Tobolsk Governorate Exile (Tsarist Russia): Origination And Status In The Early Xx Century

Abstract

In the early XX century, the Russian Empire witnessed crucial transformations of sociopolitical and economic spheres of the society’s life. There were new developments in the Siberian region as well. The words “Siberia” and “exile” had merged into one single notion and were associated in the common people’s minds with governmental reprisals made on the population. Tobolsk Governorate, as the first Trans-Ural region, absorbed a crowd of the exiled which was very motley and extremely unwanted by the locals. This article is dedicated to consideration of changes that were taking place in the Siberian exile. The processes of transformation of the social composition of the exiled have been researched; ideological and political sentiments that reigned among the exiled are characterized in detail. The primary sources of the work were the materials from “Sibirskie voprosy” (Issues of Siberia) opposition magazine and the clerical documents of the administrative and law enforcement authorities of Tobolsk Governorate. The conclusions drawn provide a vivid description of the key groups of which the exiled consisted in the early XX century and make it possible to assess a real revolutionary potential in the social groups sent in exile to the Trans-Urals region.

Keywords: Siberia, exile, Tobolsk Governorate, revolution,
settlements.