Lecture 20: Restoration of National economy (1921-1925)  

The objective of the lecture: To show the peculiarities of the NEP in Kazakhstan. Consequences of the starvation in Kazakhstan.

Outline of the lecture:

1. NEP (New Economic policy).
2. Starvation in 1921-1922. Land-water reform.
3. National-territorial delimitation of Middle Asia.

I. National-liberation movement in 1916, revolutions 1917, civil war brought economic chaos and destruction.

- 250 from 307 nationalized enterprises didn’t work.

- Railways were destroyed.

- Agriculture was declined: sown area reduced on 2 mln. desyatina, harvest in 3 times.

- Number of livestock reduced on 10,8 mln.

In these conditions the policy of “military communism” continued. Soviet and party organs acted by violent methods to collect bread, meat, agricultural raw. Aul population upraised in Semipalatinsk, Kustanai, Akmolinsk, Petropavlovsk, Kokchetav uezds. Society needed in new methods of management. On March 8-16, 1921 X Congress of RCP (b) was held, which took decision about transferring to New Economic Policy. The main signs of NEP:

1. The prodrazverstka was abolished and changed by prodnalog.
2. The authorization of the freedom of trade was the most important introducing the market relations.
3. The period of the NEP, having the task of the normal (“capitalist”) economy with the state control over the production and distribution of the produced goods by the monopoly of the foreign trade began.
4. The abolition of the prodrazverstka and it’s substitution by the natural tax were the first steps of the NEP. Now the peasant could deal with the surplus, which he had after the paying out of the tax.
5. That process required the free trade. Fairs, private and cooperative shops were opened, the trade fairs began to work, and the whole kinds of cooperation (consumer cooperation, credit, agriculture etc.) were encouraged.
6. The labor conscription, labor mobilizations were abolished.
7. Small enterprises, using of Hired labor were permitted.
8. Credit was given to the poor men, farms.

II. In the summer 1921 drought came into fact. Harvest of Uralsk, Orenburg, Aktubinsk, Bukey and Kustanai oblasts was lost. More 2.3 mln. men starved. Number of population reduced on 1 mln. people as compared with 1914.

NEP gave results in the middle of 20-s. In 1925 National economy was restored 60% of enterprises worked. Number of livestock redoubled as compared with 1922 and formed 26 mln. heads. More than 128 fairs with the volume of trade 20-23 mln rubles worked.

Land-water reform was held in Kazakhstan in 1921-1922. Kazakh lands, which were seized for Siberian, Uralsk Cossacks troops in Cisirtysh and left side of Ural, Semirechey and Southern Kazakhstan were returned. More than 1 mln 385 th. des. received peasants. In 1921 “Koshchi” union was formed, which took part in realization of land reform.

III. One of the consequences of colonial policy was division of Kazakhstan on administrative-territorial parts. Parts of Akmolinsk, Semipalatinsk, Uralsk, Semirechensk and Syrdarya oblasts were out of Kazakhstan. In 1921 delimitation began in the western and northern Kazakhstan and Western Siberia.

On October 27, 1924 CEC (Central Executive Committee) of the USSR adopted decision about foundation of Uzbek SSR with Tajik ASSR in it, Turkmen SSR, Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous oblast in the structure of RSFSR, Kaz.ASSR with Karakalpak autonomous oblast in it. As a result Kazalinsk, Akmechet, Turkestan, Chimkent and great part of Aulie-Ata uezds, part of Tashkent and Mirzachul uezds of Syrdarya oblasts, six volosts of Djizak and Samarcand oblasts, Alma-Atinski, Djarkentski, Lepsinski, Kapalski uezds of Semirechensk oblasts, Georgievskaya, Chuiskaya, Kara-Kumskaya volosts of Pishpek uezd entered to the structure of Kazakhstan. The territory of Kazakhstan increased on 700 th.km2 and formed 2,7 mln.m2. The population increased on 1468 th. men and common population reached 5230 th.men. According census of 1926 61,3% Kazakhs lived in Kazakhstan. In 1925 the capital was transferred from Orenburg to Akmechet, which was renamed in Kzyl-Orda.