ADMINISTRATIVE GOVERNANCE AND FISCAL POLICY IN FERGANA OBLAST (1876–1917): STRUCTURE, SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES, AND COLONIAL SPECIFICITIES

Abstract

This paper analyzes the administrative structure and fiscal policy of the Fergana Oblast within the Turkestan General-Governorship of the Russian Empire between 1876 and 1917. Special attention is paid to the hierarchical governance system (oblast–uezd–volost–rural community), mechanisms of military-civil authority concentration, land taxation reforms, cotton production policies, and their socio-economic consequences for the indigenous population. Based on archival materials, imperial legislation, and historiographical scholarship, the study demonstrates that the administrative and fiscal system introduced in Fergana primarily served imperial economic and military interests. The imposed tax regime disregarded climatic conditions, traditional agrarian practices, and Islamic legal norms, resulting in increased economic dependency and structural inequality. The research contributes to discussions on colonial governance, legal pluralism, and imperial economic policy in Central Asia.