Editing Omsk Oblast (section)

===Russian Empire===
In 1804, the territories surrounding Omsk were organized into the Omsk [[Okrug]]. The city rose to prominence when Siberia was once again reorganized in 1822, Omsk became the administrative center of the General Governorate of Eastern Siberia rising above the old center of Siberia, Tobolsk. The new governorate was divided into oblasts around the cities of Omsk, Petropavlovsk, [[Semipalatinsk]] and [[Oskemen|Ust-Kamenogrsk]] populated by Russian colonists and okrugs populated by Kazakh nomads. In subsequent reforms the name of the Oblast was changed repeatedly to The Oblast of The Siberian Kyrgyz (1854), Akmolinsk Oblast (1868), and Omsk Oblast (1917) before finally reverting to the Omsk Governorate in 1918. The authority of the oblast followed further expansion of the empire to Central Asia and included significant parts of modern-day [[Kazakhstan]].

In the 19th century, Omsk, given its strong system of frontier fortresses, became notorious as a premier destination for political exiles and prisoners from the European part of the Russian Empire. [[Decembrists]], [[History of Poland|Polish rebels]], French prisoners of war and political activists of every stripe found their way to Siberia. Among them was [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]], who spent four years (1850–1854) at the Omsk prison.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://omskobl.ru/his/ |title=История Омской области |publisher=Omskobl.ru |access-date=13 August 2012 |archive-date=22 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122220855/http://www.omskobl.ru/his/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The early nineteenth century also saw the growth of industry in the city and in the rest of the Irtysh basin. The [[Siberian Cossacks|Siberian Cossack Army]] was headquartered in Omsk after 1808 and contributed to the development of the city, by the beginning of the 20th century the Cossacks were a dominant component in the society of both the city of Omsk and the surrounding lands, having reached a population of 174 thousand and holding title to five million hectares of agricultural land. The 18th and 19th centuries also saw the influx of a significant number of German immigrants both from Russia's [[Volga Germans|Volga Regions]] and from abroad.