The network of rural settlements on the territory of the modern Tyumen region in the 1930s: population, economic and socio-cultural development

Tatarnikova Anna Ivanovna PhD in History Senior Scientific Associate, Tobolsk Complex Scientific State of Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences 626152, Russia, Tyumen region, Tobolsk, Ak. Yu. str. Osipova, 15 tatob777@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

The development of the settlement system is a natural process of economic development of the territory, during which, under the influence of political, legal, socio-economic, cultural and everyday factors, a network of functionally interconnected settlements is formed. The density of the settlement network is one of the indicators of the degree of economic development of a particular region. It depends on the natural and climatic conditions of the area, demographic, socio-cultural and other features. In Russia, with its diversity of natural zones, relief, soils, the specifics of the colonization process, the uneven economic development of the constituent territories, the multinational composition of the population, the settlement system has a pronounced regional specificity.

The study of this specificity is currently of particular relevance. The crisis experienced by the modern village, which led to the disappearance of thousands of settlements, the outflow of young people to the cities, the destruction of social infrastructure, requires the formation of a well-thought-out state policy towards rural areas. It seems that such a policy can bring positive results, provided that the historical experience of previous generations in agricultural development of territories is taken into account. 

Geographers S. A. Kovalev ^[1], B. S. Khorev and S. G. Smidovich ^[2], T. I. Zaslavskaya ^[3] and others studied the problem of the formation and development of the settlement network as the basis of the settlement system. However, these scientists practically did not consider the issues of the historical evolution of the settlement network, its functioning in the conditions of changing political and economic realities. V. V. Pokshishevsky was one of the first to conduct a historical and geographical analysis of the impact of population migrations over four centuries on the formation of a network of settlements in new territories (on the example of Siberia) ^[4].

In the last three decades, studies on demographic and economic aspects of the development of the settlement network of the West Siberian region have begun to appear in Russian historiography (N. A. Balyuk ^[5], A.D. Kolesnikov ^[6], V. N. Kurilov ^[7]). The works of these scientists are devoted to the pre-revolutionary period of the history of the region.

P. T. Sigutov ^[8], D. I. Mashinsky and E. V. Sokolova ^[9], M. A. Ovcharova ^[10], A. A. Plyasulya ^[11] studied the influence of the agrarian policy of the Soviet state of the 1920s-1930s on the settlement of the population, the emergence of new types of settlements.  

The issues of infrastructure development in rural and urban areas in the early Soviet period were covered in the works of K. A. Semenova ^[12], S. V. Zyablintseva ^[13], V. G. Kokoulin ^[14], V. A. Rakunov ^[15] and others.

At the same time, the weak degree of knowledge of the problem is indicated by the fact that to date there are no generalizing comprehensive studies on the history of the development of the settlement network of both Western Siberia as a whole and its subregions. A separate "temporary failure" in the study of the topic is the early Soviet period (1920-1930s) - a time when, under the influence of NEP, and then industrialization and collectivization, quantitative and qualitative indicators of the development of the settlement network underwent significant changes.

This publication presents the characteristics of the settlement network of one of the state-territorial entities in the Russian Federation – the Tyumen region. Although the named region was formed on August 14, 1944, the paper examines the development of the settlement network on its territory in the 1930s, when most of the districts included in the newly formed administrative-territorial unit were an integral part of the Omsk Region of the West Siberian Territory.

The choice of the chronological framework of the study is due to the change in the settlement policy of the Soviet government in the 1930s, associated with the transition to the continuous collectivization of the village, the liquidation of small farms, zaimok, single-family settlements that arose as a result of the development of individual land use. These innovations affected the development of the settlement network, its typological structure, the size of settlements, and led to a change in the settlement system as a whole.

The territorial scope of the work includes the areas that are part of the modern Tyumen Region (without the Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs). The borders of districts and regions were repeatedly "redrawn" during the years of Soviet power and in the post-Soviet period, however, economic zoning did not have a significant impact on the development indicators of the settlement network of the studied region, which makes it possible to study the state and evolution of the settlement system in different periods of its existence.

Statistical materials collected in 1935-1936 are used as the main source in the work. Omsk Regional Department of National Economic Accounting (OBLUNKHU) Gosplan of the USSR on the main indicators of economic and socio-cultural development of the districts of the region ^[16]. The materials contain information on the number of settlements, the number of collective farms formed, the percentage of collectivization by administrative-territorial units, the number and types of industrial enterprises, commercial institutions, schools, hospitals, communication points, etc. Despite the errors and typos in the source, the data presented in it generally reflect the state of development of the settlement network in the first decades of Soviet power.

The modern Tyumen Region occupies an area of 160,122 sq. km (excluding Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs). The region was formed in August 1944 by separating part of the districts from the predominantly Omsk and, to a lesser extent, Kurgan regions. The area of 25 Omsk districts included in the Tyumen region was 165,360 sq. km (see Table 1). A significant part of the settlements located in the western part of the Omsk region economically gravitated to the commercial and industrially developed Tyumen, which is geographically closer than Omsk. This was taken into account during the next economic zoning, when Tyumen officially became the regional center for more than two dozen administrative-territorial units.

In the districts listed in Table 1, by 1935-1936 there were 2,655 settlements, of which 4 (Tyumen, Tobolsk, Yalutorovsk, Ishim) had the status of a city. The largest sizes differed in the northern districts: Uvatsky, Tobolsk, Vagaysky, Dubrovinsky. Their total area was 86,605 sq. km (54% of the entire territory of the future Tyumen region). If in 1926 there were 614 settlements functioning within the boundaries of the listed districts, by 1935-1936 there were 799 of them ^{[17, p. XIV; 16]}. The severity of the climate, the predominance of soils unsuitable for agriculture, the remoteness from the main communication routes affected the density (density) of the settlement network of the northern territories, especially the Uvatsky district, where the average distance between villages exceeded 260 km. At the same time, in the southern part of this area, the distance between settlements was less significant than in the northern part, which is replete with urmans and swamps.

Table 1

Density of rural settlement network (by districts)

* Average number of square kilometers per 1 locality

Calculated by: ^[16]

The settlement network of Velizhansky, Tyumen and Novozaimsky districts was the most densely populated. Here the distance of the villages from each other was no more than 25 km . Approximately the same density of the network of settlements (33-37 km) had Aromashevsky, Golyshmanovsky, Sorokinsky, Uporovsky and Yalutorovsky districts, located mainly in the forest-steppe zone, rich in lands convenient for agriculture. Mainly the forest strip was occupied by Isetsky, Vikulovsky, Nizhnetavdinsky, Yarkovsky districts, dotted with lakes, many rivers and rivulets, swamps. In them, the network of settlements was more sparse than in forest-steppe areas.

The most common types of settlements in the northern regions were villages and Tatar yurts, in the southern – settlements, villages, farms. The settlement network of most administrative-territorial units was dominated by villages of small size, numbering from 1 to 25 yards. As in the pre-revolutionary period, the settlements with the status of a village were the largest in terms of the number of courtyards and the number of inhabitants. The size of the settlements increased as we moved from north to south. If in the Tobolsk district the village had an average of 21 yards, then in Yalutorovsky 75.

The industrialization and collectivization of the economy carried out in the country contributed to the gradual evolution of the settlement system. The accelerated pace of industrialization, the emergence of new jobs at industrial enterprises, as well as the forced nature of collectivization increased the outflow of rural residents from the areas of the future Tyumen region to the nearest cities – Tyumen and Omsk. Thus, in the period from 1931 to 1939, the population of Tyumen grew from 57,425 to 78,686 people ^{[18, p. 24]}, Omsk – from 162,161 to 288,855 people, respectively. Such a significant increase was due to both migration from the European part of the country and migration from rural to urban areas.

In many villages and settlements that functioned as district centers, there is an increase in the proportion of the population engaged in industrial rather than agricultural production (Verkhnyaya Tavda village, Omutinskoye village, Vikulovo village, etc.).

The process of collectivization of peasant farms leads to a decrease in the number of individual agricultural producers and, as a consequence, a reduction in the number of settlements that have arisen as a result of the spread of individual forms of land use. Farms, borrowings, single-family homes, etc. begin to disappear. Collective farms (collective farms) are being created on the basis of villages, villages, settlements. In 1935-1936, collective farms had an advantage in the ratio of different types of farms in all districts (with the exception of Omutinsky) (see Table 2).

Table 2

Ratio of farms (by districts)

* The column "Other" includes farms of workers and employees

Calculated by: ^[16]

The greatest successes in collectivization were achieved by the Aromashevsky, Vagaysky, Tobolsk, Sorokinsky, Yurginsky, Berdyuzhsky and Kazan districts, over 70% of whose farms had become collective by 1936. The share of individual peasant farms by this time was insignificant. Only in the Velizhansky and Vikulovsky districts, the farms of sole proprietors accounted for a little more than a quarter of all farms. At the same time, the share of farms of workers and employees increased, represented in percentage terms in the column "other" of Table 2.

In general, the data given in Table 2 indicate changes in the social structure of the population of the territories under consideration, an increase in the number of workers, representatives of the local bureaucracy, service personnel.

The active policy of the Soviet state to improve the efficiency of the management of the national economy included not only the strengthening of the material and technical base of the collective farms formed in villages and villages, but also the development of economic and socio-cultural infrastructure.

The data in Table 3 show that in the 1930s, Tyumen, Tobolsk, Vagay and Vikulovsky districts were the leaders in the number of industrial enterprises. Of the 148 enterprises, 101 (68%) were butter factories. These enterprises operated in 12 settlements of the Vikulovsky district. There were 9 creameries in Tobolsk and Uvatsky districts, 5 in Berdyuzhsky and Tyumen.

In addition, 7 flax mills operated in the areas located in the forest-steppe zone. There were 12 timber processing enterprises in the forest areas (Tobolsk, Uvatsky, Vagaysky, Verkhnetavdinsky, Tyumen).

In addition to the above, there were 2 meat processing plants (Tyumen and Tobolsk), 2 vodka factories (Tyumen, Ishim), 2 breweries (Tyumen, Tobolsk), 2 dairy (Omutinskoe village, Yalutorovsk), 2 glass factories (Yalutorovsk). There were also brick, pimokatny, sheepskin and fur factories, match and plywood factories in Tyumen. There was a fish factory in Tobolsk ^[16].

Table 3

Number of institutions of economic and socio-cultural infrastructure (by districts)

* Data is provided by districts, including district centers

Calculated by: ^[16]

The Dubrovinsky and Isetsky districts were characterized by a complete absence of industrial enterprises.

An important part of the economic infrastructure of the settlements were trade institutions – shops, benches, stalls, tents. During the years of collectivization, out of 3,190 retail outlets operating in the villages of the region under consideration, 1,164 belonged to consumer cooperation, 362 to state trade. In the districts listed in Table 3, there were 1,290 shops, 276 stalls and tents [counted by: 16]. In rural settlements, shop trade prevailed. In urban settlements, especially in Tyumen, along with the store, market (bazaar) trade was developed, which became state ^{[19, p. 121]}.

The commercial infrastructure was more developed in the Berdyuzhsky, Omutinsky, Tyumen districts, where a retail outlet operated in almost every village. The least developed trade institutions were in the settlements of the northern districts (Vagaysky, Dubrovinsky, Tobolsk, Uvatsky), poorly involved in trade and economic relations, as well as in the villages of the Abatsky, Velizhansky and Yurginsky districts, especially in small farms located within their borders.

The need to improve the efficiency of the management of the entrusted territories, to establish regular interaction between settlements during industrialization and collectivization led to an increase in the number of post offices and agencies, telephone points. However, as can be seen from Table 3, a developed telephone network had not yet developed by the mid-1930s. At the same time, the provision of communication areas was uneven. So, all village councils of Vikulovsky, Tyumen, Uporovsky districts were connected by telephones with district centers, while there were no telephones in Sorokinsky district, and only 2 village councils out of 16 village councils of Dubrovinsky district could contact the district center by phone ^[16]. Radio points were not installed in all areas. There were 345 post offices and agencies in 2655 localities of the region being characterized. Most often they could be found in the Berdyuzhsky, Isetsky, Ishim and Uporovsky districts.

The introduction of compulsory universal primary education in the USSR in 1930 contributed to an increase in the number of educational institutions, especially in the countryside. There were 1,284 schools in 2,655 localities in the region. Of these, 1,103 (85.9%) were primary, 163 (12.7%) were incomplete secondary, and only 18 (1.4%) were full secondary. There were 16 vocational educational institutions in urban settlements, including 2 higher ones in Tyumen – the Teachers' Institute and the State Pedagogical Institute. In Yalutorovsk, Ishim, Tyumen and Tobolsk, 14 technical schools carried out educational activities [calculated by: 16].

The tasks of cultural and educational work with the population, military-patriotic, labor and moral education of Soviet citizens in the spirit of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism were solved locally not only in schools, but also in club institutions - reading huts, interest circles, red corners, collective farmer's houses, etc. The development of club infrastructure in the village was aimed at for the education of a new person, the formation of collectivist principles of the life of the Soviet peasantry, its involvement in socialist construction ^{[20, p. 260]}. The most widespread club network was in the villages and villages of Abatsky, Berdyuzhsky and Omutinsky districts. In the settlements of Vagaysky, Dubrovinsky, Ishim, Uvatsky districts, club-type institutions, on the contrary, were poorly represented. In general, elements of the club infrastructure were available in every third locality of the region under consideration.

While significant progress was observed in the development of the network of educational and cultural institutions in the 1930s, especially in rural areas, the network of medical institutions remained extremely sparse. It consisted of 45 hospitals and 65 outpatient clinics ^[16]. Thus, one medical institution had to serve residents of 24-25 settlements. The situation with medical care was most deplorable in the Velizhansky district, where only 1 outpatient clinic accounted for 111 settlements ^[16]. The task of developing local health care, as in previous decades, remained one of the priorities for the state.

Thus, the results of the study show that in the territory of the modern Tyumen region in the 1930s there was a fairly developed network of settlements, represented by 2,655 settlements. The density of the settlement network ranged from 266 sq. km between villages in the north (Uvatsky district) to 21-23 sq. km in areas further south (Velizhansky and Tyumen districts). In general, for the areas that will be included in the newly formed region in 1944, the average distance between settlements reached 62 sq. km. Most of the settlements, especially in the southern regions, were located in the form of territorial clusters along rivers and railways, while in the north the settlement network was more sparse and differed mainly by riverine location.

The predominant type of settlements in the northern regions of the region were villages and villages, in the southern – settlements and farms. Along the line of the Siberian Railway there were settlements with the status of barracks, sidings, roadblocks, booths. The size of settlements varied from 1 to more than 500 yards, depending on the climatic and soil conditions, the population of the area, however, small settlements prevailed, the yard capacity of which did not exceed 25 units.

During the period under review, the number of individual farms decreases in the process of collectivization, which leads to a reduction in the number of settlements with such status as a farmstead, a single-family home, a loan. Collective farms (collective farms) are created on the basis of villages, villages, settlements. In most districts, the percentage of collectivization of farms by 1936 was about 65. This testifies to the high effectiveness of the actions of central and local authorities to unite peasants into collective farms. In the settlements of the region, the share of farms of workers and employees is noticeably increasing, which was due to the development of the economic and socio-cultural infrastructure of the villages, the switching of some of their residents from performing purely agricultural work to work at small enterprises, clubs, etc.

Analysis of data on the presence of various infrastructure facilities in the settlements of the region allows us to conclude that its socio-cultural component was more developed, represented by communication institutions (mail, telephone), radio stations, schools, club points, hospitals and outpatient clinics. Positive developments in the development of the school network and the network of club institutions in the village have become especially noticeable. The infrastructure of the settlements was dominated by primary (four-grade) schools, which accounted for 86% of all schools. The club institutions included red corners, reading huts, collective farmer's houses, the purpose of which was to conduct cultural and educational work with the population. The settlement network of the Abatsky, Berdyuzhsky and Omutinsky districts was distinguished by a more developed club infrastructure. The state of rural medicine left much to be desired. On average, there were 25 localities per one medical institution (hospital, outpatient clinic), which did not meet the existing needs for medical care.

The economic infrastructure of the settlement network of the characterized areas was represented by industrial enterprises and points of trade. Creameries, which were almost equally widespread throughout the region, were the leaders in their number among enterprises. However, there were also district specifics, which consisted in the economic specialization of the northern regions in timber processing, and the southern ones in flax processing. In the mid-1930s, a cooperative form of trade was widespread in the villages. State trade, represented by 362 retail outlets (11.3% of all points of trade), was only gaining momentum. Nevertheless, the social development of the settlement network, which includes economic and socio-cultural infrastructure, compared with the pre-revolutionary period, underwent positive changes that continued in the following decades.