Development of the Jewish Autonomous Region (late XIX century - 1934s)

Development of the basin of the Amur River and coasts of the Pacific Ocean by Russian people began from middle XVII century. From most ancient times Priamurye territories were populated by Tungus and Mongolian tribes (the Daur, Duchers, Natks, Oroks, Gilyaks, Ainu etc.), who conducted a nomadic way of life. Campaigns of Cossacks - the first explorers headed by V.D.Poyarkov, E.P.Khabarov, O.Stepanov, A.Pashkov, N.R.Chernigovsky and others started to study Priamurye lands.

V.D.Poyarkov during the expedition in the formal reply to Lena voevodes wrote: " … those lands are crowded, full of bread and sables, and there are a lot of other animals, and those rivers are full of fish".

By efforts of explorer the first stockaded town and settlements arose at the Amur River.

Development of Priamurye lands began in 1854. Activity of governor-general of Eastern Siberia N.N.Muravyev, awarded for merits before the Fatherland with a count title with a prefix "Amursky", played the large role in it. In 1854 he organized the first military floating in the Lower Amur for repulse of an impact of the English-French conquerors. Active armed forces participated in the floatings, as well as Cossacks and migrants who first settled in the Lower Amur, and then settled deep into the Far East territory. The special place among them was occupied with Transbaikalia Cossacks. On rafts and barges they were delivered on the Amur and Ussuri Rivers and settled in lots on distance of 20-30 versts from each other for formation of a continuous line of boundary cordons, post and steamship stations.

During the third floating in 1856 lieutenant colonel N.V.Busse, the head of the floating, established 4 posts, including on the territory of the future autonomy - Khinganskiy post with 24 persons at the entrance in the Lesser Khingan. Under the offer of governor-general of Eastern Siberia N.N.Muravyev in 1856 the so-called "Amur line" was established. It located on the left bank of the Amur River for settling by Cossacks of the Transbaikalia army. In 1857 on the left-bank territory of the Amur River 583 families of Transbaikalia Cossacks were floated. They based the first 16 settlements. One of them Pashkovo settlement (former Khinganskiy post) was based on the territory of the future region. With formation of Transbaikalia, Amur and Primorskiy regions the "Amur line" was abolished. Settling of the Amur River bank by Cossacks till 1862 had compulsory character.

From the document "Materials on research of natural and historical conditions of Birobidzhan": " … In spring of 1856 all settlements of the 2nd horse Transbaikalian brigade were flown with a message about a call of hunters to migrate to the Amur River.

But they were not found and the order about an admission of migrants by means of a lot and assignment under the discretion of leaders … come.

In the announcement of an admission appeared: moving places were the most convenient for conducting arable farming, having good pastures for horses and domestic cattle, water and wood enough; migrants would use two-year postponement from military service; they would receive 15 roubles of the grant and provisions during two years, and poor people - free-of-charge uniform and other …

But all these promises did not attract the Cossacks, who lived in prosperity and didn’t intend to change the place of living, and any of them, if took out a piece of paper with a fatal inscription "Go to the Amur River", carried a look of a person sentenced precisely to death …

Moving in the designated places did not depend on Cossacks. They were not asked, whether the place was pleasant, whether it was suitable to farming …

A chief on a barge, having caught sight of a column with a plate, ordered about: "To the bank" - and, having unloaded people, property, provisions, was floating further for the same need … ".

The Cossacks landed on a bank with provisions for a year, did not receive any help, therefore the first years of a settlement brought them a number of disasters and deprivations.

In 1858 the Aigun agreement and in 1860 the Beijing agreement officially fixed a boundary line between Russia and China, the Priamurye Territory discovered and mastered by Russian people in XVII - XIX centuries, became a part of Russia and received the administrative name "Priamursky territory". The future territory of the Jewish Autonomous Region was a part of it.

The decree of the Russian emperor from October, 29, 1858 created the Amur Cossack army, which consisted of 2 Amur horse Cossack regiments and the Amur pedestrian Cossack battalion.

In 1860s the settling of Priamurye by Russian people proceeded. As a result of 6-years resettlement (1856 - 1862) on the territory of the future region the following settlements were founded: Ventselevo, Voskresenovka, Verkhne-Spasskoye, Golovino, Dezhnyovo, Dobroye, Ekaterino-Nikolskoye, Zabyolovskoye, Kvashnino, Kukelevo, Lugovoye, Mikhailo-Semyonovskoye, Nizhne-Spasskoye, Nagibovo, Puzino, Petrovskoye, Radde, Soyuznoye, Stepanovka and others. All of them were a part of the Amur pedestrian Cossack battalion. By 1893 in the Amur pedestrian Cossack battalion three districts appeared: Ekaterino-Nikolskiy, Mikhailo-Semyonovskiy, Raddevskiy.

In the report of the military Governor of the Amur Region, general - lieutenant K.N.Gribskoy for 1900 there were data:

" … the Amur Cossack army occupying the bank of the Amur River from Pokrovskaya village up to Zabyolovskiy settlement (on the territory of the future autonomy - from Storozhevoy village up to Zabyolovskiy settlement), was divided on three sites, the third site included districts of the Amur pedestrian Cossack battalion:

Ekaterino-Nikolskiy - 7 settlements, 576 court yards, 4476 souls of the population;

Mikhailo-Semyonovskiy - 14 settlements, 624 court yards, 4908 souls of the population;

Raddevskiy - 4 settlements, 148 court yards, 1157 souls of the population".

Settling by Cossacks of a border land provided protection of the southeast border of Russia, protection of population against attacks of honghuzi gangs on boundary settlements and villages, which proceeded till 1924. Protection of the frontier between Russia and China during 2,5 thousand versts remained the major duty of Cossacks. Villages actually carried out functions of boundary posts: the Cossack brigades left villages on protection of boundaries of the Russian state. Cossacks of the Amur pedestrian Cossack battalion supervised borders on Petrovskiy, Stepanovsky and other boundary posts.

Since 1861 Priamurye lands were declared by the imperial government open for settling by "the peasants, who did not have land, and enterprising people of all estates, wishing to move at own expense". In resettlement movement three stages were allocated: 1861 - 1881, 1882 - 1891, 1892 - 1901. These years Priamurye became populated by deportees, temporary settlers, retired soldiers and Cossacks.

From 1901 to 1909 between the Tungusska and Amur Rivers, according to the authorized by the imperial government on June, 22, 1900 Temporary Rules for formation of resettlement sites in the Amur and Primorskaya Regions, it was allocated 10 resettlement sites. On five sites settlements Dezhnyovka, Samaro-Orlovka, Volochayevka, Danilovka were established. The territory of the Small Bira River and Birskoye Experimental Field began to be accustomed since 1909. Migrants - peasants on these grounds in 1910 established the following villages: Russkaya Polyana, Belovodskoye, Aleksandrovka, Alekseevka, in 1911 - Nazarovo, Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk, in 1912-1913 - Pochaevka, Kazanka, Romanovskoye, Uglovoye, Stepnoye. By 1915 on sites of the Birskoye Experimental Field 432 families, 1087 souls were moved. However flooding and the First World War, which began in 1914, caused the big elimination of peasants - migrants. By autumn of 1915 293 families left those places for their former residence. A number of settlements disappeared, the further development of the territory stopped for a while.

The way to the Amur River at absence of a railway was long and difficult. Peasants went on carts, went on foot, carried bags and baggage on themselves, agricultural instruments and seeds. They went to Tomsk, then on carts and in vans to Chita or Sretensk, on rafts they were floated to Blagoveshchensk. Travel expenses were significant. There were cases when migrants reached the Amur River after 2-3 years and more.

In the beginning of 1820s significant spaces of Siberia and the Far East remained backward surburbs of Russia, which has been torn off the European part in the social and economic points. In process of transport development, and first of all railway, these territories gradually developed.

In 1898 construction of the most significant earth road along the Amur River ("Amur Kolesukha") began. The Construction of the "Kolesukha" - a large state construction, was carried out by work of prisoners. Extent of the road made almost 2,0 thousand kms, on the territory of the region - about 320 kms. Annually there worked up to 1,0 thousand prisoners. The "Kolesukha" began at Pokrovka settlement (near Khabarovsk), went on Volochayevka and further to Russkaya Polyana, Nadezhdinskoye, Churki, Babstovo, Preobrazhenovka in the southwest direction, through the Khingan ridge it met Radde settlement and further passed on a bank of the Amur River through Pashkovo settlement to Blagoveshchensk".

The road construction was finished in 1909, between Blagoveshchensk and Khabarovsk the through post path was opened.

Events of 1917 turned a new page in the history of the Far East. In the beginning of 1920s plans of land management by working Jews and researches of the territory for their compact residing began to be discussed actively. For consideration of this question the commission of the Politburo of the Central Committee under the presidency of vice-president of the Council of Peoples Commissars of the USSR A.D.Tsuryupa was created.

On June, 14, 1924 the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) ratified offers of the commission of the Politburo of the Central Committee:

" 1. To consider formation of the Committee on the Land Arrangement of Working Jews (KOMZET) at the Soviet of Nationalities of the Central Electoral Committee of the USSR to be expedient. 2. To assign to the Committee a duty to determine areas of land management and to give it rights of negotiating with foreign organizations and establishments for attraction of means for realization of the assigned task. To offer the Central Electoral Committee of the USSR to determine the structure of the Committee, with obligatory inclusion in it representatives of the Council of Peoples Commissars of the USSR".

KOMZET considered the question on land management of working Jews in the Crimea, Priazovye and Altai.

On July, 8, 1926 the Politburo of the Central Committee made the decision:

" 1. In parallel with practical work over the northern Crimea and Priazovye to investigate a question on an opportunity of creation of the territory on Altai, sending there in the Soviet order the competent commission".

In G.V.Kostyrchenko's monography "Stalin's Secret policy. The authority and anti-Semitism" is underlined: " … the fact that the Crimean Jewish autonomy was not created speaks, first of all, that in spring of 1927 an alternative resettlement of Jews to the Far East was chosen. This variant of the decision of the Jewish question in the USSR seemed then to the Stalin regime to be optimal, especially in the propaganda point of view".

In 1927 the area of the future colonization - Birobidzhan was determined. In August of the same year the expedition of scientists - agrarians, and also representatives of KOMZET and OZET (the Society of assistance to land management of working Jews) visited the territory. The commission as a whole positively estimated prospects of the region of the future colonization.

Materials of the expedition were summed up, and KOMZET made the decision "to ask the Presidium of the Central Electoral Committee of the USSR to assign Birsko-Bidzhansky region for KOMZET and to begin there work on the land management of working Jews". The Decision of the Council of Peoples Commissars of the USSR from March, 28, 1928 has satisfied the prepared by KOMZET petition for assign to it about 4,5 million hectares of Priamurye lands of the Far East Territory and authorized the beginning of mass resettlement of the Jewish population to Priamurye.

Participation of the foreign organizations in the Jewish resettlement in the Birobidzhan district of the Far East Territory

In 1928 on the territory of Birobidzhan (territory of settling) about 34,0 thousand souls, from them 70 percents of Russian, 6,8% - Ukrainians, 10% - Koreans, 1,6% - Chinese, 1 percent of northern nationalities, were totaled. According to the demographic census of 1926 on the territory of the future autonomy there were 6988 households, 3659 or 52 percents of them were peasant ones, other 48 percents of households had the basic income from crafts and other kinds of labour activity.

On the territory of settling there was no industry, except for a railway depot, one sawmill in Nikolayevka settlement, logging areas and handicraft extraction of gold.

Service of migrants was assigned on KOMZET, OZET, Birsko-Bizdanskiy migrant group at the Far East regional migrant department.

In the first years of resettlement many of migrants came back "to places of an exit". Principal causes of return were impreparation for reception of migrants, faults in supply with goods and products of the first necessity, severe climatic conditions and others.

Trade artels and collective farms were created everywhere. Those years the network of schools and establishments of public health services grew. Alongside with Russian ones the first Jewish schools started to work. According to data by OZET, in 1929-1930 migrants’ children studied in 5 schools: 3 Jewish ones (in Valdgame, Aleksandrovka, Amurzet) and 2 Russian ones (in Tikhonkaya). In Jewish schools 81 persons studied.

The Pereselenchesky district in the basin of the Bira and Bidzhan Rivers as a result of settling and economic revival of the grounds by the decision of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee from August, 20, 1930 was administratively arranged under the name of Birobidzhan with the centre in Tikhonkaya station. In 1931 the station was renamed into Birobidzhan working settlement, and on March, 2, 1937 the working settlement received the status of a city.

The population of the region by 1930 made 37583 persons, in its territory there were 248 settlements, including 9 ones with the prevailing Jewish population.

In Tikhonkaya station the following Jewish artels worked: "The Birobidzhan Chair","The Wheel of Revolution", "Chemodanschik" (Suitcase Manufacturer), wheel and carts one, artels of carriers, shoemakers, stocking makers, tailors and others. The “Tikhookeanskaya Zvezda” newspaper from March, 28, 1931 № 68 wrote about the "Birobidzhan" artel: "… From far Volhynia, from a place of Malina, occupied by the Jewish poor and handicraftsmen, a small artel of about 40 persons arrived in Tikhonkaya 10 months ago.

The aspiration to apply the forces on advantage of construction of socialist Birobidzhan has pushed the small artel manufacturing furniture to go to the Far East. They won a piece of a taiga on the Bira bank and for a month they constructed a big shop for manufacture of bent furniture (chairs). In two - three months auxiliary workshops grown around the main one. Then in October in three days they started up a power station. Houses for workers grown.

… Work of the factory is based on a conveyor system. From raw material, extremely of local preparation (maple and ash tree), they prick sticks, transfer them in workshops and then in a shop where separate parts of a chair are precisely fixed, polished, and then gathered … ".

Development of lime stones were made by artels near stations of Birakan and Kimkan, in 1930 the construction of a lime stone factory near Londoko settlement began. Sewing and wood-working factories became the first state enterprises in 1932 in Birobidzhan.

The amplified inflow of population, strengthening of interdistrict links, fast rates of development of an economy during 1928 - 1934 created conditions for the organization of the Jewish Autonomous Region, which had to solve administrative tasks of regional value independently.

The information is prepared under documents of the state archive of the Jewish Autonomous Region, and also materials of the reference edition "Administrative and Territorial Structure of the Jewish Autonomous Region. 1858 - 2003" (Khabarovsk, 2004) are used.