Omsk Province: History of Border Formation in 1919-1925

Abstract

The article examines the issue of establishing the borders of the Omsk province with neighboring territories. The main directions of the delimitation processes with Siberian provinces and the Kirghiz (Kazakh) Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic are analyzed: the allocation of certain districts of the Tyumen province under the control of Omsk; the transfer of parts of the Altai and Tomsk provinces to the Omsk province; the transfer of several districts that were part of the Akmolinsk region to the Kirghiz (Kazakh) ASSR; and the dispute over the territorial affiliation of the Ishim and Pavlodar districts by Omsk. The complexity and ambiguity of territorial demarcation resulting from spontaneous changes in Russia’s administrative-territorial system during the revolutionary events of 1917, the Civil War, and the initial transformations of the Bolsheviks are demonstrated. It is revealed that the main issue was the formation of the southern border of the Omsk province with the Kirghiz (Kazakh) ASSR, which later became the state border between Russia and Kazakhstan. It is noted that the authorities of the Omsk province systematically defended territorial interests not only of their own province but also of Siberia as a whole, being key players in the region. The conclusion is drawn that thanks to the territorial shifts in southern Western Siberia, a foundation was laid for the formation of stable borders between Siberia and the Kirghiz (Kazakh) ASSR.

Keywords

• omsk province
• border
• siberia
• sibrevkom
• siberian revolutionary committee
• kirgiz assr
• akmolinsk region
• omsk district
• ishim district
• slavgorod district