THE LAND ISSUE IN THE KAZAKH STEPPE IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY: ITS COMPLICATIONS AND POLITICAL ASPECTS

Abstract

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the land issue in the Kazakh steppe during the early 20th century and its significant political and historical implications. It focuses on the disruption of the traditional Kazakh land use system by the Russian Empire’s colonial agrarian policy, which led to widespread social discontent. A major part of the study is devoted to the role of Kazakh intellectuals–Alikhan Bokeikhanov, Akhmet Baitursynov, and Mirzhakyp Dulatov–who actively raised the land issue in the State Duma. The article explores their speeches, legislative proposals, and their efforts to defend the rights of the Kazakh people. It also highlights how this issue gained public resonance through contemporary newspapers and political debates. The article draws from archival materials, Duma records, and memoirs to illustrate how these events contributed to the political awakening of Kazakh society and laid the groundwork for future land policy discussions in independent Kazakhstan.In addition, the article analyzes the consequences of land redistribution policies implemented by the colonial administration, which profoundly affected the social structure of Kazakh villages, led to the collapse of the nomadic economy, and altered the natural landscape. Legal transformations in land relations – particularly the designation of lands as "state property" – are examined as mechanisms that intensified the perception of colonial oppression. The author also highlights the ethno-social implications of these policies, such as the rise of national consciousness and increased political activism among Kazakhs in response to imperial encroachment. Drawing on rare archival sources and publicistic materials, the article sheds light on the root causes and long-term effects of the early 20th-century land crisis, positioning it as a foundational moment in the transformation of Kazakhstan’s agrarian system and collective historical memory.