Children’s homelessness in the Akmola province in 1921–1923 and actions for its elimination

Abstract

In this article is examined the consequences of the famine in 1921–1923, which involved many regions of  Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialistic Republic and affected on children’s condition. It is analyzed the activities of the party and state authorities and public organizations to rescue the children. On the basis of archival sources the authors cite information on the number of homeless children both in the whole republic and in the northern region, in particular in Akmola province. It is examined the main causes of children’s homelessness, which includes along with socio-economic factors also the policy of military communism of the Soviet state, involved the destruction of the family, famine, high mortality rate, etc. In the conditions of the homeless and uncared for childhood, the child fell into difficult life conditions, which negatively affected his health, mind, further socialization. It is concluded that children’s homelessness was the result of difficult socio-economic situation of the country which caused to war, famine, devastation.