Participation of Representatives of the German Diaspora in the Economy of Turkestan

The mass resettlement of Germans, among other Russian peoples, from Russia, Germany and other European countries and the formation of a diaspora on the territory of Turkestan began in the second half of the 19th century after its conquest by the Russian Empire. Having successfully adapted to the new lands, Germans, along with other peoples, took an active part in the political, cultural and economic life of Turkestan. This article is devoted to the representatives of the German diaspora who were directly involved in the economy of Turkestan. The goal is to analyze the economic activity of the Germans in Turkestan in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. In this study, both general scientific and specialized methods are used, which allowed for a consistent analysis. We have identified various areas of German entrepreneurship in the spheres of the economy of Turkestan. In particular, urban Germans were directly employed in the field of service personnel, in industrial, commercial and entrepreneurial activities; they acted both as independent merchants and as managers of firms. Rural peasants, German settlers, became one of the main driving forces of the agrarian development of the region. They became owners of farms, contributed to the development of agriculture, irrigation and animal husbandry. An analysis of the economic activities of the German diaspora in Turkestan showed that, despite their relatively small number in the region, they had a very noticeable impact on the socio-economic development of the region, which had a positive value for Turkestan. The article may be useful to scientific and practical workers, graduate students and all those who are interested in the history of the German diaspora and the development of the economy in the Turkestan period.