The Cossacks owned all land in common. A Cossack community was governed by a headman called 'ataman' or 'hetman'. The atamans had great power. They discharged the duty of civil administrator during peacetime and that of a military commander during war.
The Cossacks had a tradition of independence and were remarkably courageous.Alexander Pushkin says of the Cossacks "Always on horseback, Always ready to fight, Always on guard"
In the 16th century, Polish kings organised the Zaporozhian Cossacks to guard Polish borders. But, fearing Polish domination, the Cossacks signed a treaty with Russia according to which their autonomy would be respected.
The Russian Throne used them to for defense against the Turks and other invaders and also to expand into Siberia. The relationship of the Cossacks with the Russia swung from loyalty to outright rebellion. The Tsars embraced them in times of trouble, especially when threatened by external invasion.
During peacetime, however, they conspired to make them vassals. The Cossacks rose in rebellion against the Tsars many times. But their rebellions were put down ruthlessly. As a result they lost their autonomy. Consequently, all Cossack males were required to serve for twenty years in the Russian Army. The most deadly blow came during the Soviet Era. Thousands of Cossacks were killed in Stalin's purges. During the 1920s and the 1930s nearly half the Cossacks population perished in Communist camps or was shipped to Siberia. However after the fall of the Soviet union, the Cossacks have experienced a resurgence. Cossack associations were formed in traditionally Cossack regions in 1990. That very year a national union uniting all Cossacks was formed in Moscow. The associations plan to revive equestrian and other traditional competitions.
The History of the Cossacks is a saga of a people with a fierce sense of independence and individuality. It is also a story of people-proud of their past, striving to adapt to a changing world.
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