Great Disaster

The "Great Disaster" refers to a devastating invasion by the Dzungars, a federation of western Mongol tribes, against the Kazakhs in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. This period of intense warfare, particularly the invasion of 1723, significantly weakened the Kazakh khanate and is a deeply ingrained memory in Kazakh history. The Dzungar threat was eventually eliminated by Chinese intervention in 1757-1758. Following this, Russian encroachment into Kazakh territory increased, leading to the gradual absorption of Kazakh lands into the Russian Empire by the mid-19th century. This Russian rule brought new ideas and administrative changes, but also led to significant population decline due to Soviet collectivization policies in the 20th century.12