The Murghab Sovereign’s Estate is a Socio‑Economic Outpost of the Russian Empire in Central Asia: Economic Structure

In this article, based on the special position of the Murghab sovereign’s estate as part of the Department of Appanages, the Transcaspian Province and later the Turkestan Governorate General, the question is raised as to how agricultural activity in it correlated with the general goals of the economic policy of the Russian Empire in Central Asia. Did the significant development of cotton growing in Turkestan affect the structure of the estate’s economy; what place was given to cotton culture in it – was it decisive or did other cultures also matter; what prevailed in the estate’s agriculture – the desire to gain profit, the spread of progressive farming methods among the local population, the integration of the estate into the economic life of the region and the entire empire, or something else? The identification and analysis of relevant intentions can deepen the understanding of the specifics of the economic policy of the Russian Empire at three levels: local – in the Murghab sovereign estate, sub-regional – in the Transcaspian region, and regional – in the Russian Turkestan territory.