Imperiale Projektionen und kaukasische Wirklichkeiten: Banditenwesen und das Phänomen Zelimchan im spätzaristischen Russland

Abstract

Imperial Projections and Caucasian Realities. Banditry and the Zelimkhan Phenomenon in Late Imperial Russia This article sheds light on the situation of the Northern Caucasus in late imperial Russia by portraying the life and deeds of one of the most notorious bandits of the time: the Chechen „abrek“ Zelimkhan Gushmazukaev. Together with his small group of followers, Zelimkhan for more than a decade roamed this mountainous region, raiding Cossack farms, robbing banks, trains and post offices, and murdering local representatives of the Tsarist government. He was killed in September 1913. He gained legendary status during his lifetime, and became a frequent topic of debate in the Russian press as well as the ruling political and military circles. Social-democrats tended to portray this figure as a symbol of the oppressed people and a fighter for social justice. For conservatives, Zelimkhan was the living proof that the modernizing project in what was considered the most backward part of the Russian Empire had gone terribly awry. Drawing on newspaper articles and book publications from the late Tsarist and early Soviet period, as well as recently published police and other reports from the imperial Russian archives, this article explains the myth behind the legend and seeks to gain insight into the complex social realities in this volatile region of the Russian Empire.