The Cultural and Educational Activities of the Political Exiles in Ust-Kamenogorsk (the 1880s — Early 20th Century): Some Aspects

The Siberian political exile of the 19th — early 20th centuries is an interesting multifaceted topic with a significant number of issues that require a comprehensive in-depth study. Despite the extensive range of studies on the Siberian political exile history, for some questions a thorough careful research is needed. This work is focused on one of the aspects of the versatile activities of the political exiles — cultural and educational activities. The relevance of this topic is determined by the importance of further development of Russian-Kazakh relations, taking into account the historical experience of interaction between the political exiles and the local population, determining the contribution and significance of the cultural and educational activities of the exiles in the life of the region. The article aims to review the cultural and educational activity of the political exiles in Ust-Kamenogorsk in the 1880s — early 20th century and define its significance for the social development of the city and the region. Based on the available sources and literature, the work reflects the issues of the city cultural and educational institutions formation and the actual participation of the political exiles in it. New information on their biographies is added. Many Ust-Kamenogorsk secondary and vocational schools, museums and libraries were opened thanks to the cultural and educational activities of the political exiles who advocated for the elimination of illiteracy and the development of culture. Special courses were organized, the People's House was created. Undoubtedly, this showed exiled people’s pro-active approach to life aimed at spreading knowledge among the local population and the cultural development of the city and the region.