ETHNIC COMPOSITION AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION OF EAST KAZAKHSTAN IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

Abstract

Abstract. This article examines the demographic, social, and economic development of the East Kazakhstan region in the nineteenth century. The study analyzes the ethnic composition of the region’s population, the dynamics of population growth, migration processes, and the role of various ethnic groups in the social life of the region. Particular attention is given to the contributions of the Tatar, German, and Polish diasporas to the formation and development of trade, cultural, and scientific life in the region.

The article also considers the impact of the resettlement policy of the Russian Empire on the demographic structure of East Kazakhstan. Based on statistical data, it describes the social estate (class) and religious composition of the region’s population. In addition, the study examines the traditional economic system of the Kazakh population, particularly the features of pastoral livestock breeding and its gradual transformation into a market-oriented activity by the end of the nineteenth century. The influence of Russian settlers on the adoption of agricultural practices by the Kazakh population is also analyzed.

The research findings demonstrate that by the second half of the nineteenth century the East Kazakhstan region had developed into a multiethnic social space, where representatives of various ethnic groups played an important role in its economic, cultural, and scientific development.