THE LABORATORY OF THE BOLSHEVIK ECONOMIC EXPERIENCE: 1921-1922 REFORMS ON LAND AND WATER USAGE IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The first years after the October Revolution (1917) were years of revolutionary passion and experimentation, which found their expression in a set of political, social, and economic reforms. Economic policy towards the former Tsarist Empire as Central Asia and Kazakhstan, was characterized by two main features: the liquidation of inequality in land and water usage between the native nomad Kazakh population and the settled Slavic one, and the transition from a capitalist colonial policy to socialist economic development. The research employs a comprehensive methodological framework that integrates historical analysis, archival research, and a comparative study of policy implementation across diverse geographical regions. A primary focus is placed on archival materials from the Central National Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which serve as a pivotal source for understanding the directives and decrees that shaped early Soviet policies. This study also analyzes an extensive array of Party resolutions, Soviet decrees, and collections of key documents, enabling a detailed exploration of the ideological and procedural shifts from Tsarist to Bolshevik governance. This research provides new insights into the complex dynamics of Soviet policy implementation in Kazakhstan and Central Asia during the nascent years of the Bolshevik regime. It explores the juxtaposition of the revolutionary eagerness for immediate reform with the stark realities of socio-political and economic fragility in post-revolutionary times. By focusing on specific difficulties such as the stark regional contrasts in ethnic composition and the aftermath of the Civil War, this research contributes a nuanced understanding to the discourse on policy adaptation and execution amidst volatility.