Soviet Rule and Ethnic Identity in Central Asia

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Soviet Rule and Ethnic Identity in Central Asia
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Overview

• Soviet Union a multinational state largely
  coterminous with Russian Empire
• Russian Empire not a Russian nation-state
• Russian Empire encompassed many ethnic and natl
  groups

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• Treatment of natl and religious groups varied
• Persecution of groups varied Jews usually
  treated the worst

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Peoples of the USSR

• During Soviet period common to speak of peoples
  of USSR
• Later, Soviet people used to designate all
  citizens of USSR
• Unity emphasized over natl differences

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What did Soviet people share?

• Allegiance to Marxism-Leninism as world view
• Allegiance to Communist Party, to State
• Shared historical experience of building
  socialism and communism
• Defeat of Nazis

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Bolsheviks

• Decreed national equality
• Non-Russians equal to Russian
• Russian only one of several constituent parts
  of the USSR

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Central Asia 1917

• Islam a unifying element but not served fully
  as basis of unity AND at times the cause of
  disunity
• CA home to ethnically diverse population

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• Turko-Mongol Kazakhs similar to Kyrgyz mutually
  intelligible language, intermarriage not
  uncommon, but Kazakh and Kyrgyz maintained
  distinct tribal structures
• In CA have strong sense of ethnic uniqueness

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• Turkmen live in desert, their language closer to
  Turkic speakers in Azerbaijan
• Turkmen rarely intermarried had distinct tribal
  system

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• Uzbek possess complicated ethnic development
• Descend from Turkic nomads
• Over time Uzbeks settled, intermarried with
  Iranian speakers

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• Tajiks Iranian speakers
• Original Iranian stock diluted by Turkic blood

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• In addition to the large nationality groups, have
  many smaller groups Karakalpaks, Tatars, Jews,
  Uygurs and other smaller groups

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• History of CA history of rival indigenous
  states and foreign powers competing for control

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• Russian rule introduced new tensions
• Administrative subdivision did not correspond
  with ethnic ones
• Russian administrators often did not know who
  they ruled

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• Turkmen called Turkmen but Russians called
  Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Kyrgyz, Kara-Kyrgyz
• Colonial rule upset economic balance of region
• Trad. subsistence-based ag. economy displaced by
  intro of large-scale cotton

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• Nomadism discouraged (deemed irrational)
• Kazakhs kicked off land, land given to Russians
• WWI introduced war-time economy

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• Bolsheviks in charge locals not sure where to
  look for governance/leadership
• Traditional elite desired Khan
• Some intellectuals supported reform efforts of
  Jadids
• Others supported Bolsheviks

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• Bolsheviks initially tried to enlist support of
  local population
• Designed tolerant policies for traditional
  practices
• Left religion somewhat alone (initially)
• BUT

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• Moscow used structure of Soviet State to increase
  ethnic differentiation
• 1924 5 separate natl units established in C.A
• Movement from multiethnic republics to national
  republics
• Separate literary languages created
• Languages grew more distinct with lang. and
  alphabet reform

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• National literature(s) dev. drawn on folklore
• Natl reformist intellectuals worked for
  Bolsheviks
• But by 1930 only most obsequious survived

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• Introduction of planned economy and
  collectivization

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Political Dev. In Central Asia

• Under Stalin, Russians dominated local communist
  party though cadres drawn from rural areas to
  Party
• Russians in key roles in state institutions and
  ministries Russians over-represented in party
  and state organizations

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• Pattern established late Stalin years
• 1st Secretaries from indigenous natl group
• 2nd Secretaries Russian. 2nd secretaries oversaw
  personnel issues etc had more power

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• Russians especially over represented in
  Kazakhstan
• K-stan/major grain producer
• 1954-59, Khrushchev sent senior Party officials
  (most with ag. Backgrounds) to K-stan as 1st and
  2nd secretaries in Kazak Communist Party
  (Brezhnev one of them)

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• Brezhnev party elites of nationalities increase
• Years of stability in C.A.
• Party secretaries long tenure
• Rashidov (Uzb.) able to parlay influence in
  Moscow/Rashidov a candidate member of politburo-
  but never full member)

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• Natl represented more in Party but C.A. did not
  fare well in all-Union
• Less than 10 of all Party members from CA
• BUT..First secretaries in Republics locally
  powerful had power to reward and punish

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• C.A. way of doing business rarely coincided with
  official policy
• The gains made under Brezhnev, lost in
  post-Brezhnev years. Post-Brezhnev reformers
  attacked C.A. officials at every level

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• Andropov (1982-85) initiated reform movement
• Advocated responsible governance
• Condemned traditional practices/cronyism
• Singled out national republics
• Big turnover in party personnel in C.A.

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• Gorbachev implements more systematic approach to
  cleaning up things (1985)
• Singled out Uzbekistan as corrupt
• New Party Secretaries in 1985 as result of purges
  there
• Cotton scandal revealed republic-wide fraud in
  production and sale of cotton

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Demographic, Soc., Econ. Trends

• Indigenous natl higher population growth
• Growth primarily in rural areas
• C.A. fastest growing region in USSR shifts in
  favor of nationalities
• Since 1960, demographic bulge in CA

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• 1979 average family size
• Tajiks -6.5 (highest)
• Kazakhs 5.5 (lowest)
• Russians 3.2
• Growth worrisome for Russians

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• Growth worrisome
• How to absorb increasing CA population
• Only half of C.A. claim fluency in Russian
• Lack of language skills mean inability to do
  certain jobs/complete absorption into economy
• European population declining
• CA trained in skills for which no demand

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• Unemployed youth
• Inadequate schools, healthcare facilities in CA
  especially in rural areas
• Ecological problems
• Water shortage
• Moscow recognizes problems and outlines major
  development project plans for CA

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Disontent/Opposition CA

• 1986 beginning of popular discontent
• Almaty riots nationalist upheaval protest the
  appt. of a Russian, Genadii Kolbin, as 1st
  secretary
• 1987 Tatars protest publicly in Moscow and
  Tashkent claim unfair treatment and demand the
  return of Crimea to their control

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• Protests brought up issues of ethnicity
• CA groups did not have the organizational skills
  and political sophistication of European
  counterparts
• Agenda of Russians and CA in conflict (except in
  K-stan where Russians and Kazakhs have long
  history together)

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• Islam source of unity and disunity
• All CA proud of Islamic heritage
• Urban intellectuals call for increased
  Arabic-language instruction and provision of
  religious education these same intellectuals
  have little in common with poor rural groups and
  new Islamic fringe groups cropping up in region

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• 1989 Meskhetian Turks (deported to region in
  1944) riot against unfair practices of Uzbeks
• Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan riot against Kyrgyz citing
  unfair housing practices

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• Stalin CA under firm control of Moscow
• Khrushchev local natl gained control of
  day-to-day lives in republics
• Brezhnev distance between Moscow and Republics
  widened
• By Gorbachev, CA locals built up power in region
  and controlled vast personal networks. Could and
  did block economic change

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• By end of Soviet period, nationalist sentiments
  on the rise