Peasant Resettlement in Siberia at Beginning of 20th Century (Materials of Siberian Questions Journal)

Abstract

Based on the analysis of the published materials of the journal “Siberian Questions”, the article reconstructs the image of migrants heading beyond the Urals in the course of implementing the state policy that was carried out in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The main facets of this image are determined, including the composition of the settlers, their property status, sources of information and the degree of awareness of the new place of residence. Particular attention is paid to such aspects as incentives for resettlement, the perception of difficulties and the nature of the economic development of the territory, relations with old-timers and interaction with officials. It is considered to what extent the identified features are reflected in other sources, remain topical throughout the entire period of publication. The relevance of the study is due to the ongoing discussion about the assessment of resettlement policy, as well as the largescale changes that followed it. The author gives a holistic description of the image of the settlers, draws a conclusion about its ambiguity and offers his own explanation for this. The main sources of work were the materials of the journal “Siberian Questions”, as well as documents from the funds of the Tyumen Museum-Education Organization, some of which are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.