Mastering Siberia

The XVII century was marked by a serious advance of the Russians to the Pacific Ocean. This increased promotion was justified by the search for new lands, the possibility of obtaining yasak from the local population and mining of minerals - gold and silver.

Siberia is the numerous soil and climatic zones with a motley ethnic composition of the population. Normal economic development of Siberia was impossible because of the low population density and harsh living conditions.

The development of Siberia was carried out along two routes. The first lay along the cold seas and led the navigators to the northeastern tip of the continent. In 1648, along this route, Semyon Dezhnev opened the strait, which divides Asia and North America.

The development of Siberia along a different route passed along its southern borders. Russian explorers quickly reached the Pacific Ocean. Famous discoverer was Vasily Danilovich Poyarkov, who undertook an expedition to Shilka and Zeya in 1643.

By the middle of the XVII century, the expedition was going to Erofei Pavlovich Khabarov, who owns the conquests on the Amur. The development of Siberia was explained by the richness of this region - furs. For the sake of this "soft gold" industrialists and service people suffered hardships, fought against the forces of nature, overcame obstacles that were not created for man, and also broke the resistance of the local.

The peoples of Siberia reacted differently to the appearance of Russian researchers. Some tried to drive out invaders bows and arrows, but retreated before the firearms, others voluntarily accepted the power of the Russian tsar, since they needed protection.

After the pioneers, the conquest of Siberia was handed over to the governor. They formed citizenship and appointed yasak. The tsarist government from Moscow ordered the voevoda to protect the acquired subjects and to seek payment of yasak by peaceful methods.

The most numerous ethnic group in Siberia were the Yakuts, who lived on the Lena River, as well as the Buryats, located on the Angara and Baikal. They have already reached cattle breeding and primitive agriculture in their socio-economic development.

At the highest stage of development there were daurs and dyuchers, who were sedentary peoples and had long since mastered cattle breeding, agriculture and even gardening.

The development of Siberia and the Far East was accompanied by the construction of fortresses, serving as trans-shipment points for further conquests. So the Krasnoyarsk jail, the Yakut prison, the Yenisei prison, the Irkutsk winter haven, the Bratsky prison and Selenginsky prison came into being.

Conquerors of Siberia and the voevoda needed their own benefit from these campaigns. Therefore, from the local population, in addition to the yasak, the price was "honored". Often this ravage ravaged the yasak people. Sometimes between industrial and commercial Russian people and the local population there was an exchange: the products of glass and iron were exchanged for valuable furs. The development of Siberia and the Far East led to the fact that local people began actively exchanging furs for vodka. As a result, alcoholism spread.

By the end of the 17th century, 150,000 Russians already lived in Siberia. The economic development of Siberia required the supply of bread. Carrying bread from European Russia was expensive, because the Siberian arable land began to develop.

So gradually, Siberia was inhabited and transformed for life. Here there was a separate class of peasants who served a natural duty. Soon the region was able to provide itself with bread. The local population, surrounded by jasak, ended in strife. The role of the development of Siberia is obvious for Russia: the region has constantly replenished the state treasury, while ensuring its life activity on its own. This event became the geographical, economic and political victory of Russia.