During this period of the Russian Empire the dynastic system in place had a clear distinction among the hierarchy of social classes. This, followed by rapid economic change within the Empire as the the economy wanted to grow and expand itself, along with the transcontinental railroad. Depicted in the photograph above is a carpenter in a very colorful robe surrounded by large logs of wood. Russia was very keen on its Central Asian territories it had acquired during its conquest in the annexation of this region in 1895. After the expansion of the Russian Empire into Central Asia, this would allow for a secure frontier and create opportunities for the Russians to capitalize on resources within the area.
What is intriguing about this period of time in the Empire is the Russians utilized anyone that fell under their rule. The man depicted in the photograph became another means of production that the Empire would utilize to further deepen their ties into the Central Asian region. Territories gained such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan allowed for the Russians were utilized for the benefits of the entire Russian Empire. Through my research, knowledge gained is that these locations served as strategic points of location surrounding bodies of water, in order to keep the prosperity of Great Britain within economic checks. What is intriguing through my findings, is that the expansion of Russian influence within the Central Asian region is it truly highlights the level of impact the Empire was attempting to gain throughout all of Europe and the Caucasus area.
The image gives the audience a glimpse into what early 20th century Russia was like for those who did not fall under elite social classes. The Russian Empire was under radical social and economic change during this time period, so what is seen is what we can visually grasp about early 20th century Russian history. What I took from this image is the impact a foreign entity can have on an entire population, the strength of Russia’s political foothold is prominent and had lasting effects on those of peasantry. Lessons learned from early Russian influence is that as history shows that those who use their political power for economic gain enter a self-fulfilling loop of losing to the general population. As Empires rise, Empires will fall, social slavery will eventually lose to the revolution of the people affected by a negative political entity.
Works Cited
Gregory L. Freeze, Russia A History
Max Ellis' Blog 
Max, I really like the image you chose! Having this image in color makes us appreciate the beautiful colors in his robe. I was curious to see if you knew what the man was going to use the chopped logs for? If not, what would you assume the logs would be used for?
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Natalie,
Based on my findings and what the photographer said is that these logs were probably going to be used for a Russian compound that was being built in the surrounding area.
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I agree with Natalie about the image. The process of shaping the logs looks really intensive and like it requires a lot of skill. Your post makes some interesting points about Russian expansion into central Asia — check out Isaiah’s discussion of how the rulers in these areas lived: http://russianhistory20thcentury.com/istill17/uncategorized/bukhara-empire-of-russia/#comment-5
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Isaiah’s post on the Emir of Bukhara brings into the light the religious oppression brought on by the Emir himself, as well as the Soviets carrying on that tradition after the Bolshevik’s overthrew him. I believe it is very important for us to remember that people who lived in these regions were not only made to work for the Empire, but were also being persecuted for their religious beliefs. Thank you for sharing his post with me, it brought a different perspective when thinking about the relationship between absolute rulers and the general population.
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Hello this is Andrew Grant here. I enjoyed your Blog Post, it showcases the Great Game in Central Asia. I find Russian expansion into central Asia a rather interesting topic. Russia expanded southwards to gain access to the warm water ports of the Persian gulf and to spread their sphere of influence. I find it interesting in how Russia kept many of the same rulers in place in these local principalities. Russia was semi-tolerant to many ethno-religious groups and kept many of the same laws, institutions, and regulations in place that were already there. Russia did this in many of their territories, Congress Poland was an example that they had, after the Napoleonic Wars when Russia expanded influence into Poland, they allowed the Poles to retain their own constitution, the Finns received the same rights, they had their own parliament. I read in the textbook about this last year, last year I took the Imperial Russia class and it seems to be a continuing theme in Russian expansionism, nobles and aristocrats in newly conquered territories retained the same privileges, and the social order and hierarchy remained in place.
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Andrew,
Learning about the great expansion game of Central Asia seems to be a topic that is not generally known in the context of overall Russian history. Some of the points you bring into light high light this idea further about a greater scheme into their reasonings for expanding in certain areas. Thank you for taking the time to explain all of that into great detail, the more knowledge the better!
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