Implementation of culture of opium poppy and its impact on the tragic events of 1916 in Semirechye

In spite of presence of a few works about the history of the penetration of the culture of opium poppy into Semirechye, so far this issue, as well as the impact of opium factor on economic and political development of the region in the early twentieth century, has not received its light in historical science. Our purpose is to track the penetration of the opium poppy into Semirechye and the activities of Russian authorities and local authorities to establish control over its production. We also need to determine the degree of influence of opium factor to the tragic events that took place in 1916 in areas, where opium was grown. The opium poppy hit to Semirechye with Chinese immigrants Dungan and Uighur in late 1870s. Harvest of opium smuggled crossed to the western regions of China, where there was a ban on its production and consumption, bringing huge profits for smugglers and drug manufacturers. Only in 1916 the Russian government officially allowed to produce opium for medicinal purposes at the territory of Turkestan. In the same year, for the processing of opium, the first Russian alkaloid plant was built in Moscow. Over time, Russian, Kyrgyz, Sart nationalities began to grow poppy, and at harvest time thousands of Chinese nationals seasonal workers arrived from China. Only in Mariinsky village where they settled, their number exceeded the number of local Dungan at several times. Among the Chinese arrivals, there were smugglers and anarchists who were interested in creating unrest in Przhevalsky county to bring opium to China. Local imperial power engaged understating the real numbers of land area under opium and understate the amount of opium harvested, bringing significant damage to the Russian treasury. In addition, under various pretexts, they took opium from producers, which caused strong resentment of the local population. Not the least role in the tragedy of 1916 a rich harvest of opium, livestock growth and the associated increase in material well-being of the local population have played. Kyrgyz have suffered in this insurrection, precisely because they had land (ancestral lands habitat) and multimillion herds of cattle, and Dungans - because of their wealth and opium. Therefore, by 1916, there were various internal and external forces that were extremely interested in bloody riots in Turkestan and Semirechye. In time of war, this uprising was an expensive gift for Germany and Turkey, which bring nearer the hour of Russians’ defeat in the First World War.