The history of the Suzak uprising: what do archival documents reveal?

Abstract

The policy of collectivization in Kazakhstan caused mass uprisings due to the destruction of the traditional way of life, the confiscation of livestock and land, forced resettlement, and other repressive measures. One of the largest such uprisings was the Suzak uprising. Studying the history of the Suzak uprising based on archival documents will allow not only to collect, analyze, and organize information on this issue, but also to answer the question of the degree and forms of participation of the Suzak peasantry in anti-Bolshevik protests. The purpose of the study is to understand the prerequisites and circumstances of the emergence of contradictions between the authorities and the rural population at the initial stage of the collectivization of agriculture in the Suzak district, the reasons for the peasants’ transition to active forms of resistance to state measures, and to analyze archival materials on the specified topic. Based on an analysis of archival sources and existing scientific research, the authors substantiate the emergence and deepening of social and economic contradictions in the relationship between the state and the peasants, and examine the course of the uprising, its main stages, and driving forces. The article examines various elements of Bolshevik policy that led to the uprising of the people of the Suzak region and analyzes the actions of Soviet and party authorities aimed at suppressing the Suzak uprising.