Myrzagazy Espolov’s participation in the implementation of agrarian policy in the Turkestan ASSR

Research Article

Abstract

The study aims to determine the socio-political activities of Myrzagazy Espolov in Tashkent in the early 1920s based on a comprehensive analysis of archival sources, as well as to provide a scholarly interpretation of his role within the system of the People’s Commissariat of Agriculture (Turknarkomzem) of the Turkestan ASSR, his administrative approaches, and the specific features of his activities in defending national interests. The objectives of the study are: to analyze the process of formation of agrarian policy in the Turkestan ASSR and the institutional foundations of the activities of the People’s Commissariat of Agriculture; to identify the official status and positions held by Myrzagazy Espolov in the city of Tashkent; and to reveal the characteristics of Myrzagazy Espolov’s socio-political activity and his role as a representative of the national intelligentsia. Myrzagazy Espolov was one of the prominent representatives of the Kazakh intelligentsia of the early twentieth century and an activist of the Alash movement who made a significant contribution to the political development of Kazakhstan. The main focus is placed on his activities in Tashkent as a member of the Turkestan Central Executive Committee (TurkTsIK) and as a responsible official of the People’s Commissariat of Agriculture. The study examines Espolov’s participation in the development and discussion of key decisions on the land question, including his practical work in the field of land management and the organization of land-survey expeditions. The relevance of this study is due to the need for an in-depth analysis of the role of the national intelligentsia in the implementation of land policy in the Turkestan ASSR. An examination of Myrzagazy Espolov’s activities within the system of the People’s Commissariat of Agriculture and the Turkestan Central Executive Committee makes it possible to identify the specific features of interaction between central directives and regional practice, as well as to determine the contribution of national cadres to the process of socialist transformation of agriculture in the early Soviet period. In this regard, Myrzagazy Espolov is viewed as a figure who not only managed to adapt to new historical conditions but also actively participated in shaping them. The source base of the study consists of minutes and stenographic records of plenary sessions of the Turkestan Central Executive Committee, documents of the People’s Commissariat of Agriculture, materials from land-survey expeditions, official reports, and the personal file of Myrzagazy Espolov. An analysis of these sources demonstrates that his activities had a pronounced socio-political character and were aimed at adjusting agrarian policy in the interests of the indigenous population in the context of the transition to the New Economic Policy. The article shows that Espolov acted not only as an administrator but also as a representative of the national intelligentsia who sought to use agrarian transformations as a tool for social stabilization. It is concluded that Myrzagazy Espolov’s contribution goes beyond narrowly departmental work and reflects a broader process of participation by national cadres in the formation and implementation of agrarian policy in the Turkestan ASSR.