What kind of money is there? For a long time there was no money at all: goods were exchanged for goods. Then livestock was the measure of value. In Latin, the very name of money meant: cattle. Metals became another measure of value. For a long time they were valued by weight and exchanged weight for weight. Fabulous

The number and distribution of Cossacks of the Russian Empire in the 18th – early 20th centuries.

annotation

Keywords

Time scale - century
XX XIX XVIII

Bibliographic description:
Kabuzan V.M. The number and distribution of Cossacks of the Russian Empire in the 18th – early 20th centuries. // Proceedings of the Institute of Russian History. Vol. 7/ Russian Academy Sciences, Institute of Russian History; resp. ed. A.N.Sakharov. M., 2008. pp. 302-326.

Article text

V.M. Kabuzan

NUMBER AND DISTRIBUTION OF COSSACKS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE 18th – EARLY 20TH centuries.

The Cossack class in Russia was a privileged class, guarding the borders of the empire and order within the country. Cossacks consistently populated the outlying regions of Russia, which were included in its composition. Their activities contributed to the 16th century. until 1918, the steady expansion of Russian ethnic territory, initially along the Don and Ural (Yaika) rivers, and then in the North Caucasus, Siberia, the Far East, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

To study the ethnodemographic history of the Russian Cossacks, various sources have been preserved and stored in our archives. However, they acquire the necessary completeness and reliability only in the 18th century. These are materials from the church (from the 30s of the 18th century), revision (from the 20s of the 18th century), departmental (from the 30s of the 18th century), as well as current records and censuses (from 60s of the XIX century and complete - census of 1897).

The historiography of the problem is very extensive and multifaceted. However, special, purely historical and geographical studies about the Cossacks have not yet been created.

The entire complex of sources stored mainly in archives (RGADA, RGIA, RGVIA, etc.) allows us to establish at a scientific level:

1) The dynamics of the settlement of the Cossack (and in the Cossack territories the entire) population over a 200-year period of time.

2) Determine the time of founding of the overwhelming majority of Cossack settlements (especially on the territory of the Kuban, Terek, Amur and Ussuri Cossack troops).

3) Since the 19th century. (especially from the second half) to trace the role of natural and mechanical growth in the overall increase in the population of the population using separately existing Cossack troops.

4) Determine the dynamics of the confessional composition of the inhabitants of a number of Cossack troops (Don, Kuban, Ural).

5) Research the ethnic structure of the Cossack population.

6) For the period from 1918 to 2002, consider what changes the former Cossack territory underwent and what remains of it today.

The dynamics of the number and settlement of Cossack troops in the Russian Empire are among the least studied. This especially applies to the 18th century, for which the main body of sources was not even included in scientific circulation. The most complete of them are church statistics (religious paintings), current records of the military department and the census. The audit data (for 1719-1858) allows us to establish only the number of peasant population living in the military territory.

The surviving materials allow us to trace in detail how the population of the Cossack troops grew, both due to natural growth (birth rate, mortality) and migration (resettlement) movement. They make it possible to even consider when, where and in what numbers new Cossack settlements (stanitsa, kuren) were founded.

Let us trace the main stages of the movement of the Cossack population, at least using the example of the Don Army and the Kuban Army, which had their own autonomous control.

In the first half of the 18th century. in fact, almost the entire small population of the Don Army consisted of Cossacks. The fugitive population settling here could still become part of the Cossacks. Very incomplete data show that in 1707 only about 30 thousand people lived on Don, and in 1718, after the suppression of the uprising of K.A. Bulavin, approximately 20 thousand people remained here (see Table 1). The Don Cossacks lost vast territories, which mainly comprised the Bakhmut province of the Voronezh province. Sloboda Cossacks loyal to the government began to settle here. Later, this territory became part of the Yekaterinoslav province, and is now part of the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

In 1737, on the lands of the Don Army, according to church statistics, approximately 60 thousand people were counted, among whom runaway peasants made up 1.5 thousand, or about 2.5% of all residents (see table. 1).

In the 60s and early 70s of the 18th century. on the Don, about 145 thousand people were already counted, among whom fugitive Ukrainian peasants reached 35 thousand, or 24%. The latter began to actively populate the southern outskirts of the Land of the Don Army. Already in the 70s of the XVIII century. ka-

Table 1. Class and class composition of the population of the Land of the Don Army in the 18th - 30s years XIX V. according to church statistics and estimates of the 18th century, thousand people*

Zakis settled in 111 villages and a large number of adjacent villages. The Ukrainian, predominantly serf population was located mainly in the coastal Miussky district (at the beginning of the 19th century in 49 settlements). The number of farms at the beginning of the 19th century. reached 1722, and 206 villages. It is interesting that the absolute majority of villages arose at the beginning of the 18th century, and peasant settlements - in the 60-70s of the 18th century. The number of villages since the beginning of the 18th century. almost didn't change. During the period under review, the Cossack population settled in farmsteads. Lists of villages and farmsteads of the 18th-19th centuries. show the real settlement of the inhabitants of the Land of the Don Army. So, in the 50s of the XIX century. Only 367 people lived in the village of Veshenskaya, and the rest of the residents assigned to this village lived in 51 Cossack farms. In total, in this complex by the middle of the 19th century. inhabited by 14.8 thousand people. In many farms, the number of residents noticeably exceeded the population of the village of Veshenskaya itself (427 people were counted in the Kudinov farm, 541 in Er-makov, 590 in Ushakov, 769 in Chernovsky, 530 in Grachevsky, 500 people in Verkhovsky and etc.). Thus, each village was essentially a complex of a large number of settlements scattered over a large territory. The village itself was the originally founded settlement, which gave its name to this entire complex of villages.

In 1782, during the IV audit, 163 thousand people were registered in the Don Army (116.7 thousand Cossacks and about 46 thousand Ukrainian peasants, the share of which increased to 28%). In 1808, peasants made up 37% of the total population, in 1817 - 34%, in 1834 - 38.5%, in 1851 - 30.7%, in 1858 - 32.1% . Naturally, the peasantry lived in the first half of the 19th century. mainly in the territory of the Miussky district (in 1782 - 37.5%, in 1834 - 36.2%, in 1851 - 41.1%, in 1858 - 53.0% of the total ). In second place was the Donetsk district (1782 - 29.9%, 1851 - 29.9%, 1858 - 30.3%) and Ust-Medveditsky (7.2 and 9.5%). In other districts, the share of the enslaved population was much less significant (especially in Cherkasy, First Don and Second Don).

The influx of peasants, and then non-resident populations, constantly and steadily reduced the share of the Cossacks in the population of the Land of the Don Army. In 1775, the Cossacks reached 70.6% of all residents here, in 1808 - 62.9%, in 1817 - 66.0%, in 1854 - 61.5%, in 1851. - 66.8%, in 1871 - 64.3%, in 1881 - 59.3%, in 1890 - 46.6%, in 1901 - 43.0%, in 1911 - 44.8%, in 1916 - 40.2%. Until the 70s of the XIX century. Mechanical growth among the population on the Don was negative. The region actively participated in the settlement of the North Caucasus. A large number of Cossacks moved to the Kuban and especially the Terek (hereinafter, see Table 2).

Table 2. Population movement of the Don Army region in 1816-1915, thousand people*

In 1816-1880 in the region the total increase was 1038.3 thousand people. Of this number, the natural increase reached 1072.4 thousand, and the mechanical loss - 34.1 thousand. The outflow was especially significant in 1820-1830. - 50.7 thousand people, in 1841-1850. - 42.7 thousand, in 1861-1870. - 14.3 thousand people. Since 1871, mechanical growth has been positive, and since the 90s - high (1871-1880 - +18.8 thousand, 1891-1990 - +170 thousand, 1901-1910 - + 104 ,3 thousand people). Since the 70s, an increasing number of migrants have been moving to the Don. These were rural residents flocking here to work (the so-called “out-of-town” migrants). The Cossack population grew only due to natural growth (in 1881-1915 - 718.9 thousand people), and mechanical growth reached only 1.4 thousand people (mainly due to marriages with persons of the Cossack class ).

This was precisely the reason for the sharp reduction in the share of Cossacks on the Don (from 100% in the first half of the 18th century to 40% in 1916), since their natural increase was increased, like that of the entire population of this region.

In the Kuban Cossack army the situation was approximately the same. It arose in 1793, mainly on the territory of the Taman Peninsula. Former Zaporozhye Cossacks were transferred here, as well as partially former Cossacks from Little Russia and Sloboda Ukraine. Already by 1797, on the lands of the Black Sea Army (the predecessor of the Kuban Army until 1861), 47 kurens (from the mid-19th century - villages) arose in four districts. In the Yekaterinodarsky district there were 18 villages (8.9 thousand people), in Yeisk and Beisugsky - 13 each (in the first 3.8 thousand, and in the second - 3.6 thousand people) and in Tamansky - 3 ( 0.7 thousand).

During the first half of the 19th century. About 120 thousand people settled in this territory, and the slight natural increase only slightly exceeded 20 thousand people. At the end of the first decade of the 19th century, in the 20s, and then in the 40s, many migrants arrived here, mainly from the Poltava and Chernigov provinces. All of them were automatically included in the category of Cossacks. Therefore, almost all residents of the Black Sea Army were Ukrainians.

In the post-reform years, the settlement of the region was in full swing. In 1865-1870 50.6 thousand people settled here, mostly Cossacks, and the natural increase reached 42.6 thousand people. The share of Cossacks here by 1865 dropped to 94%. Since 1870, the influx of migrants has been increasing and until the 90s it significantly exceeded the size of natural increase. And since the 90s of the XIX century. natural growth confidently moves into first place. Total in 1871-1916. natural increase in the Kuban region amounted to 1642.5 thousand people, and mechanical increase - 926.7 thousand. Among members of the military class, natural increase during this period was 890.2 thousand people, and mechanical increase - only 111.4 thousand . (for persons of non-military class, respectively: 752.3 thousand and 815.3 thousand people). Thus, if among the Cossacks the leading role in the growth of the number of inhabitants was played by natural growth, then among the non-military population it was the resettlement movement. However, even in the latter, since the 90s, the size of natural increase has moved to first place (if in the 80s the natural increase amounted to 72.6 thousand people, and the mechanical increase - 260.7 thousand, then in the 90s - 177.3 and 94.0 thousand people, respectively). And as a result of the action of these factors, the share of the Cossack population in the total number of residents of the region in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. rapidly decreasing (1865 - 94%, 1871 - 66%, 1881 - 55%, 1891 - 45.5%, 1901 - 44.7%, 1911 - 43, 9%, 1916 - 43.1%, 1920 - 42.9%) (see Table 3).

Table 3. Population movement of the Kuban region in 1865-1917, thousand people*

Table 4 shows the dynamics of the number and share of the Cossack population in the Russian Empire and on the lands of modern Russia in the 18th - early 20th centuries.

We see that in early XVIII V. the entire Cossack population of the Russian Empire reached almost 1.3 million people, or 4.5% of all residents of the country. Absolutely Cossacks predominated in the lands of Ukraine, where the Zaporozhye, Sloboda and Hetman were located

Table 4 . Number and proportion of Cossacks in the Russian Empire and modern Russia in the 18th - early 20th centuries, thousand people*

(Little Russian) Cossack administrative formations. In total, 942 thousand Cossacks were counted here at that time, or half of the total population of Ukraine. And at the same time, 76.6% of all the Cossacks of the empire lived here. In the 40s of the 18th century. Cossacks made up 44.1% (1078.0 thousand people) of the population of Ukraine, and in the 60s - 43.7% (1241.8 thousand people). Thus, it was in Ukraine in the 20-60s of the 18th century. lived the absolute majority of Cossacks of the Russian Empire, although their share in the population of this region was decreasing. At the same time, about 60% (716.2 thousand people) of all the Cossacks of the country were counted as countrymen of Little Russia or Hetman Ukraine.

Within the borders of modern Russia, only 22.5% of all the country’s Cossack troops were registered (276 thousand people). These were mainly Bashkirs, who made up the irregular army of the empire and were equated to the Cossacks. Among the Cossacks themselves, the main regions of their settlement were the Siberian (3.2%) and Don (2.3%) troops. All this shows that in the lands of modern Russia, the Cossack population was then small. It was located on the outskirts of the country and still retained significant autonomy in relation to the central government, as clearly evidenced by the uprisings of K. Bulavin, the Bashkirs, and in the 70s of the 18th century. and E. Pugacheva.

In the second half of the 18th century. the importance of the Cossacks in the fight against external enemies and in general in protecting internal regions from raids by Tatars and Nogais is sharply reduced. And this was one of the main reasons for the destruction in Ukraine of all the Cossack troops that were there, with the inclusion of ordinary Cossacks in the state peasants, and the Cossack elders in the class of nobles. In the 60s, the Sloboda Cossacks were liquidated, in 1775 - the Zaporozhye Cossacks, and by the beginning of the 80s - the Hetman Cossacks. Some of the Zaporozhye Cossacks became state peasants. A small number of them received nobility. And a significant part (up to 10 thousand people) went to Turkey. From there they gradually return to Russia, forming the Black Sea, Ust-Danube, and Azov Cossack troops there. Gradually, a significant part of them moved to the North Caucasus and joined the Black Sea (from 1861 - Kuban) Cossack army. However, even in 1878, in Northern Dobruja, which was part of Turkey, there were still about 10 thousand descendants of the former Zaporozhye Cossacks.

In general, in the early 80s of the 18th century. in the Russian Empire, only 514.6 thousand Cossacks were counted, which amounted to 1.2% of the empire’s population. However, in Russia itself, the number of Cossacks increased to 487 thousand, and it reached 2.2% of the country's population.

In first place in terms of numbers were the Bashkirs (247 thousand people). The Don Cossacks (117 thousand) were located on the second. Their number since the beginning of the 18th century. increased 4 times. In the middle of the 18th century. (in 1746) the final border between the Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks(along the Kal-mius river), which prevented the uncontrolled seizure of the lands of this army. Ukrainian settlers (mainly from the 70s of the 18th century) actively populated the Lands of the Don Army (especially the Miussky district), but until the 20s of the 20th century. these territories remained part of the Land of the Don Army.

The Ural Army remained outside the borders of modern Russia, where 12 thousand lived in 1719, and 28 thousand Cossacks in 1782. This army arose back in the 16th century. on the outlying Kalmyk lands, but after 1917 it was included in Kazakhstan, where these lands remain to this day.

Simultaneously with the Cossacks, in the vastness of the future Russian Empire (i.e. in the 16th century), in Austria, on the borders with Turkey, a kind of Cossack formation was formed - the Military Border (Militärgränze). The so-called “border guards” settled here, who guarded the borders of the Austrian Empire, using in return large land plots and other benefits. However, they did not enjoy any, not even internal, autonomy, which distinguishes them from the Cossacks of Russia, at least in the 18th century. About a third of the inhabitants of the Military Border each consisted of Serbs and Croats, about 15% were Vlachs (Romanians). In addition, Hungarians, Germans, etc. lived here. The Military Border was destroyed already in the early 80s of the 19th century. due to the disappearance of the Turkish threat, since the last Turkish province here - Bosnia and Herzegovina - turns into a protectorate of Austria-Hungary. In the early 80s of the 18th century. About 650 thousand people lived on the territory of the Military Border, which was a quarter (487 thousand) larger than the entire Cossack population of Russia.

Then, throughout the 80s of the XVIII - early XX centuries. in the Russian Empire and actually within the borders of present-day Russia, there is a rapid increase in the number and proportion of people of the Cossack class. Cossacks are successfully developing new territories in the North Caucasus, the Far East, Kazakhstan and Central Asia. They significantly expand the Russian ethnic territory. At the end of the XVIII-XIX centuries. A large number of state peasants, mostly Russians, were included in the Cossacks. However, many Ukrainians, Buryats (in 1851), Bashkirs and Tatars were included here. Moreover, such transfers were often carried out forcibly, without any consideration of the opinions of people of the non-military class, and this was widely practiced throughout the North Caucasus (in the Kuban and Terek troops), in the Southern Urals (in the Orenburg army), in the Siberian and Transbaikal Cossack troops. Such transfers came to naught in the 60s of the 19th century. Then the Cossacks finally turned into a closed class, which was very difficult to join (mainly allowed through marriage). A paradoxical situation is emerging. Thanks to the high level of natural growth, the proportion of Cossacks throughout the empire is constantly and steadily growing, but on Cossack lands (due to the massive influx of non-resident migrants there) the share of the Cossack population is rapidly falling. In the post-reform years, they turned into a minority both in the region of the Don Army, and in the Kuban region, and in the Cossack territories of the Terek region.

Within the borders of the empire, the share of Cossacks in 1782 was 1.2% of all residents (515 thousand people), in 1795 - about 700 thousand (1.5%), in 1817 - 1 million people (1, 8%), in 1851 - 2 million (2.7%), in 1897 - 4.3 million (3.8%) and in 1916 - 6.3 million (about 4%). Thus, from 1782 to 1916 it increased from 1.2 to 3.7%, without reaching the level of 1719 - 4.5%.

Within the borders of Russia, the proportion of Cossacks increased continuously: 1719 - 2.0%, 1795 - 2.6%, 1851 - 4.6%, 1897 - 6.3% and 1916 - 6.5%. If at the beginning of the 18th century. In Russia, about 500 thousand Cossacks were registered, then in 1916 - 6.3 million people. The most numerous groups of Cossacks were Bashkir (1719 - 209 thousand, 1916 - 1.6 million people), Don (30 thousand and 1.5 million people, respectively), Kuban (late 18th century. - 55 thousand, 1916 - 1.4 million people), Orenburg (1719 - 5 thousand, 1916 - 0.5 million), Transbaikal (8 and 265 thousand, respectively) and Terek ( end of the 18th century - more than 3 thousand, 1916 - 255 thousand people) troops, etc.

New ones, which arose only at the end of the 50s of the 19th century, were the Amur and Ussuri Cossack troops.

What remained outside the borders of present-day Russia was created in the 60s of the 19th century. Semirechensk Cossack Army. And a special position was occupied by the one that arose in the 16th century. on the Kalmyk lands the Ural Cossack army. It also went to Kazakhstan, like the Semirechensk army.

On the Military Border in the Austrian Monarchy back in 1817 there were more “border guards” (940 thousand people) than in Russia (935 thousand). But then the number of Cossacks in Russia is already significantly ahead of the latter (1834 - 1.4 million to 1.1 million; in 1858 - 2.3 million to 1.1 million). And in 1880, there were 3.4 million Cossacks in Russia, and only 0.7 million border guards on the Military Border, since already on the eve of its liquidation, significant territories with a Serbian population (Serbian Region) became part of Croatia.

We have already noted that part of the territory of the Cossacks of the former Russia passed after 1917 to Kazakhstan. At the same time, part of the land of the Don Army was included in the borders of Ukraine (35% of the territory of Cherkasy, 24% of Donetsk and most of the Taganrog district). The Russian border here is with the river. Kalmitsa moved almost to the river. Sukhoi Elanchik (these lands are included in the Donetsk region of Ukraine). The Russian population predominated throughout this territory. In general, in the Donetsk region the Russian population was 32.1% (969.5 thousand people) in 1939, in 1959 - 37.6% (1601.3 thousand), in 1989 - 43.6 % (2316.1 thousand) and in 2001 - 38.2% (1844.4 thousand). In the neighboring Lugansk region it reached 32.5% (3 thousand people) in 1939, 38.8% (950.0 thousand) in 1959, and 44.8% (1279 people) in 1989. 0 thousand) and in 2001 - 39.0% (991.8 thousand).

The Cossack territory of the North Caucasus remained within the borders of Russia. However, when national-territorial entities were created here, a significant part of it became part of them. The Russian population (mostly Cossacks) of the former Kuban army partially ended up within the borders of Adygea and Kabardino-Balkaria. In Adygea, the share of Russians reached 55.7% in 1926, 73.3% in 1939, 70.5% in 1959 and 67.9% in 1989. Census data from 1959 show that in the Giaginsky district the Russian (Cossack before 1917) population reached 93.2%, in Maikopsky - 88.8%, in Krasnogvardeysky - 83.7%. It seems unclear how these territories could have ended up as part of Adygea.

In Kabardino-Balkaria, the share of Russians was significantly smaller (in 1926 - 36%, in 1959 - 36.3%, in 1959 - 34.4%, in 1989 - 32%). And here in 1959, Russians made up 90.5% in the Prokhladnensky district, 86.3% in the Maisky district, 58.4% in the Nalchik district, and 55.6% of all residents in the Primankinsky district. It was here that the Cossack population was located until 1918. In the 1940-1980s, the natural growth rate of Russians in the region turned out to be reduced, which contributed to a decrease in their share.

In Karachay-Cherkessia the situation was the same. Until the 60s of the XX century. the share of Cossacks here was 50%, and by 1989 it had dropped to 42%. Russians dominated here in Prokhladnensky (83.2%), Zelenchuksky (75.3%) and Cherkessky (58.8%) regions, Cossack territory formed in the 60-70s of the 19th century.

In North Ossetia, the share of Russians was 28% in 1926, 38% in 1939, 40% in 1959 and 30% in 1989. Nevertheless, it also included a population inhabited in the 18th century. Cossacks Mozdok region (in 1959 there were 67.5% Russians). In Checheno-Ingushetia, the proportion of Russians and Ukrainians (mainly descendants of Terek Cossacks) in the 60-90s of the XX century. dropped catastrophically. In 1926 they reached 27.5% (150 thousand people), in 1939 - 36% (263 thousand), in 1959 - 50.9% (360 thousand), in 1970 - 36% (380 thousand), in 1979 - 30% (350 thousand), in 1989 - 24% (300 thousand) and in 2001 - 5% (60 thousand). In 1959-1989 The share of Russians is decreasing. Here, everywhere, except in the city of Grozny, they are turning into an ethnic minority (in Grozny there were 78% of them in 1959, and 52.9% in 1989). In the Grozny district their share in these years fell from 45.8 to 8.7%, in Gudermes - from 59 to 13%, in Naursky - from 83 to 7%, in Shelkovsky - from 72 to 5%, in Sunzhensky - from 73 to 7%, etc.

Until 1957, the border between Checheno-Ingushetia and the Stavropol Territory ran along the river. Terek. In the Shelkovsky, Naursky, Sunzhensky districts lived Russians, descendants of the Terek Cossacks who settled here in the 16th century. But then all these lands became part of Checheno-Ingushetia, and the Russian population was forced out of here mainly until the early 90s of the 20th century, and completely - to beginning of XXI V.

Of all the Cossack troops in Russia, the saddest fate was that of the Terek army, the most “ancient” of all the troops. Its inhabitants lost their homeland and were forced to move mainly to the neighboring Stavropol Territory. The population of other former Cossack troops was at least able to remain in their places of permanent residence. And only relatively few had to find themselves within the boundaries of the newly created state formations (some of the Don Cossacks were in Ukraine, all the Ural, Semirechensk and part of the Siberian Cossacks were in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan). In Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine on former lands The region of the Don Army is still dominated by the Russian population (Enakievo, Makeevka, Snezhnoye, Kharutsyzsk, Krasnodon, etc.).

Table 5 shows how the number and distribution of the Bashkir (in the 19th century Bashkir-Meshcheryak) army on the territory of Russia changed in the 18th-20th centuries.

In 1719, the Bashirs made up 1.2% of the total population of Russia (and with the Meshcheryaks and Teptyars - 1.4%). Then, for various reasons, their share decreases (1762 - 0.7%, 1795 - 0.7%), but by the middle of the 19th century. reached the level of 1719. By 1897 it increased to 1.5%. But this was the result of the inclusion of numerous groups of the Tatar population (Teptyars and Bobyls and Meshcheryaks) into the Bashkirs. In the 20s of the XX century. their share fell to 0.8%,

Table 5. Dynamics of the Bashkir population of Russia in the 18th-20th centuries. (within modern borders), thousand people*

since censuses began to again register Meshcheryaks and Teptyars (at least most of them) as part of the Tatars. And only in 1979-2002. The share of the Bashkirs, due to higher natural growth, rose to 1.2% - the figure at the beginning of the 18th century. And their absolute number increased from 170 thousand in 1719 to 510 thousand in 1850, 730 thousand in 1926, 1.3 million in 1989 and 1.5 million in 2002.

The settlement of the Bashkirs also changed. In 1762, only 52% of them lived within the borders of modern Bashkiria. Almost 25% lived within the borders of the Chelyabinsk region, 14% - in the Orenburg region.

And in 1989, 64.2% of all Bash-Kirs lived within the borders of Bashkiria, 12% in the Chelyabinsk region, 4% each in the Orenburg, Perm regions and Tatarstan. In other words, the share of Bash-Kirs is sharply decreasing beyond its modern borders and especially in the Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions. And in Tatarstan and the Sverdlovsk region there are more of them.

In 1917-1920 Cossacks mostly supported the overthrown regime. And this was the main initial reason not only for the liquidation of all Cossack troops, but also for the inclusion of many of their territories into the created administrative-state entities. By the mid-1920s, about 200 thousand Cossacks who had fled abroad returned to their homeland. In the USSR, the population of formerly Cossack territories grew somewhat faster than in other regions. This was how it was in the 18th-19th centuries, and it remained so in the 20th century. Earth southern regions the countries had excellent chernozem soils, a good climate and were more favorable for living. But even if we assume that the inhabitants of the regions of Russia previously inhabited by Cossacks grew in the same way as throughout the country, then in 2002 they should amount to approximately 9.5 million people (6.5% of all residents of Russia). The absolute majority of the descendants of these Cossacks no longer relate themselves to their ancestors.

The last census of 2002 completely unreasonably tried to recreate a new ethnic group in Russia - the Cossacks. In pre-revolutionary Russia, the Cossacks were a privileged class with its own glorious history. The same as nobles, clergy, merchants or townspeople. It, with the absolute predominance of Russians, was multinational. Among them there were many Ukrainians (in the Kuban army), Bashkirs, Buryats (in the Transbaikal army), Kalmyks (in the Don and Ural armies), Tatars, etc. According to the 2002 census, the descendants of the Cossacks actually did not include themselves in this class (less than 100 thousand people were counted).

Attempts to recreate in the 21st century. The Cossacks in the country as a special irregular army guarding the borders, especially in the Caucasus, are unlikely to be successful. To do this, first of all, it is necessary to scientifically explore the heroic historical past of this class, to show its contribution to the protection and formation of the territory of Russia since the 16th century.

In our country, strange Cossack units are still being created, often in territories where there have never been Cossacks. And there is nothing like this often where it flowed hard life many generations of Cossacks. It is believed that we now have 600 thousand Cossacks. But already in 1916 there were about 6.5 million of them?

From the above it follows that the task of a comprehensive study of the history of the Russian Cossacks over the entire centuries-old history of its existence since the 16th century has become ripe.

And here historical and geographical research is of considerable value, establishing how the process of creation and functioning of Cossack troops in the country proceeded. It is important to know how the number and settlement of the Cossacks changed, what their ethnic composition was and what contribution they made to the formation and defense of Russian and Russian ethnic territory in general.

In the period after 1917, it is necessary to study which new state and administrative-territorial entities included the Cossack lands. And what was their further fate?

All these problems are provided with good sources, and researchers are left with only one specific task - to create new ones. basic research, which would angle and expand the existing ones.

[ 319 ] FOOTNOTES of the original text

DISCUSSION OF THE REPORT

V.M. Hevrolina. Considering the traditions that have developed among the Cossacks, some consider the Cossacks to be a special ethnic group. What is your opinion on this issue?

V.M. Kabuzan. There was no ethnic group represented by the Cossacks in Russia, there is not and there cannot be. Now we have tried to revive this ethnic group. This is 40 thousand people who registered themselves as Cossacks. These are people who consider themselves Russians, but are ready to classify themselves as Cossacks.

V.M. Hevrolina. How are the living conditions now different in the North Caucasus, and in other places, between the Cossacks and the simply Russian population, not the Cossacks?

V.M. Kabuzan. There are no differences, these territories just remain.

V.M. Hevrolina. So what is the point of allocating Cossack territories?

V.M. Kabuzan. I believe that this is inappropriate, it will not give anything, the Cossacks were destroyed! But it is important for the revival of at least some traditions in our consciousness to know how the Cossacks lived and defended themselves and their Motherland from their neighbors. It is unlikely that this will succeed today and in the future.

A.N. Bokhanov. They will not be reborn, but at least the North Caucasus is important to them.

V.M. Kabuzan. In the North Caucasus, the Russian population is declining, while the local population is growing by leaps and bounds. The proportion of Muslims grew by more than 1 percent in the 1990s. That's a lot.

A.N. Bokhanov. It is necessary to take into account the signs for identifying the Russian archetype. The number of Muslims is growing. Orthodox - 5 percent.

V.M. Kabuzan. Orientation towards Orthodox values ​​is the main thing.

A.N. Bokhanov. This is faith, of course, and then consciousness. Faith shapes consciousness. You are right when you write about the second position of fatherhood in Israel. But there seems to be an exception - the law of 1950. If you declare in documents that you are a Jew, but profess Christianity, you are not allowed into Israel.

V.M. Kabuzan. If the mother is Jewish, then you can go, but if the father is Jewish, but the mother is Orthodox or some other, then it is no longer possible.

A.N. Medushevsky. Please tell me, what factors determine negative demographic dynamics? After all, it is known that Germany and many other Western European countries are dying out.

V.M. Kabuzan. To some extent, the decline in reproduction rates was prepared by the entire course of our historical development, starting from the 1930s. But with Europe there is a very big difference. If we take Germany, its population is growing due to migration, due to the influx of not only Germans, but also Turks and representatives of other nations. The German population in Germany has decreased by 7 million people from 1972 to the present day, and due to the huge influx of migrants - Germans and others to Germany - it has grown, so this “hole” is being patched. But what is happening in Germany to the Germans? They have a low birth rate. Due to the low birth rate, the number of Germans is decreasing. Their mortality rate is very low, people live there very long and well. This is a characteristic feature of both Germany and the countries of the European market.

What is happening here? Our birth rate is the same as in Germany, now it has become a little higher. All that distinguishes us from all civilized countries and even from countries of average income is a huge, ever-increasing mortality rate. It is twice the birth rate, and it also plays a major role in the increasing population decline.

A.N. Medushevsky. But this factor affects both the Orthodox and Muslim populations equally...

V.M. Kabuzan. No, not at all! The old traditional demographic behavior is there. There are a lot of children there. The mortality rate there is the same as that of Russians, and the birth rate is very high, and due to this, the proportion of Muslims has increased by more than 1% in just 10 years. Now there are materials from the 2002 census. The Muslim population has grown very much. It has not been affected by negative trends; it is growing in the same way as it grew before - 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago, even more. Therefore, even if everything remains as it is, it will be the same as in Israel. When Israel appeared, there were 13% Arabs there, now it has become 17%, because the Arabs have twice the reproduction rate of the Jews, and they have already calculated when Israel will become an Arab state.

Ya.N. Shapov. I cannot agree with what the speaker said. We, it seems to me, have the wrong state and scientific position in relation to what is an ethnic group and what is an estate. Vladimir Maksimovich represents an incorrect scientific position. The wrong state one was represented by V.I. Tishkov, who was Minister of Nationalities Affairs. These are old ideas - what is an “ethnic group” and what is a “class”. Our classes are familiar: nobility, merchants, peasants. These are classes that have become a thing of the past, and when people are asked during the census - “Who are you?”, then not a single nobleman, not a single merchant, not a single peasant will say that he belongs to this class, unlike the Cossacks.

The Cossacks continue to claim that they are Cossacks and they have a special position, which in our country is not taken into account either in scientific works or in government structures or gradations.

The Cossacks, as we know, arose and exist as a special structure within other Russian territories. And this was the meaning of the Cossacks. When we now deny the Cossacks their special status, we are continuing the same line that the speaker condemns, i.e. we are depriving the Cossacks of their traditional function, traditional affairs, traditional concerns - the defense of Russia. We equate them with Russians and thereby we destroy them on the spot.

I believe that this is a wrong policy, just as the policy that was pursued after the collapse of the Soviet Union was wrong. But why do you put the Cossacks on the same level as the Russians who live on the territory of Russia, in internal Russia. Their situation is completely different, and they need to realize this.

V.M. Kabuzan. There is no special situation.

Ya.N. Shapov.

We need to realize this, we need to give the Cossacks the appropriate rights, we need to give them to them, we need to force them to get together, to choose their Cossack leader, to provide them with the appropriate lands. If we treat them not as a class, but as an ethnic group, then nothing will come of it.

My conclusion is that in addition to these two concepts, ethnicity and class, there is something in between, something that we do not take into account. If we take it into account, then we can revive the Cossacks, then we can, using these methods that were invented in the old days, return our lands, return our population to these lands.

V.V. Kuchkin. I still want to return to science and ask about things that have already been touched upon here.

First question. When you talk about the growth of the Cossacks, let’s say, before 1917, did people enroll as Cossacks who had not been Cossacks before? Is this the same way you received nobility or merchant status? What was the relationship between natural growth and enrollment in the Don Cossack Army or the Ural Cossack Army?

V.M. Kabuzan. The fact is that in the second half of the 18th century. All persons who managed to escape to Cossack territory were registered as Cossacks. But the statistics were still very bad then. Beginning with late XVIII V. The Cossacks are turning into a closed word category, into which access was very difficult. Here I mean the Don Army and the Ural Army. All migrants were made nonresident. This is a special group that received special rights after the reform of 1861, and its members began to be called peasants. Nose early XIX c., when the administration became stronger, there is data on how many people signed up as Cossacks, how many died or were born. So, in the Don Army in the 19th century. Only a few thousand people signed up to become Cossacks. Naturally, their growth was colossal, but as for those who signed up, it was an extremely insignificant figure. They signed up only through marriages. No other form of recording existed anymore. But in the Caucasus it was a different matter. There were few Cossacks here. It was a very restless place. And what did they do there? There, registration as a Cossack was facilitated in every possible way. And a peasant, if he wished to move to the Kuban and enlist as a Cossack, immediately received the right to do so. Any vacation documents from local authorities were not needed - only a wish, an application. And everywhere this happened at government expense. The peasants were immediately included in the Cossacks and were given very large benefits. Therefore, the mechanical resettlement of peasants here played a large role in the growth of the number of Cossacks in the Caucasus. There is evidence that the Ural Army, the Black Sea Army, the Terek Army mainly grew up on these very large migrations of mainly Russian peasants. In the Caucasus until the 70s of the 19th century. there was very low population reproduction. There were a lot of diseases, people could not get used to the climate, and until the middle of the 19th century. The number of Cossacks in the Caucasus increased mainly due to the influx of peasants, who were included in the Cossacks immediately at the place of arrival, maximally easing the situation of this category of the population.

And in post-reform times, just like on the Don, the number of immigrants is somewhat reduced, but the influx still remains quite significant, especially to the Terek army. There we had to fight a lot with the highlanders, especially the Chechens. Therefore, there were special settlement conditions there.

Or, for example, a tributary to the Ussuri and Amur. The same thing happened there, they took everyone there.

V.A. Kuchkin. Second question. Although you said that there were no attempts to declare the population of the South of Russia a special ethnic category, in fact there were. I will refer to the work of the famous ethnographer Zelenin, who, speaking about the Slavic population of Eastern Europe, distinguished between Great Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians. He divided the Great Russians into northern Great Russians and southern Great Russians. Such a division in relation to the Cossacks included the Cossacks as part of the southern Great Russians, and since you are engaged in the Cossacks, what was the ratio of the Russian population in general and the Cossacks in these areas?

V.M. Kabuzan. Firstly, I want to say that it doesn’t matter what kind of adverbs there were: okaya or aka, northern or southern. The essence of the matter is that we forget that in Rus' and Ukraine there were so-called subethnic groups - categories that had very significant differences. But they fell short of becoming a separate ethnic group. Usually, one has only to divide the territory (as Russia is now divided into eight states) into separate states, and the subethnic groups existing here can quickly turn into real ethnic groups. We have a lot of such precedents. Take the Macedonians in 1878 - Bulgarians by language. They were separated so that Bulgaria would not be too big, and through a short time a separate ethnic group emerged. This is a subethnic group that is less closely connected with the center. Here people can only be united by culture, education, enlightenment.

I did not and do not believe that Cossacks are a special ethnic group. This is truly a subethnic group. It’s like the Hutsuls in Ukraine or, for example, the same Pomors in the North in Russia. This is also a subethnic group. Or smaller ethnic group- christened in Tatarstan. These things are already specific. But in general, under the conditions of pre-revolutionary Russia, they never considered themselves a separate people. There was no such thing! This is an artificial attempt, I am deeply convinced of this. The Cossacks in Russia used Russian as their spoken language; for a long time they were replenished at the expense of Russian peasants - immigrants from Central Russia. And never and nowhere before the 90s of the XX century. none of them considered themselves a representative of a special (or special) ethnic group.

My opinion is that all these attempts to revive a new ethnic group for protection, for defense are an attempt with unsuitable means.

Yu.A. Tikhonov. You said that in the North Caucasus the Cossack troops were replenished by settlers. Well, what lands were they located on? On empty ones? Or did they push someone aside?

V.M. Kabuzan. The fact is that the highlanders lived mainly in the mountains and did not descend to the plain, and the Cossacks settled on the plain. Only the Adyghe people, until 1805, inhabited vast territories south of the Black Sea Army. And after the Crimean War, when they failed to unite with Turkey of the same faith, they went to the territory of what is now Syria and Jordan. And the remaining lands were quickly populated by Cossacks and people who signed up as Cossacks. Until the mid-80s of the XIX century. More immigrants settled here than in all of Siberia. Thus, in the Caucasus, either empty lands or lands abandoned by the mountaineers were settled.

V.A. Kuchkin. There was no answer to the question about the ratio of the Cossack population, Russian or other population.

V.M. Kabuzan. I have all this outlined in detail in the text of the article. But I will speak here in general terms. At the beginning of the 18th century. on Do-nu the entire population was considered Cossack. There were local censuses. They took into account about 30 thousand. All Russian residents were considered Cossacks. Then a very large Ukrainian migration began, when in the 1860-1880s huge masses of Ukrainian migrants rushed there, who thought of becoming full-fledged Cossacks there. They were not recorded as Cossacks, and a lot of Ukrainians appeared on the Don. This changed the ratio; Russian Cossacks became about 80% of the total population. And in 1917 there were just over 40% of Russian Cossacks. There has already been a huge flow of non-residents, mostly Ukrainians.

V.A. Kuchkin. This means that 60% of Russian Cossacks accounted for 40% of Ukrainians.

V.M. Kabuzan. On the Don - mostly Russians, and in the North Caucasus, Ukrainians predominated among the Cossacks and peasants. But I think that this is a unique phenomenon, when in 1926 the Ukrainians dominated the Kuban, and in 1936-1937. Russians made up almost 100%. Assimilation processes intensified in the region and many Ukrainians began to consider themselves Russian. However, in 10 years, in our opinion, such rapid assimilation is unlikely could have taken place.

Yu.A. Tikhonov. So trust the censuses after this.

V.M. Kabuzan. No, no, these are real processes that accelerated in the 20th century. However, changes in the methodology for registering ethnic composition also influenced the results of the censuses of the 30-80s of the 20th century.

I’m very happy today: I think I’ve stirred up the audience. This is a big, complex problem. Not everything is clear here yet. And we still have a lot to do.

Yu.A. Tikhonov. Let's summarize.

The report was very interesting, incendiary, productive. We still have few researchers, and especially real, good researchers who, in the search for truth, are not afraid to express some non-standard positions. The topic is necessary and important. V.M. Kabuzan produces a lot of works, and he has written even more. So he is in line for other publications. Perhaps letters of appeal should be written to the government and to the Cossack troops, which are being revived, with a request for funding and to publish his work on the Cossacks.

RGVIA. F. 20. Op. 1/47. D. 1044. L. 1-13 (1776); Military statistical description of the Land of the Don Army in 1852 // RGVIA. F. VUA. D. 18721. L. 21 rev.-23; PFA RAS. F. 30. Op. 2. D. 19 (1857); Lebedev V.I., Podyapol-Skye E.P. Uprising on the Don in 1707-1708. // Essays on the history of the USSR: The period of feudalism. Russia in the first quarter of the 18th century. Transformations of Peter I. M., 1954. P. 253.

Cm.: Kabuzan V.M. Population of the North Caucasus in the 19th-20th centuries: Ethnostatistical study. St. Petersburg, 1996.