The Kazakh Steppe and its Political Elite in the Conditions of Revolutionary Transit in Eurasia at the Beginning of the 20th century

The author examines the political situation in Kazakh society in the conditions of revolutionary transit at the beginning of the 20th century, taking into account the influence of foreign policy factors on it. The Great War forced the Kazakh political elite to analyse more closely the place of their region in the world and the fate of the peoples of Eurasia in the international context. Tomohiko Uyama and other authors draw attention to the international context of the Central Asian revolt of 1916. The role of foreign political forces in the events of the October Revolution and Civil War in the Kazakh steppe, as well as political orientations of the Kazakh political elite in the early 1920s, were not yet accurately taken into account. The author believes that the involvement in all-Russian processes determined the main reference points of the Alash autonomist movement in the conditions of revolution and Civil war, as well as the indifferent attitude of foreign political forces towards the Kazakh steppe. The aim of the article is to analyse the evolution of perceptions and initiatives of national figures involved in the process of Sovietisation of the region, regarding the strengthening of their power positions using the idea of world revolution. The study draws on new sources and the results of contemporary historiography of the history of the Alash movement. For Bolshevik foreign-policy strategy, the recognition of Soviet power by the Alash Orda was one of the stages in the drive towards world revolution in the colonial East. At the same time, the idea of the world revolution itself played an ambiguous role in the Bolshevik strategy. The author demonstrates that different groups of local Bolsheviks, as well as representatives of the central government, used it to achieve quite practical objectives. With the consolidation of Soviet power, the Kazakh Bolsheviks attempted to introduce the factor of the world revolution into the local political context. This was also reflected in Turar Ryskulov's project to create a Turkic Republic and a Turkic Communist Party.

Keywords

Russia, revolution, civil war, Kazakh political elite, Alash movement, Bolsheviks

Received

01.11.2021

Publication date

25.01.2022

Number of characters

35047

Cite

GOST	Amanzholova D. The Kazakh Steppe and its Political Elite in the Conditions of Revolutionary Transit in Eurasia at the Beginning of the 20th century // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2022. – Issue 1 C. 57-68 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640018258-1-1 (circulation date: 05.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640018258-1
MLA	Amanzholova, Dina "The Kazakh Steppe and its Political Elite in the Conditions of Revolutionary Transit in Eurasia at the Beginning of the 20th century." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 1 (2022):57-68. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640018258-1
APA	Amanzholova D. (2022). The Kazakh Steppe and its Political Elite in the Conditions of Revolutionary Transit in Eurasia at the Beginning of the 20th century. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (1), pp.57-68 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640018258-1

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