The ways to the economic development of the Kalmyk steppe in the estimation of the capital's officials (the last third of the 19th - early 20th centuries)

Based on archival documents, for the first time in Russian historiography, the article examines the estimates of the economic development of the Kalmyk Steppe, which are contained in the reports of officials “on special assignments” written in the last third of the 19th - early 20th centuries. Sent to the Astrakhan province by the Ministry of State Property or the Ministry of Internal Affairs to survey the Kalmyk Steppe, these high-ranking officials gave their recommendations on improving the management system on the territory of the Kalmyk Steppe and the prospects of economic activity of its population. Special attention is paid to the analysis of their estimates and proposals regarding the preservation of the traditional way of farming - nomadic cattle breeding - as the main source of welfare of the Kalmyk population. The estimates and proposals that the officials on special assignments gave to their ministries were normally based on scientific facts, including the geographical location and climatic conditions of Kalmykia, which do not provide for the development of arable farming and, accordingly, the transition to sedentariness. In addition, they were convincingly supported by the opinion of the Kalmyk nomads themselves, based on many years of life experience in the severe steppe conditions. However, their estimation was at odds with the government policy aimed at integrating the Kalmyk nomads into the all-Russian socio-economic space, that is, their transition to a sedentary lifestyle and farming. The author comes to the conclusion that the estimates and proposals made by the officials on special assignments prompted the government to reassess its opinion about the benefits of the transition to a sedentary lifestyle for the Kalmyks, taking into account the traditional life experience of the local population.