Social and political movement of the Siberian Tatars in the early 20th century

Abstract

The article discusses the evolution of the Siberian Tatars’ socio-political movement in the period between two revolutions of the early 20th century the revolution of 1905–1907 and the February Revolution of 1917. The article shows that until 1917, the movement predominantly took shape of charitable societies, whose purpose was primarily cultural and educational activities. However, the Muslims of Siberia had already taken part in the All-Russian Muslim Congresses of 1906 and 1914. The peak of the socio-political movement occurred in 1917 early 1918 when Muslim committees and bureaus were organized in cities, and provincial Muslim congresses, Muslim Shuros (National Councils) and provincial branches of the Milli Idare (The National Administration) were held. The article pays special attention to the discussions of 1917 – early 1918, which raised the issues of creating separate autonomous structures of Siberian Muslims. We have found that the Tatars of Asian Russia eventually abandoned the idea of forming parallel bodies of religious and national-cultural autonomy, retaining parishes as part of a single Spiritual Assembly and becoming part of the Milli Idare with its center in Ufa.