History of Activities of the Akmola District Union of Cooperatives (1917-1922)

Based on the analysis of the previously unused archival sources and research works on the history of Russian cooperation, the main areas of the activities of the Akmola District Union of Cooperatives in 1917-1922 are studied and generalized. In terms of methodology, the study is based on the works of ideologists of Russian cooperation (M.I. Tugan-Baranovsky, V.F. Totomianets, A.V. Chayanov, and others) and the original concepts they developed. The article analyzes the activities of the Union of Cooperatives of a particular micro-region: the number of employees, organizational structure and management, organization of industrial production, financial and social policies, cultural and educational activities. The author substantiates the role of the District Union of Cooperatives in the development of economic relations in the region and in the district peasant farms' entry into the all-Russian market. Despite the difficult political circumstances and the relatively short period of existence (from August 1917 to the end of 1922), the Akmola District Union of Cooperatives became an economic and organizational center, contributed to the establishment and development of the consumer cooperation system not only in the district, but also in the region: it initiated the establishment of the regional Union of Steppe Cooperatives. In the conditions of the territorial remoteness from industrial centers and the underdeveloped transport infrastructure, the District Union of Cooperatives significantly facilitated and promoted the production activities of the peasants of the region connecting them with the market, expedited the involvement of Kazakh farms in the regional economy. The Union carried out an active social policy and diversified cultural and educational work, allocated significant amounts from its profits to the development of education in the district. According to the author, the activities of the Akmola District Union of Cooperatives can be considered as an integral part of the national cooperative movement, and its success was due to the application of the allRussian experience during the heyday of cooperation in the country.

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