Final answer:
Russian imperialism fundamentally disrupted the Kazakhs' nomadic lifestyle through forced settlement, collectivization, and cultural assimilation policies like Russification. The traditional nomadic practices of herding and mobility were replaced by life on collective farms and an integration into Soviet society, profoundly changing Central Asian identities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Kazakhs' nomadic farming way of life in Central Asia was drastically altered due to Russian imperialism. During the expansion of the Russian Empire and later under Soviet rule, policies such as collectivization and Russification caused significant changes to the traditional lifestyles of Central Asian nomads. These policies forcibly settled nomads into collective farms and cities, pushing them away from their ancestral practices of herding livestock across the steppes.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Russian settlers encroached on the lands of various nomadic groups, leading to reduced mobility and conflicts over territorial control. Following the Russian Revolution, many of these groups faced further hardships. The Soviet Union's collectivization efforts during the 1920s and 1930s imposed agricultural and social reforms that stripped the nomads of their traditional ways of life and integrated them into a sedentary, agrarian socialist society.
This transition was compounded by the wide-reaching effects of Russification, which sought to assimilate diverse ethnic groups into Russian culture, including language and Orthodox Christianity. The aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse also left a complex demographic legacy, with significant Russian minorities throughout Central Asia, particularly in places like Kazakhstan.