Bolshederbetovsky Ulus: Public Administration and Public Self-Government in the Context of the Administrative and Territorial Transformations in the Second Half of the XIXth Century
The article considers the system of public administration and public self-government in the Bolshederbetovsky ulus in the context of administrative-territorial transformations during the second half of the XIXth century. Territorially, the Bolshederbetovsky ulus and a separate part of the Maloderbetovsky ulus belonged to the Stavropol province, but administratively they submitted to the Astrakhan provincial administration. This fact contributed to a collision between the two provincial governing bodies and generated a need of carrying out administrative-territorial reform which affected the system of public administration of the Bolshederbetovsky ulus, and, to some extent, public self-government as well. Land disputes of the nomadic peoples in the first half of the XIXth century in the territory of the Astrakhan and Stavropol provinces didn't find any solution. It is necessary to assume that these circumstances were dictated by the deficiency of lands in the Stavropol province. On the other hand, the solution of a question in favor of one people would immediately infringe on interests of the other people living in the province. Administrative-territorial transformations of the second half of the XIXth century led to land losses which resulted in changing the ethnocultural situation in the considered area. Since Kalmyks had lost their numerical superiority in a separate part of the Maloderbetovsky ulus in the first half of the XIXth century, Turkmen gained the dominance in this region and gradually forced out Kalmyks over Manych. Due to this fact, the government was driven to a decision to turn over a part of the Kalmyk lands to the Turkmen nomads. It should be noted that despite the fact that the Bolshederbetovsky ulus began to submit to the other province, the former control system kept on functioning without any significant changes. The author comes to the conclusion that the transfer of lands of Kalmyk nomad area of the southern valley of Manych in the administrative subordination to the Stavropol authorities led to the elimination of dual control of this territory.