История/Общая история

Zhanna Dyusembekova

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

Policy of the Russian government on the introduction of new regional structures in the Steppe: sections (first half of the XIX century)

As a result of the administrative-territorial reforms in 20-s of the XIX century in the territory of Steppe, the entire administrative-territorial system was totally changed. Cancellation of legacy control system (elimination of Khan's authority in the Steppe) was carried out without any obstacles and complications, because Khan's authority in the Junior jüz was much weaker and by the time lost any influence among Kazakh population.

According to the reform, the Junior jüz was divided into three external Transural regions in 1824, which were later renamed to Western, Middle and Eastern parts in 1828. When we study it in the context of geographical configuration, then we shall note the following. Three parts of the Kazakhs of Orenburg authority were named according to the boundaries of the Kazakhs of the West Siberian authority to the Caspian Sea. The boundary between the Middle and Western parts was indicated with the line from Iletsk town along the rivers Ilek and Big Khobda, along the river Temir through the natural boundary Kuktepsan to the Aral Sea. As the boundary between Eastern and Middle parts was assigned the line from the Steppe fortress across the rivers Toguzak, Karagay-Ata, Tobol and Dzhimkuvar, sided with the Eastern part, and further on to Tobol through the lake Karsakbashi up to the first Bukhara key Kinderli [1].

Complex of the following causes contributed to the introduction of the so-called “section” control system in the territory of Junior jüz: non-development and incompleteness of 1824 year legislation; demand in the annual system accounting of the number of hooded carts and Kazakh population; deficiency of arrangement mechanisms to settle relations between near-boundary inhabitants and nomads; demand in the regional administration study of the productive powers of the region and discovery of further advancing paths of the Russian troops in the direction of the Central Asia.

Introduction of the “section” control system divided the territory of the Western, Middle and Eastern part of the Junior jüz on the near linear and steppe sections. The largest quantity of the near linear sections was formed due to geographical location, so in the Middle part there were 13 sections, in the Western part there were 8 sections. Since the Eastern part was considered the most distant part of the Orenburg authority, the largest number of the steppe sections was in the Eastern part. The number of the sections in the Eastern part reached 21. Steppe sections concede in the number of the households, but they predominated in the vastness of the nomadic areas [2]. In a point of fact, so was the section scheme. The sections were divided into near linear and steppe. Near linear sections were located by the lines, fortification and the steppe were located in the depth of the steppe, in more remote areas. Such administrative division of the Steppe into the sections provided more efficient realization of the management functions of the regional administration in the Steppe. Section system, widespread in the steppe auls, afterwards introduced among the Kazakhs, migrating to the New Line in 1839. And in 40-s of the XIX century, this section establishment passed to the part of the Adai clan near the Novo-Aleksandrovskoye fortification [3].

In the Western part of the Orenburg Kazakhs there were ten sections (No. 1 – 9 and No. 31). There were 17 local heads. The Western part of the Horde included the following outposts and fortifications: Novo-Aleksandrovskoye fortification, Zatonniy, Sukhorechenskaya Cossack village, Guryev city, Lebyazhinskiy, Goryachinskiy, Irtetskiy, Budarinskiy, Kirsanovskiy, Kindelinskiy outposts; rivers: Ulenty, Chiderte, Changyrlau, Buldurte, Barbastau and others. The Middle part includes 9 sections (No. 10-14, 23-25 and 28-30). The local heads were 27. The Middle part of the Orenburg Kazakhs included: Urtamyzskaya fortress, located between Old and New lines, Vetlyanskiy outpost, Grigorievskaya Cossack village, Iletskaya zashchita (fortification), Ostrovnaya and Tanalytskaya Cossack villages, Nikolskiy, Ilyinskiy, Donskiy outposts, Verkhneozernaya Cossack village, Alabaltalskaya, Cherkasskaya, Nezhinskaya Cossack villages, Blagoslovenniy outpost; this part included the following rivers: Or, Terekli, Irgiz, Karabutak, Yamansu, Kurayly, Ilek, Khobda, Burte, Emba, Small Khobda, Kialy-Burte.

The largest number of the sections in the Eastern part consisted of the Orenburg Kazakhs and included the sections from 19 to 48. The Eastern part included the following rivers: Tobol, Turgay, Ayat, part of the Syr Darya, Abuga; the troops were: Lugovoy, Kocherdykskiy, Ozerniy, Zverinogolovskiy, Alabugskiy, Sophiyskiy, Alekseevskiy, Bobrovskiy, Mikhaylovskoye fortification, Natalinskaya Cossack village, Varvarinskaya Cossack village, Kidyshevskiy, Krutoyarskiy, Karakulskiy, Berezovskiy, Ust-Uyskiy, Klyuchevskiy, Osipovskiy. Steppe sections which were located closer to the river Syr Darya formed New line, which included the territory of rivers Tobol and Turgay [4].

Following 50-s of the XIX century the number of sections increased. So the section 53 was included into the Eastern part, and the sections No. 54, 56, 57 were included into the Middle part [5].

Administrative division of the Junior jüz was conducted in accordance with the territorial criteria, the clannish principle of division was partially taken into consideration. Administrative divisions were established in each section – auls, their number was not the same, as well as the number of hooded carts. If the “Regulation” dated June 14, 1844, stated that in the aul could be up to 40 hooded carts and more, then by the second half of the XIX century it was allowed to enter in each section 2,000-2,300 hooded carts, in the aul – 200-400 hooded carts.

In general, the administrative policy in the Steppe in the form of the section system was accompanied by implementation of the new political system, the occurrence of the local administrative management on the new level in the territory of the Steppe in the first half of the XIX century. As a result, direct control of the Russian government to manage the Kazakh population was established, stable and continuous cooperation with the representatives of the local elite of the Kazakh nomadic society was created, and their cooptation into the system of the All-Russian officials by awarding military ranks, orders and medals.

Comments:

1. Kaynazarov E. History of Kazakhstan through the ages/ E. Kaynazov, A. Kaynazarova. Alma-Ata, 1992.

2. National suburbs of the Russian Empire: establishment and development of the management system. M., 1997. – 416 pages.

3. Central State Archive of the Republic of Tyva, Fund 4. Description 1. Case 366. Sheet 54-55.

4. About honorable and high-powered horde members // History of Kazakhstan in the Russian sources of XVI-XX. Volume VIII. Part 2. Almaty, 2006. – 962 pages.

5. Central State Archive of the Republic of Tyva, Fund 4. Description 1. Case 2428. Sheet 12-12.