The outbreak of the First World War and its impact on Turkestan
In the First World War Russia took part within the Entente alliance with Britain and France. According to the textbook, the war put the Russian economy in a hard position, and the tsarist government tried to get more profit from the colonies, including Turkestan, and to use local people as cheap labour. In the mobilisation the European part of Turkestan’s population aged 19–43 was called up; coming at harvest time, it caused hardship for the families of the resettled people. In 1914 a “state of emergency protection” was declared in Turkestan: violators of the rules could be punished with a fine of up to 50 som or up to 3 months in prison. Agriculture shrank, the railway mostly carried military cargo, food became scarce and prices rose; in one year of war taxes rose by 50 percent, and from 1915 a fixed state price for cotton was introduced that could not cover the growers’ costs (according to the textbook). When labour was needed for work behind the front, on 25 June 1916 (Old Style; 8 July in today’s calendar) a decree of Emperor Nicholas II began the mobilisation of men aged 19–43 from Turkestan, Siberia and the Caucasus for service behind the front. By this decree 87 thousand were to be sent from the Syr Darya Province, 38 thousand from Samarkand and 50 thousand from Fergana.
Build a cause-and-effect chain: war → higher costs and taxes → prices → discontent → the 1916 decree. Add an example to each link.