On the problem of correlation between population and climatic conditions in nomadic societies of the South of Russia

Despite the active imperial policy aimed at integrating foreign regions into the all-Russian socio-economic space, extensive cattle breeding continued to be the main direction of economic activity in the nomadic societies of Southern Russia in the last third of the XIX century. The subject of research is the problem of establishing the mutual influence of the population and natural and climatic factors, using the example of the Kalmyk society of the Astrakhan province. Due to its geographical location and climatic conditions, the Kalmyk steppe is one of the driest territories in the European part of Russia. This factor determines the dependence of the well-being of the indigenous population on weather conditions. The basis of the source base was statistical information presented in the annual reports of the Head of the Astrakhan province and the main trustees of the Kalmyk steppe. This sample is predetermined by the absence of a number of reporting materials, both in the first and second case. At the same time, it should be noted that there are minor discrepancies in the statistical data for a certain year in the reports of different levels. The statement about the use of foreign outskirts as a raw material resource, put forward by researchers in the XX century within the framework of communist ideology, continues to remain one of the most significant in modern historical science. In the course of the study, the author focuses on statistical information characterizing the size of the nomadic Kalmyk population, and correlates them with years unfavorable in terms of climatic indicators in the last third of the XIX century, obtained earlier. It is concluded that as a result of the active imperial policy of transferring nomads to a sedentary lifestyle, the correlation in question turned out to be negligible, which indicates the departure of nomads from the extensive way of farming and becoming sedentary.