A.P. Yermolov and His Administration of Russian Colonial Rule of Transcaucasia(1231/1816-1242/1827)

Tsarist Russia's conquest of Southern Caucasia in the early 19th century was her first step toward establishing a new colonial order in the region. This colonial order prepared the situation for more extensive changes in political, social and administrative fields and was of crucial importance for structural integration of the region into the Russian empire. Focusing on the career of A. P. Yermolov and his policies, this paper aims to re-evaluate the earliest phases of these colonial changes.  With a political and administrative approach and based on contemporary sources and archival data, it aims to prepare an explanation of the nature of Russian colonialism in Transcaucasia. This paper is organized into three parts; the first one deals with the politico-administrative aspect of Yermolov policy, the second one surveys his policies to establish a new social and administrative order, and the last part sheds lights on his economic policies to strengthen the new colonial established order. As the results show, the nature of Russian colonial rule in Transcaucasia was apparently affected from the military-instructive approaches of its founders.