emp ed o in ol e local
e hnic g oups in s a e adminis a ion, Sla ic ep esen a i es we e o en appoin ed o
leade ship posi ions.[3;4] Howe e , he So ie go e nmen in ensi ied i s policy o
class cleansing o socie y in he la e 1920s and ea ly 1930s. In his p ocess, social
g oups conside ed "dange ous o he cons uc ion o a socialis socie y" we e
a ge ed.[4;1]
In he i s qua e o he 20 h cen u y, con ac s be ween he local popula ion and
he Eas Sla ic peoples in Tu kes an we e mul i ace ed, ha ing a signi ican impac on
he economic, cul u al, and educa ional sphe es. The policy o Russi ica ion and he
es ablishmen o Russian-language schools, in u n, s eng hened he in eg a ion
be ween he local popula ion and he Eas Sla ic peoples, bu he success o his p ocess
la gely depended on he eac ion o he local peoples. Economic and cul u al ies in he
Fe gana egion helped o de elop close ela ions wi h he Eas Sla ic peoples in a
changing social and poli ical en i onmen , which played an impo an ole in he
his o ical de elopmen o Tu kes an.
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ea ly 20 h cen u ies (e hnocul u al p ocesses). Tashken : [n.p.], pp. 101–112. (In
Russian)
2. Mu azaye a, R. (2020). In e e hnic ela ions and ole ance in Uzbekis an.
Tashken : Go To P in . (In Uzbek)
3. Pugo kina, O. G. (2023). “Fo me people” in he social and poli ical s uc u e
o he So ie iza ion o Tu kes an socie y (1917–1930): His o y and sou ces. Tashken :
SANBOOK EXCLUSIVE PRINT. (In Russian)
4. Sahadeo, J. (2015). Peasan se le s and he "ci ilizing mission" in Russian
Tu kes an, 1865–1917. Jou nal o Impe ial & Commonweal h His o y, 43(3), 387–
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