THE REPRESENTATION OF THE LAND QUESTION IN THE OFFICIAL REVIEWS OF THE SEMIRECHENSK REGION AND THE MATERIALS OF K. K. PALEN’S REVISION

Abstract

This article examines agrarian policy of the Russian Empire in the Semirechensk Region on the basis of official Obzory (Reviews) issued by the local administration. The data derived from these sources are compared with the materials of Senator K. K. Pahlen’s revision of 1908–1909, making it possible to identify discrepancies between official accounts of the resettlement process and the situation on the ground. Particular attention is paid to the application of unjustified norms in determining “surplus” lands, the misuse of state funds within irrigation projects, and the expropriation of established wintering sites belonging to the local population. Quantitative methods are employed alongside the historical-comparative approach to assess the reliability of official statistical data. The study also considers the role of volost elections in legitimizing administrative decisions related to the redistribution of land. The findings indicate that the agrarian policy of the imperial administration contributed to the disruption of the traditional economy of the local population and became one of the major economic prerequisites of the 1916 uprising.