The article considers the transformation of the ethnic mentality of the Kalmyks at the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. The specificity of the Kalmyks is the fact that they, being an Eastern, Buddhist and Mongolian-speaking people, having crossed the border between Asia to Europe, have been living in the Lower Volga region for several centuries. It is noted that as far back as the turn of the 19th-20th century, the social differentiation of the population in Kalmyk society is increasing, which has consistently eroded traditional values, foundations and norms of behavior. The development of commodity-money relations in Kalmyk society contributed to the emergence of a fundamentally new stratum of people - traders and livestock producers, whose mentality was notably different from the traditional one. The migratory movement of Kalmyks to Russian cities and villages, as well as to salt and fish industries, also influenced their mentality. After the end of the Civil War in Kalmykia, a number of transformations took place and changed the culture, way of life and mentality of the steppe people dramatically, in particular, the Kalmyks switched to a sedentary lifestyle. In the 1920s and 1930s Kalmyks began to lose such essential elements of their ethnic culture as nomadic economy, writing, religion, etc. Simultaneously with the denial of the past and traditions, the unified Soviet culture and a new socialist way of life were imposed. The deportation caused colossal damage to the Kalmyk people and their culture. During the Siberian exile, the continuity in the socio-cultural sphere was disrupted, many traditions and customs of the Kalmyk people were forgotten. At the same time, the Kalmyk ethnos was able to preserve its national identity and the main features of the ethnic mentality, which at the same time acquired some new features. The study revealed that this relatively short period of history had a significant impact on the culture and mentality of the Kalmyk ethnic group.
