The Establishment and Activities of the Turkestan District Security Department.

Abstract

The National Archive of Uzbekistan holds the fund of the Turkestan Security Department (f. I-461), which contains valuable materials revealing the historical background of the establishment and activities of the tsarist “Okhrana.” Analysis in national historiography shows that a significant number of historical studies use documents from this fund as a source. However, there are no specialized works devoted to a detailed examination of archival documents concerning the history of the creation and activities of the Turkestan Security Department. Therefore, this article, based on periodical press materials, archival documents, and publications, highlights the main stages of the formation of the colonial surveillance system and the forms of persecution of the Turkestan population through the prism of the activities of the Turkestan “Okhrana.”