Original article
https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.017.2025.02.165-178
https://elibrary.ru/txwujg
УДК / UDC 312(=511.1)(470.40/.43)(470.55/.58)
The Finno-Ugric Peoples of the Middle Volga and Southern Urals Based on the 1920 All-Russian Census: New Data
L. F. Sayfullina
Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, Russian Federation
Abstract
Introduction. The relevance of the research is conditioned by the introduction into scientific use of a previously unused set of archival sources – farmstead cards of the 1920 agricultural census in Little Bashkiria, stored in the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan, which have a significant potential for studying the history of the peasantry and ethno-demography of the region. The aim of the study is to clarify the number and determine the geographical areas of compact residence of the Finno-Ugric peoples (Mordovians, Mari, Udmurts) of the Middle Volga region on the territory of Little Bashkiria as of 1920 on the basis of a critical analysis of the primary census materials.
Materials and Methods. The study is based on the analysis of the collection of farmstead cards of the agricultural census of 1920. The historical-systemic, historical-comparative and statistical methods were applied, which allowed, on the basis of the farmstead cards of 1920, to specify the number and compare the previously unknown data with the published results of the census, to determine the geographical areas of residence of the Finno-Ugric peoples of the Middle East.
Results and Discussion. Significant discrepancies between the data from the household cards and the official results of the 1920 census were revealed. It was found that the number of Mordovians (16,713 people) was underestimated by official statistics by 26% (22,603 people), while the number of Mari (9,311 people) and Udmurts (531 people) was higher than the official data (7,894 people and 440 people, respectively). The discrepancies between the primary data and the published totals are explained by possible loss of some cards and/or errors in their summarization. Geographical areas of settlement were determined: the Mordovians lived compactly in the central and southern regions of Little Bashkiria, with a maximum concentration in the Sterlitamak canton (9,069 people). The main part of Mari and Udmurts settled in the north-east of the region, mainly in the territory of the former Krasnoufimsk county of Perm province.
Conclusion. The study of the primary source of the 1920 census allowed us to reveal in detail the issues of the number and geographical areas of residence of the Finno-Ugric peoples of the Middle Volga region on the territory of Little Bashkiria. Because of the insufficient source base of the Civil War period in the country, further study of the materials of the statistical research of 1920 will allow us to open new horizons in analyzing both the composition of the peasant family and the peculiarities of the economy (including the specifics of the introduction of agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry farming, etc.) of different ethnic groups of variable geographical areas of residence, as well as to determine the common and special features of each group of the population.
Keywords: Malaya Bashkiria, Civil War, Middle Volga region, agricultural census, household cards, Southern Urals, Finno-Ugric peoples, Mari, Mordovians, Udmurts
Funding: This study was carried out within the framework of the state assignment of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences № GZ 075-00571-25-00 dated 27.12.2024 for 2025 and for the planning period of 2026 and 2027.
Conflict of interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.
For citation: Sayfullina L.F. The Finno-Ugric Peoples of the Middle Volga and Southern Urals Based on the 1920 All-Russian Census: New Data. Finno–Ugric World. 2025;17(2):165–178. https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.017.2025.02.165-178
Information about author:
Leyla F. Sayfullina, Cand.Sci. (Hist.), Researcher of the Department of History and Cultural History of Bashkortostan, Institute of History, Language and Literature, Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (71 Oktyabrya Prospekt, Ufa 450054, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5967-2694, SPIN-code: 3738-1319, Sleila.83@mail.ru
Author has read and approved the final manuscript.
Submitted 10.02.2025; revised 17.03.2025; accepted 21.03.2025.
