The Collectivization of Agriculture in the Semipalatinsk Region: Administrative Repression and Its Consequences (1928–1930)

Abstract

Abstract. In the 1920s and 1930s, the political and economic reforms carried out in Kazakhstan resulted in irreversible transformations in the social and cultural spheres. The agrarian policies of the Soviet government, including collectivization and measures aimed at reducing livestock farming, fundamentally altered the traditional way of life and economic structures of the Kazakh people, while exacerbating social instability in rural areas. At present, numerous studies on this topic are conducted by both domestic and international historians. These works examine the causes and consequences of collectivization and present new perspectives on the profound impact of these reforms on the historical and cultural development of the Kazakh people. However, regional studies, particularly those focused on the peculiarities of collectivization in various regions of Kazakhstan and its impact on local populations, remain insufficient. The lack of regional research hinders a deeper understanding of how collectivization was implemented at the national level and its local particularities. Expanding such studies would undoubtedly contribute to a more accurate assessment of local conditions and the socio-political situation.

This article analyzes the beginning of agricultural collectivization in the Soviet Union during 1928-1930 and its implementation in Eastern Kazakhstan, based on archival data and statistical materials. The regional peculiarities and consequences of the collectivization policy are discussed.

Drawing on archival materials, the article explores the causes of collectivization, the excesses in the implementation of the state grain procurement program, and the illegal actions of local authorities. Special attention is paid to the consequences of collectivization for Kazakh villages and areas with Russian-speaking populations. The study also examines the unjust measures imposed by the leadership of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) on rural residents.