ABSTRACT
In its lead story on 21 August 1910, Russkie vedomosti noted with surprise that Chairman of the Council of Ministers Petr Stolypin had “completely unexpectedly” departed for areas of resettlement in Siberia and the Steppe region. Since Stolypin’s traveling companion, Aleksandr Krivoshein, the head of the Main Administration of Land Organization and Agriculture, had only just returned from Siberia, his sudden departure with Stolypin also came as a shock.1 Russkie vedomosti suggested that the two had gone to address the imminent collapse of the state’s colonization policy and hoped that they would give up on their goal of large-scale resettlement to Siberia. These desires were greatly disappointed. Stolypin and Krivoshein spent about one month in Siberia.2 Upon their return, Stolypin wrote to Nicholas II that his “general impression [wa]s more than comforting … Siberia grows fantastically (skazochno).” A “mixed stream of wealthy and poor, strong and weak, registered and unauthorized settlers – in general, a wonderful and powerful colonizing element” flowed from Russia to Siberia.3
