Changes in the Settlement Network and Demographic Processes in the Kuban and the Black Sea Region in 1920–1939

Introduction. The scientific problem of changes in the settlement network in the context of demographic processes of the NEP periods and the modernization of Soviet society (1920–1939) is relevant for clarifying the historical patterns of development of the space of the regions of Russia, including Kuban and the Black Sea region. Changes in the settlement network have become an important factor in industrialization and collectivization, the formation of a new territorial identity in the regional community. The purpose of the article is to determine the direction of changes in the settlement network in the context of demographic processes in the Kuban and the Black Sea region in 1920–1939. Methods and materials. The study is conducted using system analysis, synchronous and diachronic comparative analysis, and construction of variational and dynamic series in the form of statistical tables. Analysis and results. It is established that the main factors of the specifics of the settlement network of the Kuban region and the Black Sea province by 1920 were the specialization of the region – high-quality grain agriculture – as well as Cossack communal land use in the Kuban and the incomplete peasant colonization of the Black Sea coast. Due to the natural conditions, the region is clearly divided into steppe, foothill, and coastal zones. The highest settlement density and population concentration in large villages are noted in the Ekaterinodar and Labinsk departments. The population and its ethnic heterogeneity have increased significantly due to interregional migration. Under the conditions of the new economic policy, the restoration of settlement networks disrupted during the Civil War was developing, but the preservation of Cossack communal land ownership prevented the modernization of the community. Industrialization and collectivization, which began in 1928, had a peculiarity in the Kuban and the Black Sea region: the priorities of economic development were the food and construction industries, large grain collective farms in the Kuban, and the creation of resort and recreational centers in the Black Sea region. At the same time, the dispossession and famine of 1932–1933 led to significant forced migration and stimulated the growth of the urban population and its concentration in large settlements. Modernization has led to changes in the territorial identity of the Kuban and Black Sea communities. Authors’ contribution. A.V. Baranov has provided research conceptualization, methodology development, source text writing, and final conclusions. V.V. Kasyanov has participated in the development of curricula and their implementation, the collection and interpretation of archival materials, the follow-on revision of the text, and final conclusions.