Russian Turkestan

Viceroyalty of Russian Turkestan Наместничество Русский Туркестан Namestnichestvo Russkiy Turkestan
Governorate-General of Russia
Map of the Viceroyalty of Turkestan
Country	Russian Empire
Established	23 July 1867
Administrative centre	Tashkent
Government
• Governor-General	Army General Prince Nikolai Vladimirovich Golitsyn
Area
• Total	3,131,993 km2 (1,209,269 sq mi)
Population  (2010 Census)
• Total	66,124,034
• Density	21/km2 (55/sq mi)
• Urban	39.2%
• Rural	60.8%
Governorates	39 contained
Economic regions	1 contained

The Viceroyalty of Russian Turkestan (Russian: Наместничество Русский Туркестан Namestnichestvo Russkiy Turkestan) is a major political and military subdivision of the Russian Empire, ranking as a Governorate-General. It includes 39 Governorates and it is headed by the Viceroy of Russian Turkestan (Russian: Наместник Pусского Туркестана Namestnik Russkogo Turkestana). The capital of the Viceroyalty is Tashkent. The Emirate of Bukhara, a vassal state of the Russian Empire, is surrounded by the Russian Turkestan.

The current Viceroy of Russian Turkestan is Army General Prince Nikolai Vladimirovich Golitsyn.

The Russian Turkestan includes over 20% of the total population of the Russian Empire, with a diverse ethnic, cultural and religious composition.

History

The beginning of the Russian conquest of Turkestan is officially dated to 1865. That year the Russian forces took the city of Tashkent under General Mikhail Chernyayev. This was swiftly followed by the conquest of Samarkand and the surrounding region on the Zeravshan River from the Emirate of Bukhara in 1868 forming the Zeravsh Special Okrug of Turkestan.

In 1867 Turkestan was made a separate Governor-Generalship, under its first Governor-General, Konstantin Petrovich Von Kaufman. Tashkent was selected to be its capital and it consisted initially of three oblasts (provinces): Syr Darya, Semirechye Oblast and the Zeravshan Okrug (later Samarkand Oblast). In 1894, the Transcaspian Region (which had been conquered in 1881–1885 by military generals Mikhail Skobelev and Mikhail Annenkov) was added to the Governor-Generalship.

Turkestan remained an isolated colonial outpost, with an administration that preserved many distinctive features from the previous Islamic regimes, including Qadis' courts and a 'native' administration that devolved much power to local 'Aksakals' (Elders or Headmen).

A policy of deliberately enforcing anti-modern, traditional, ancient conservative Islamic education in schools and Islamic ideology was enforced by the Russians in order to deliberately hamper and destroy opposition to their rule by keeping them in a state of torpor to and prevent foreign ideologies from penetrating in.

In 1897 the railway reached Tashkent, and finally in 1906 a direct rail link with European Russia was opened across the steppe from Orenburg to Tashkent. This led to large numbers of ethnic Russian settlers flowing into Turkestan. This caused considerable discontent amongst the local population. In 1916 discontent boiled over in the Basmachi Revolt. Thousands of settlers were killed, and this was matched by Russian reprisals, particularly against the nomadic population.

The Russian Civil War provoked Turkestan to be a stronghold of the Communist revolution, but the Russian rule was reestablished by the 1920s.

In 1974, in a reorganization of the local government of the Russian Empire, the Inner Belt was added en masse to the Russian Turkestan. In 1991, Ulala Governorate was added to the Viceroyalty.

Geography

The Russian Turkestan extends over a major part of the Central Asia under the Russian Empire, with some territories belonging to the Southern Siberia. This makes the Russian Turkestan a very diverse region, with difficult climates and environments.

The Russian Turkestan may be informally subdivided into two broad belts: the Northern or Inner Belt, and the Southern or Outer Belt. Alongside the two belts, but outside of them, there is the Ulala Governorate in Southern Siberia.

The Inner Belt includes the southern parts of the great plains of the Central Asia, with a significant Cossack population. The Outer Belt is more adjacent to the Russian border and it is more montainous and ethnically diverse.

Politics

The Russian Turkestan is one of the three Governorates-General of the Russian Empire. The Governorate-General bears the title of Viceroyalty and has intermediate coordinating powers against its 39 subordinate Governorates (including 4 Special Cities). The headquarters of the Vicergal Administration are in Tashkent.

The Inner Belt, added to the Viceroyalty only in 1974, has fewer, but larger, governorates and it serves as economic, political and security buffer zone between the Russian Empire and the Outer Belt. The main city of the Inner Belt is Alma-Ata (also known as Almaty), a Special City. The Inner Belt includes eight Governorates:

1. Alma Ata (Special City);
2. Melovoye Governorate;
3. Nukus Governorate (also known as Governorate of the Nukus);
4. Perovsk Governorate;
5. Turkistan Governorate;
6. Taraz Governorate;
7. Taldykorgan Governorate;
8. Ust-Kamenogorsk Governorate.

The Outer Belt includes 30 Governorates, including the administrative centre, Tashkent. From a political point of view, the Outer Belt is among the most politically volatile and sensitive areas of the Russian Empire due to Iranian claims to parts of the area. The Governorates included into the Outer Belt are:

1. Tashkent (Special City);
2. Ashkhabad (Special City);
3. Pishpek (Special City);
4. Balkanabat Governorate;
5. Tashauz Governorate;
6. Annau Governorate;
7. Urgench Governorate;
8. Chardzhou Governorate;
9. Mary Governorate;
10. Samarkand Governorate;
11. Karmana Governorate;
12. Jizzakh Governorate;
13. Nakhshab Governorate;
14. Termez Governorate;
15. Guliston Governorate;
16. Toytepa Governorate;
17. Khujand Governorate;
18. Talas Governorate;
19. Bokhtar Governorate;
20. Dushanbe Governorate;
21. Jalalabad Governorate;
22. Namangan Governorate;
23. Andijan Governorate;
24. Skobelev-Fergana Governorate;
25. Batken Governorate;
26. Tokmak Governorate;
27. Karakol Governorate;
28. Naryn Governorate;
29. Osh Governorate;
30. Koror Governorate.

The Emirate of Bukhara is surrounded by the Outer Belt.

The Ulala Governorate is not part of neither the Inner or the Outer Belts.

Viceroy of Russian Turkestan

The Viceroy of Russian Turkestan is the official tasked to support the defence of the Russian borders and the guarantee of the Russian rule. The Viceroyalty of Russian Turkestan is governed by the Viceroy of Russian Turkestan, a senior military officer in active service, usually ranking Army General and being of noble birth. The Viceroy is tasked with overseeing the execution of the policies of the Russian Empire, overseeing the work of Empire-wide agencies and Ministries in Caucasus, commanding troops stationed within the Viceroyalty, ensuring defence and security to the Viceroyalty and ensuring the compliance of subordinate Governors as well as other civilian and military officials. The Viceroy is appointed and revoked at the Tsar's own pleasure.

According the statutes enacted across the decades, the Viceroy's honor and dignity is inviolable and his expenses are paid by the state. The Viceroy possesses total immunity for all actions he performs while in office, retains the ability to speak to the people of Russian Turkestan, keeps guards, communication, transport, and state support of his activity.

The Viceroy of Turkestan has the authority to appoint and dismiss intermediate members of the administration, to execute foreign policy directives issued by the Tsar, present and sign local law, announce all elections and enact his own decrees and direct and implement the security and defence policy for Russian Turkestan.

The Viceroy of Turkestan has several duties:

• to guarantee observance of laws of the Russian Empire;
• to take the necessary measures for the protection of the Rusecurity and territorial integrity of the Russian Empire;
• to conduct negotiations and sign treaties and agreements within the framework of guidelines and directives issued by the Tsar;
• to present to the Russian Government and to the Tsar annual reports on major matters of social and economic life of the Viceroyalty;
• to direct the execution of policy, ensuring interaction of the supreme bodies of authority and administration;
• to appoint the Chairman of the Assembly;
• to present to the Tsar nominees for the posts of governors of provinces and Special Cities,
• to suspend and repeal acts passed by bodies of state administration, as well as by governors;
• in exceptional cases, in the interests of ensuring State security, to proclaim a state of emergency in the entire territory or in particular localities, and within 72 hours to submit such decision for approval by the Tsar;
• to award orders, medals and certificates of honour and confer qualification and honorary titles;
• to grant political asylum.

Viceregal Administration of Russian Turkestan

The Viceregal Administration of Russian Turkestan is the body tasked to support the activities of the Viceroy of Russian Turkestan. The viceregal authority is assisted by the Turkestan Committee, which consists of representatives of the State Council and the ministries of Finances, Justice and Interior, as well as of members of special committees. A Consultative Council supports the Viceroy.

A Chief Administrator (Russian: Главный Aдминистратор; Glavnyy Administrator), appointed by the Tsar and ranking Actual State Councillor of the Tsar, 1st class, is subordinate to the Viceroy of Caucasus and oversees civil affairs following guidelines issued by the MVD.

The Viceroyalty of Russian Turkestan's central apparatus consists of six Directorates and five Viceregal Advisors (with their own staff), including:

• Viceregal Advisor on Public Service and Cadastre;
• Viceregal Advisor on Legal Support and Coordination of Law Enforcement Affairs: he is alwasy the Director of the Special Directorate of Police;
• Viceregal Advisor on Claims Control and Policy Coordination;
• Viceregal Adviser on Youth, Science, Education, Health and Sports;
• Viceregal Advisor on Economic Issues;
• Directorate for General Affairs (Управление по Oбщим Делам, УOД; Upravleniye po Obshchim Delam, UOD);
• Directorate for Finances (Управление финансов, Уф; Upravleniye Finansov, UF);
• Directorate for Economic Sector Development, Investment and Trade Policy (Управление Pазвития Cектора Экономики, Инвестиционной и Торговой Политики, УPCЭИToП; Upravleniye Razvitiya Sektora Ekonomiki, Investitsionnoy i Torgovoy Politiki, URSEIToP);
• Directorate for Public affairs, information and cultural affairs (Управление по Cвязям с Oбщественностью, Информации и Kультуре, УCOИK; Upravleniye po Svyazyam s Obshchestvennostʹyu, Informatsii i Kulʹture, USOIK);
• Directorate for Social Policy (Управление Cоциальной Политики, УCП; Upravleniye Sotsialʹnoy Politiki, USP);
• Special Directorate of Police (Специальное Управление Полиции, СУП; Spetsial'noye Upravleniye Politsii, SUP).

See also

• Rossyiah
• Local government in the Russian Empire