A Prison Without Walls? : Eastern Siberian Exile in the Last Years of Tsarism

__A Prison Without Walls?__ presents a snapshot of daily life for exiles and their dependents in eastern Siberia during the very last years of the Tsarist regime, from the 1905 revolution to the collapse of the Tsarist regime in 1917. This was an extraordinary period in Siberia's history as a place of punishment. There was an unprecedented rise of Siberia's penal use in this fifteen-year window, and a dramatic increase in the number of exiles punished for political offences. This work focuses on the region of Eastern Siberia, taking the regions of Irkutsk and Yakutsk in north-eastern Siberia as its focal points. Siberian exile was the antithesis of Foucault's modern prison. The State did not observe, monitor, and control its exiles closely; often not even knowing where the exiles were. Exiles were free to govern their daily lives; free of fences and free from close observation and supervision, but despite these freedoms, Siberian exile represented one of Russia's most feared punishments.In this volume, Sarah Badcock seeks to humanise the individuals who made up the mass of exiles, and the men, women, and children who followed them voluntarily into exile. __A Prison Without Walls?__ is structured in a broad narrative arc that moves from travel to exile, life and communities in exile, work and escape, and finally illness in exile. The book gives a personal, human, empathetic insight into what exilic experience entailed, and allows us to comprehend why eastern Siberia was regarded as a terrible punishment, despite its apparent freedoms. Cover 1 A Prison without Walls? Eastern Siberian Exile in the Last Years of Tsarism 4 Copyright 5 Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 List of Figures and Maps 10 Figures 10 Maps 10 Russian Translations, Transliterations, and Terms 12 1: Introduction: A Prison without Walls? 18 THE PLACE OF SIBERIA IN RUSSIA 25 EXILE NUMBERS AND CATEGORIES IN EASTERN SIBERIA 28 THE IMPACT OF EXILES ON SIBERIA 32 RUSSIAN PUNISHMENT IN COMPARATIVE CONTEXT 35 APPROACHES TO SIBERIAN EXILE 38 2: The Journey: Travel and Prisons 43 THE FIRST STAGES: GETTING TO ALEKSANDROVSK 47 DAILY LIFE IN ALEKSANDROVSK 54 READING AND EDUCATION IN PRISON 59 POLITICALS AND CRIMINALS 64 WOMEN IN AND OUT OF PRISON 70 CHILDREN 75 THE FINAL STAGES 77 CONCLUSIONS 86 3: Life in Exile: Communities of the Punished 87 EXILE DESTINATIONS 88 MATERIAL CONDITIONS IN EXILE 95 BROADER COMMUNITY AMONG EXILES 99 EXILES AND THE NATIVE SIBERIAN POPULATION 107 INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS 111 CHILDREN 116 CONCLUSIONS 121 4: ‘Taming the Wild Taiga’: Work and Escape in Siberian Exile 123 PATTERNS OF EMPLOYMENT 124 UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE URBAN–RURAL NEXUS 132 ROAD AND RAIL CONSTRUCTION 139 AGRICULTURAL WORK 143 ESCAPE 147 CONCLUSIONS 154 5: Illness and Death in Siberian Exile 156 TYPES AND RATES OF ILLNESS 158 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING SICKNESS AND HEALTH 162 MENTAL HEALTH 166 TREATMENT AND CARE OF PRISONERS 175 VOLUNTARY FOLLOWERS 182 CONCLUSIONS 184 Afterword: Endings and Beginnings 186 Bibliography 196 ARCHIVAL SOURCES CONSULTED 196 The National Archive of the Sakha Republic (NARS) 196 The State Archive of Irkutsk Oblast (GAIO) 196 The Russian State Archive of Social and Political History (RGASPI) 196 The State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF) 196 State Archive of the Russian Far East (GADV) 196 The State Archive of Nizhegorod region (GANO) 197 The National Archive of the Republic of Tatarstan (NART) 197 NEWSPAPERS CONSULTED 197 PUBLISHED SOURCES CITED 197 Index 210 A Prison Without Walls? presents a snapshot of daily life for exiles and their dependents in eastern Siberia during the very last years of the Tsarist regime, from the 1905 revolution to the collapse of the Tsarist regime in 1917. This was an extraordinary period in Siberia's history as a place of punishment. There was an unprecedented rise of Siberia's penal use in this fifteen-year window, and a dramatic increase in the number of exiles punished for political offences. This work focuses on the region of Eastern Siberia, taking the regions of Irkutsk and Yakutsk in north-eastern Siberia as its focal points. Siberian exile was the antithesis of Foucault's modern prison. The State did not observe, monitor, and control its exiles closely; often not even knowing where the exiles were. Exiles were free to govern their daily lives; free of fences and free from close observation and supervision, but despite these freedoms, Siberian exile represented one of Russia's most feared punishments. In this volume, Sarah Badcock seeks to humanise the individuals who made up the mass of exiles, and the men, women, and children who followed them voluntarily into exile. A Prison Without Walls? is structured in a broad narrative arc that moves from travel to exile, life and communities in exile, work and escape, and finally illness in exile. The book gives a personal, human, empathetic insight into what exilic experience entailed, and allows us to comprehend why eastern Siberia was regarded as a terrible punishment, despite its apparent freedoms. This Work Presents A Snapshot Of Daily Life For Exiles And Their Dependents In Eastern Siberia During The Very Last Years Of The Tsarist Regime, From The 1905 Revolution To The Collapse Of The Tsarist Regime In 1917. It Shows That, Although Exiles Weren't Closely Monitored By The State, Siberian Exile Was Still One Of Russia's Most Feared Punishments. Introduction: A Prison Without Walls? -- The Journey: Travel And Prisons -- Life In Exile: Communities Of The Punished -- 'taming With Wild Taiga': Work And Escape In Siberian Exile -- Illness And Death In Siberian Exile. Sarah Badcock. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book presents a snapshot of daily life for exiles and their dependents in eastern Siberia during the very last years of the Tsarist regime, from the 1905 revolution to the collapse of the Tsarist regime in 1917. This was an extraordinary period in Siberia's history as aplace of punishment. There was an unprecedented rise of Siberia's penal use in this fifteen-year window, and a dramatic increase in the number of exiles punished for political offences. This work focuses on the region of Eastern Siberia, taking the regions of Irkutsk and Yakutsk in north-eastern Siberia as its focal points Presents a snapshot of daily life for exiles and their dependents in eastern Siberia during the very last years of the Tsarist regime, from the 1905 revolution to the collapse of the Tsarist regime in 1917, showing that, although exiles weren't closely monitored by the State, Siberian exile was still one of Russia's most feared punishments.