Chelyabinsk Cossacks, 1890s-1920s

The article discusses the issues related to the life of Cossacks in urban space. Traditionally, Cossacks have been depicted in historiography exclusively as rural residents settling in villages and towns, leading to a lack of in-depth research on the challenges faced by Cossacks in urban spaces. Since the founding of Chelyabinsk in 1736, Cossacks have been an integral part of the urban population. While performing military service and having specific rights and responsibilities, they were also active members of urban society, engaging in self-governance and economic activities. The primary focus of the article is the demographic shift within the Cossack population in Chelyabinsk during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To solve the problem, a wide range of various archival sources was used, including clergy lists of city parishes, layout sheets of real estate taxes, registers of issuance of fishing certificates, voter lists, correspondence of the city government, and office documents of the city council. The study revealed that, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Cossack class within the city virtually dissolved: the number was reduced to about one hundred people, with only 25 Cossack households remaining. The research identified two possible life strategies adopted by Cossacks in response to these changing circumstances. The first strategy involved relocating from the city to suburban villages, while the second entailed transitioning from the Cossack class to the bourgeoisie. Both approaches led to a reduction in the number of Cossack representatives in the city, as evidenced by the transfer of stanitsa government bodies from Chelyabinsk to suburban villages. The nominal inclusion of Cossacks in the city council in 1919 indicated an attempt to win over the opposition-minded Cossacks, as well as the positioning of Chelyabinsk as a place of residence for Cossacks.