SIBERIA AND RUSSIA By SIBIRYAK The preceding article deals with the chances of II Red Siberia to eontintte the present war. The quest-ion arll1es: is there no possibility 0/ a White Siberia? To give an answer to this question frO-in a historical perspective we have reqllested a contribution frO'Jn a Russian who has been and still is 71LOSt intimcttelll connected with Siberia. a7ul who prefers to hide his ident'itll muler a pseudonllm. A large l'iterature, partie/tla'rlll in Russian, exists on Siberia and her role in the civ'il war that foll01lJed the Bolshevist revolution, but we aro not aware of a,ny art'iele that has eve'T 1Jresented in conc'ise form the historll of the Siberian autonomist movement in its relation to Russia and Bolshevism. OUT article ends with the Victo-TlI 0/ the Reds in Siberia in 19f!2; but the stnlggle for a White Sibe-ria has gone on ever since.-K.M. CORTEZ AND YERMAK Moscow, or the periphery that is Two great political events of the Siberia? sixteenth century, taking place on dif­ In the former case we have an im­ ferent continents, brought magnificent perialistic policy which regards Siberia results to the states in whose interests simply as a colony existing for the they were undertaken. These events needs of the metropolis, in the latter were the conquest of Central America by the development of an economic and Cortez and that of Siberia by Yermak. political program of the local Siberian Thanks to the efforts of these con­ population which, with its own pro­ quistadores, both typical adventurers moters and ideologists, became known eager to get as far away as possible from as the Siberian autonomist movement, the laws of their respective countries, or Siberian regionalism - Sibirskoye Spain and Moscovite Russia became Oblastnitchestvo. empires as colossal in their dimensions That the Imperial Government looked as in their political influence. The upon Siberia as on a colony was similar character of the activities of evident in many respects. Siberia these two historical figures created was administrated by three Governor very similar political results: Spain Generals (Western Siberia, Eastern became an empire in whose bounda­ Siberia, and Amurland, which latter ries the sun never set, and Russia included the entire Russian Far East). consolidated herself in the vast spaces These were practically viceroys with of Asia. The significance of both almost unlimited power. They were events in history is even greater if we hardly restrained in their decisions. take into account the fact that the from above, nor from below, as the direct consequence of Cortez' and share given to the population in local Yermak's conquests was the spreading affairs was very limited. Siberia up of Christian civilization into new con­ to the revolution did not know local tinents. self-administration, and juries were introduced only shortly before the IMPER1AL1SM VS. REG10NAL1SM Great War. Hence the only limitation As for Siberia the question was: for the Governor's administration were who was to determine the policy-the the general laws of the empire and to center that is S1. Petersburg and some extent the attitude of the Sibe- 176 THE XXth CENTURY rians which could not be entirely over­ MENDELEYEV looked. AND THE BOLSHEVIKS In the economic field the Central The real problem in every historical Government always was jealous that period of the Russian state was how the development of Siberia might hurt to harmonize the interests of Siberia the economic interests of the land­ with those of all Russia. This is con­ owner and merchant class of European firmed by the deductions of the famous Russia. Many obstacles were put in scientist Mendeleyev, a Siberian by the path of Siberian grain reaching birth, who in his historical book Un­ European Russia in order not to lower derstanding of Russia declared that the local grain prices. To protect the the natural, geographical, and sociol().. industry of European Russia the growth gical factors existing in Russia pointed of Siberian industries was retarded. to the necessity of removing the vital This attitude of the government center of the Russian Empire to the was particularly responsible for the region of Omsk in Western Siberia. growth of the autonomy movement in It is evident that the Bolsheviks adopt­ Siberia. ed Mendeleyev's idea in their industrial planning, not for the benefit of either As the very name of the movement the Siberian or Russian population but shows, the political thought of the solely to consolidate the base of the Sibiryak (Siberian Russian) took a World Revolution. Only because of the territorial point of view. The interests efforts exerted by the Bolsheviks in this of the Siberian population were con­ direction were they able to survive so sidered by the Siberian autonomists far in spite of the heavy blows they to be in certain respects opposed to sustained from the German war machine. the interests of European Russia as The original plan of the economic she saw them. This opposition had and industrial development of Siberia given the Russian Imperial Goverment does not by any means belong to the cause to look with suspicion upon the Soviets. The foundation stone for this Siberian autonomist movement and to plan was laid in the reign of Emperor believe that its hidden aim was separa­ Nicholas II (1894-1917) and great tion from the Empire. In actual fact, strides in this direction were made the founders of the movement, Yad­ after the revolution during the short rintsev and Potanin, were in no way life of the Siberian Government. The separatists, but only the ideological de­ plans of this Government concerning fenders of the cultural and economic the development of Siberia were very interests of the Siberian people and broad and calculated on the actual their way of life. possibilities and resources of Siberia As a rule, opposition of local in­ and its real needs. Not being subjected terest to the interests of the empire to the program of a World Revolution, is wrong, as it tends to weaken the they had all the essentials for future organization of the state. But in some success. Had these plans been allowed cases such opposition may have good to be carried out without hindrance results, not only for the local during the past twenty years, the interests but for the whole state. Siberia of today would be one of the This is especially true when such most important economic and industrial opposition creates conditions which may territories in the world. help a part of the state to develop ARGUMENTS FOR AUTONOMY its natural resources to the fullest The main arguments brought forward extent, and by this development by the Siberian autonomists are as to increase in importance in the follows: firstly, Siberia with regard to affairs of the whole empire and its its own population is economically responsibility in its future. Such is entirely self-supporting: not only does the case with the Siberian autonomist it not import raw materials but it even movement. exports them; secondly, the ethnical SIBERIA AND RUSSIA 177 composition of its population is well several generations, and of new settlers adapted to its natural and climatic or immigrants. The new settlers ar­ conditions in which the exploitation of rived after the construction of the natural wealth must be carried on; Trans-Siberian Railway from Russia thirdly, the Siberian population has a and settled on land allocated to them higher standard of living than the by the Government. The Cossacks be­ population of European Russia; and fore the Revolution were organized into finally, the quantity of goods produced seven separate troops, each troop is large in relation to the number of occupying its own territory and ruled working hands and is showing a tend­ in its internal affairs by authorities ency to increase in the most important elected among its members. Finally there sections of economic life. are native tribes living in regions which they have occupied since time im­ A RURAL POPULATION memorial. The inter-relations of all Life in Siberia has always been these groups assumed peculiar forms ,entirely different from that in Russia. very different from those existing in Even Communism was unable to do European Russia. away with this difference. The exist­ A characteristic feature of the ,ence of enormous resources has put Siberian situation was the absence of a peculiar mark upon the character of the agrarian question as it existed in the Siberian. Every man in Siberia Russia, the reason being that Siberia regards himself as rich. If we compare had never known the great private the economic strength of the peasant's landowners. To be sure, Siberia had farm in European Russia with that of its own agrarian problems, connected Siberia we see that before the revolu­ with the migration of peasants tion in European Russia the average from European Russia. This became quantity of land belonging to one farm evident when the waves of migrants was 3.4 and in Siberia 5.2 dessyatins. from Russia encroached upon the lands The predominant part of the Siberian of the old settlers or natives. Discon­ population was and still is rural. If, tent on the part of the Siberians with besides that fact, we take into con­ the policy of the Central Government sideration the great dimensions of led in some cases in Western Siberia Siberia and the scarcity of means to open resistance. ,of communications, we can readily Psychologically the absence of serf­ understand that the townsfolk of dam in the past life of the peasants Siberia could not have much influence and the small size of the proletariat over the rural population, in contrast gave the Siberian a free mind and to the conditions existing in European great self-respect, since he was ac­ Russia.