The formation and development process of the administration system in the General Governorship of Türkistan (1865-1897)

The regional policy of the Russian government was to maintain the country's political and economic integration on the existing or newly occupied lands, and establish a general system in the political, legal and administrative terms. The General Governorships formed for this purpose, were to serve in incorporating regions with a majority non-Russian population that were either occupied by Russia or previously included in the Russian borders into the Russian legal, administrative, economic and cultural systems. To be more precise, the General Governorship and its administrative organs were to be the sole implementers of the Russianization policy. The formation of the Turkistan Oblasts (provinces) in the Russian Empire constitution in parallel with the occupations in Turkistan, and then the establishment of the General Governorship based in Tashkent was the direct result of this policy. Based on the constitutions intended at turning Turkistan into a simple Russian governorate, the Russian government aimed to apply the closest administrative system into the general empire institutions of the main Oblasts, cities, Uyezd and rural regions within the General Governorship of Turkistan. The most important duty of the Turkistan General Governor, the major representative of the main administration, was to transform the occupied lands into calm, domestic, obedient Russian governorates using any methods necessary. In parallel with this objective, all the administrative regulations concerning control of the General Governorship were prepared according to the characteristics of the region in a way that would give extensive authority to the General Governor and the main administration he represented, while also enabling changes and additions to the regulations. In this context, the studies expanding from 1865 to 1897, examine the formation and development process of the Russian administrative system into the Turkistan General Governorship, the main objective of the constitutions regarding the Turkistan administration and the statute drafts prepared by the regional government.