The decree on ‘The improvement of the Russian Cossacks revival and development’ signed

25 February 2003

On February 25th, 2003 the Russian president Vladimir Putin signed the decree on ‘The improvement of the Russian Cossacks revival and development’.

The old Cossacks proverb says: “A Cossack comes into this world to be of use serving the tsar”. During its entire history the Cossacks were a universal arm of the service. The Cossacks were believed to be born in the saddle. They were always considered the best horsemen having no equals in trick riding. The military experts estimated the Cossacks cavalry as the best one in the world.

Until 1917 the Russian legislation considered the Cossacks a special military estate which had privileges for the obligatory service. The Cossacks were formed from the representatives of different peoples but the most important role played the Eastern Slavs. The Cossacks included two categories: free ones and service class. In the Ukraine the free Cossacks were represented by the Zaporizhian Sich, the service class – by ‘register’ Cossacks who earned a salary for their service in the Polish-Lithuanian state. The Russian service class Cossacks (from the cities, regiments and guard ones) defended the borders and cities beyond the Zaporizhian Sich and earned a salary and lands for life. Mostly owing to the Cossacks was completed the primary colonization and transfer into state of the Asian part of Russia.

Taking into account the important military functions fulfilled by the Cossacks at frontier regions, the Russian rulers sought to subordinate them. Gradually the Cossacks turned from voluntary allies to the subjects of the Russian state. From the 18th century the state tended to regulate the life of the Cossacks regions, modernize the traditional Cossacks administration structures in the way appropriate for the state and make them a part of the administration system of the Russian empire.

On the eve of the World War I there were eleven Cossacks troops in Russia. After the October revolution the Cossacks estate and their units were abolished. A part of Cossacks fell on the fronts of the Civil war, many of them emigrated or suffered the repressions. Nevertheless during the Soviet era the Cossacks descendants maintained their traditions and culture.

In 1990s began the intensive revival of the Cossacks organizations and unions. The increase of the Cossacks development was also encouraged by a decree of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation ‘On the Cossacks rehabilitation’ of June 16th, 1992.

During the last years the state policy in regards of the Russian Cossacks underwent significant changes. The Cossacks take an active part in the process of solving local problems. The experience of Cossacks in the field of the military and patriotic education of the youth, the revival of the religious and cultural traditions is nowadays in great demand among the government bodies and the local authorities.

 

Lit.: Гайдуков В. М. О казаках, осетинах и дагестанцах. Рязань, 1914; Галушко Ю. Казачьи войска России. М., 1993; Гордеев А. А. История казаков. М., 1993; Губарев Г. В. Книга о казаках. Париж, 1957. Т. 1-6; Долгополов С. А. Донское казачество [Электронный ресурс] // Раздорский этнографический музей-заповедник. Б. д. URL: http://www.razdory-museum.ru/cossacks.html; История казачества XV-XXI вв.: сайт. 2001-2016. URL: http://www.cossackdom.com/; Старые донские дороги Евграфа Савельева [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://passion-don.org/; История казачества России: сайт. 2008. URL: http://www.kazak-history.ru/; Казачий Информационно-Аналитический Центр: сайт. 2014. URL: http://kazak-center.ru/; Казин Х. В. Казачьи войска. СПб., 1912; Концепция государственной политики Российской Федерации в отношении российского казачества [Электронный ресурс] // Президент России. 2016. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/639; Мухин А., Прибыловский В. Казачье движение в России и странах ближнего зарубежья (1988-1994): В 2-х т. М., 1994; О совершенствовании деятельности по возрождению и развитию российского казачества // Российская газета. 2003. 27 февраля (№ 38 (3152)); Оренбургское казачество: сайт. 2008-2016. URL: http://orenkazak.ru/; Союз казаков России: сайт. 2013. URL: http://www.allcossacks.ru/; Хорошхин М. Казачьи войска: опыт военно-статистическаго описания. СПб., 1881.

 

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Столетие Военного министерства. Т. 11. Ч. 3. Воинская повинность казачьих войск. СПб., 1907;

Донцы XIX века: [биографии и материалы для биографий донских деятелей на поприще службы военной, гражданской и общественной, а также в области наук, искусств, литературы и пр.]. Т. 2. Новочеркасск , 1907;

Маныкин-Невструев А. И. Завоеватели Восточной Сибири якутские казаки. М., 1883;

Сборник Областного Войска Донского статистического комитета. Вып. 1. Новочеркасск, 1901;

Сборник Областного Войска Донского статистического комитета. Вып. 2. Новочеркасск, 1901;

Сборник Областного Войска Донского статистического комитета. Вып. 3. Новочеркасск, 1902;

Сборник Областного Войска Донского статистического комитета. Вып. 4. Новочеркасск, 1904;

Сборник Областного Войска Донского статистического комитета. Вып. 5. Новочеркасск, 1905;

Сборник Областного Войска Донского статистического комитета. Вып. 9: Баклановский сборник. Новочеркасск, 1909;

Сборник Областного Войска Донского статистического комитета. Вып. 10. Новочеркасск, 1910;

Статистическое описание земли донских казаков, составленное в 1822-32 годах. Новочеркасск, 1891;

Теличенко И. В. Протест слободской старшины и казаков против реформы 1765 г. Киев, 1888;

Эварницкий Д. И. История запорожских казаков. Т. 1. СПб., 1892;

Эварницкий Д. И. История запорожских казаков. Т. 3. СПб., 1897.