ETHNIC ASPECTS OF THE MIGRATION POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN WESTERN KAZAKHSTAN (1860S – EARLY 20TH CENTURY)

This article reveals the content and specifics of the resettlement policy of the Russian Empire in the territory of Western Kazakhstan in the period from 1868 to 1917. A comprehensive analysis of the nature of the resettlement movement is carried out, the main stages, trends and directions of migration processes, mainly affecting the Russian and Ukrainian population, are determined. Particular attention is paid to the goals and objectives of the imperial migration policy, as well as its impact on the ethnic structure and demographic dynamics of the region. Administratively, the following administrative-territorial units belonged to the studied region during the specified period: 1) Gurevsky, Lbishchensky, Temirsky and Uralsky districts of the Uralsk region; 2) Aktobe and Irgiz districts of the Turgai region; 3) Bukeevsky district of the Astrakhan province; 4) Mangyshlak district of the Transcaspian region. Migration flows to the region were mainly formed from the provinces of the European part of the Russian Empire, which predetermined the ethnic and ethno-confessional composition of the settlers. Based on a wide range of sources - including archival documents, statistical data and ethnographic materials - the features of the colonial policy of the empire are revealed, in particular, the process of confiscating lands from the indigenous Kazakh nomadic population and their subsequent redistribution in favor of East Slavic settlers. The migration movement of the late 19th - early 20th centuries is considered one of the key factors that had a significant impact on the transformations in the ethno-demographic development of the Kazakh people.