THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY

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THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND
for independence, but the others recognized Russian domination.”
After Kenesary proclaimed himself as Khan in 1841, he performed
administrative, legal and military reforms to continue to strengthen
the national struggle. First of all, he established an Advisory Board
from his close fellow soldiers. The Khan was the person who resolved
disputed and would make the final decision among the Board. Later on
he established specific departments for tax collection, military issues,
and diplomatic correspondence. For instance, in this new system, the
taxmen who misappropriated collected taxes or who made mistakes
were punished severely.
These taxmen were collecting “zaqat” from all the nomad Kazakhs,
and “uşur” tax from the farmers. Also, there were special officers,
chosen among the clans and named as “jasaul”, to control whether
the orders of Khan were carried out or not, and these officers were
administered in tribes. The legal duty was performed by biys with
the permission of Kenesary. Kenesary promoted the codetermination
of people who had special characteristics, notwithstanding their social
stratum. Kenesary encouraged the Kazakh people to be engaged
in farming so they could produce bread for the fighters. The Czarist
Russian government forbade the access of wheat to rebels and seized
the production of bread; they were tightly controlling the caravans
and severely punishing the tradesmen who were carrying bread for the
rebels. Kenesary’s commercial policy of looting caravans at first had
changed over time. The Khan, seeing that the caravans were bringing
money constantly and appropriately, gave up looting them. In fact, in
order to develop the caravan trade, Kenesary sometimes summoned
the heads of the caravans to meet with him.
Kenesary was supporting the idea of centralization of ruling in
the Khanate he established. That was why he tried to prevent the
clash of important and influential tribal leaders. He forbade looting
and raiding. He punished the guilty ones who caused clash among
tribes, because these clashes between Kazakhs just served Russian
interests. Sultan-Pravitel Ahmet Janturin under the service of Czarist
Russia informed in the reports he sent to the Russian government
that some of Kazakh tribes were closer to Kenesary, that they made
peace between themselves under his influence and that barımta
stopped. 204 The sentence in the letter of President of Orınbor Border
Commission Gens “His (Kenesary’s) peacemaking and leadership and
activities are efficient. As he becomes more eager and successful in
this issue he will gain more people and he will influence Orda; be-
204 Sereda, N., “Bunt Kirgizskogo Sultana Kenesarı Kasımova”, Vestnik Evropy, 1870, August,
p. 555.