Deported peoples of East Kazakhstan under the conditions of the special settlement regime

Abstract

Studying the issues of forced resettlement of peoples in the USSR in the 1940s, using the example of the German and Chechen populations, their habitation in special settlement areas in the territory of Eastern Kazakhstan, and the legal status of the deported peoples, represents a pertinent historical task. The aim of the article is to elucidate the process of deportation and the living conditions of the deported ethnic groups during the wartime and post-war periods in the eastern region of Kazakhstan. Special attention is given to the analysis of the resettlement and living conditions of the special settlers, as well as the issue of their material provision. The formation of a so-called "labor army" from the special settlers is examined, where they were treated as prisoners and utilized by the state during wartime as a mobile and inexpensive workforce. The implementation of human rights and freedoms within the context of the special settlement population is analyzed. The authors have examined documents from the Documentation Center of the modern history of the Abai region and the State Archive of the East Kazakhstan Region, which has allowed for the expansion of the research aspects related to the lives of the deported population within the special settlement system.