They had civilization. The Islamic golden age touched Central Asia, The Silk Road passed through Central Asia, bringing wealth and ideas to the region. The people of the Kazakh steppe were largely nomadic but they had civilization. The Russians came and forced them to live in cities and work largely non-arable land. The Russians certainly kick started their process of industrialization, but they had civilization.

No, it is not quite so. The real wealth and prosperity was to the south, in Bukhara and Samarkand. The territory of (present-day) Kazakhstan was not particularly affected. Some rudiments of civilization were in Kazakhstan in the pre-Mongol era. After that nothing much happened there, there was a steppe where nomads grazed their cattle. I think that's where the history of those you call “they” begins. Great development and industrialization took place only after WWII.