Main article: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

On the night of November 7–8, 1917, the Great October Revolution took place in Petrograd. On the same day (night) the Russian Soviet Socialist Federative Republic - RSFSR - arose with its capital in Moscow. The Turkestan General Government was transformed into the Turkestan Autonomous SSR within the RSFSR. The lands of the Kokand Khanate (including Tashkent), which became part of the Fergana region of the Turkestan General Government back in March 1876, also formally became part of the RSFSR. The de facto protectorates of the Russian Empire - the Khanate of Khiva and the Emirate of Bukhara remained for a time officially independent from Russia, which was being dissolved into parts.

During the civil war, part of the population supported the Red Army, which in 1919 occupied Kokand, Bukhara and Khiva. The other part, mainly feudal-Bai elements and the Muslim clergy, formed an armed nationalist movement (“Basmachi”), supported by reactionary foreign circles (primarily Turkey). The main forces of the Basmachi were defeated by the Red Army with the support of the population in 1922; individual detachments finally surrendered in 1933.

In February 1920, on the territory of the Khiva Khanate and the Bukhara Emirate, with significant support from the Red Army, the Khorezm and Bukhara People's Soviet Republics were formed. On August 26, 1920, a significant part of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was transformed into the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR. In 1923, the Khorezm and Bukhara People's Soviet Republics (as the SSR) became part of the USSR.

On October 14, 1924, the Tajik ASSR was formed as part of the Bukhara SSR, and the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region (present-day Kyrgyzstan) was allocated as part of the Kirghiz ASSR (present-day Kazakhstan).
On October 27, 1924, according to national-state delimitation, the Uzbek SSR and the Turkmen SSR were formed. The Uzbek SSR included the Bukhara SSR along with the Tajik ASSR and one of the three regions into which the Khorezm SSR was divided. The other third of the Khorezm SSR was transformed into the Karakalpak Autonomous Okrug as part of the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. And the remaining third was transformed into the Turkmen SSR.

Since 1925, Uzbekistan joined the USSR as a union republic. Samarkand became the first capital of Soviet Uzbekistan in 1924. In 1930 the capital was moved to Tashkent. On February 1, 1926, the Karakirghiz Autonomous Okrug was separated from the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and transformed into the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, while the remaining part of the former Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic became the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On October 16, 1929, the Tajik ASSR was separated from the Uzbek SSR and transformed into the Tajik SSR, which became part of the USSR on December 5, 1929. On December 5, 1936, the Kirghiz and Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics were separated from the RSFSR and officially joined the USSR as an SSR, and the Karakalpak Autonomous Okrug was annexed to the Uzbek SSR as an autonomous SSR.

Being part of the USSR, Uzbekistan transformed from a backward colonial region into an industrial-agrarian republic, with developed light and food industries, and heavy industry grew tenfold. The largest thermal power plants (Tashkent, since 1971, Syrdarya, since 1975, Navoi, Angren State District Power Plant) and hydroelectric power stations (Charvak, since 1972) were built, the development of gas (Gazli field, since 1961) and oil fields, etc. began. branches of mechanical engineering (electrical, radio-electronic, instrument-making, aviation, etc.) New large cotton growing areas were created, Uzbekistan became a powerful cotton base of the USSR. The adoption of the first five-year plan in 1928 marked the beginning of collectivization, which was preceded by land and water reforms, which became widespread at the end of 1929; by the spring of 1932, three quarters of land plots in Uzbekistan were socialized and included in collective farms. Uzbek writing was translated from Arabic to a Slavic graphic basis; this was followed by a campaign to overcome illiteracy. The literacy rate rose from 4% (1897) to 99% (1977), during the Soviet period most of the country's universities were opened (including Tashkent University, since 1918), the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek USSR was founded (1943), theaters (including in 1919 - Uzbek Drama Theater, in 1939 - Uzbek Opera and Ballet Theater).

From 1959 to 1983, the republic was led by Sharaf Rashidov, whose promotion was largely due to the strong position he took in the fight against nationalist tendencies in the republic. The period of his reign is considered one of the best pages in the history of Uzbekistan, although in 1969 there were mass riots on interethnic grounds in Tashkent, the Uzbek population of the city attacked the Slavs, but there were no casualties or significant consequences, and after the death of Sh.R. Rashidov in 1983, the so-called the “Uzbek case”, also known as the “cotton case”, during the investigation of which a gigantic amount of fraud in reporting was discovered, a whole system of corrupt practices involving senior officials of the republican administration, a lot of cases of violation of the law; hundreds of officials, economic and party workers were removed from their posts or appointed to other positions, many were arrested. In the modern Uzbek tradition, the “cotton affair” is considered untenable and was originally conceived as a way to weaken the local party apparatus, bringing it under the control of the central government.

After the outbreak of violence in the Fergana Valley in 1989, when about a hundred people died as a result of an interethnic conflict between Uzbeks and Meskhetian Turks, several tens of thousands of Meskhetian Turks and a large number of representatives of other nationalities left the republic. Islam Karimov, who came to lead the republic in June 1989, began to pursue a more popular policy among the population in the field of religious, cultural and economic life, social security and protection of the interests of Uzbekistan.

In March 1990, the Supreme Council of the Uzbek SSR established the post of president of the republic, and elected I.A. as the first president of the Supreme Council. Karimova. In October 1989, the Supreme Council declared the Uzbek language the state language, and the Russian language the language of interethnic communication. 1989--1990 crisis phenomena in the economy led to increased separatist sentiments. Despite this, in a referendum in March 1991, the majority of the population voted to preserve the USSR. After a failed coup attempt (State Emergency Committee, August 19, 1991), on August 31, 1991, following other republics, the Supreme Council proclaimed the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and on November 18, 1991, the Law “On the State Flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan” was adopted. However, the allied authorities still had some powers. In the elections in December 1991, I. Karimov was elected president. On December 21, 1991, at a meeting of presidents in Almaty, Uzbekistan joined the CIS. On December 26, a session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (which included representatives from Uzbekistan) decided to terminate the existence of the USSR.

It has a rich, eventful history. According to historians, people appeared in this territory during the Acheulean period, about 1 million years BC.
Indo-Iranian tribes came to these lands from the southwest, in 2 thousand BC. They settled south of the Aral Sea and along the banks of the Amu Darya River, as well as in the oasis near the Zerafshan basin. The first state, according to scientists, was formed in the 7th century BC. This was the Ancient Bactrian kingdom, which included Bactria, as well as Sogd and Margiana. These were related peoples, whose lands were united into one state. Another state was formed on the territory of Khorezm.

Campaigns of Alexander the Great

One of the main stages in the history of Uzbekistan occurred during the period when the great campaign of Alexander the Great took place. Hellenic culture had a great influence on these territories. This was in the 4th century BC. During this period, trade developed highly, and it was then that the main routes of the Silk Road were laid. The three main roads of the Great Silk Road ran through the territory that now belongs to the central part of Uzbekistan, as well as through Fergana. Silk is of great importance not only for Central Asia, but also for the whole world, as it connected the West and the East.

History of Uzbekistan

In the 7th century The Arab invasion of Sogdiana began. Major raids were carried out, but major conquests began in the 8th century. The conquest of these lands by the Arabs brought enormous changes to the political and cultural structure of the local states. Later, closer to the middle of the 9th century, Islam firmly established itself in this territory, becoming the main religion of the states located in Central Asia. In the 10th century, the main religion of the entire Maveranarch was Islam, and the rulers of this territory were the Karakhanids. Sogdiana was ruled by the Samanids, whose state was later conquered by the Karakhanids. In the 12th century, Khorezm gained great strength and conquered a significant territory of Central Asia. During the same period, the Turkic-speaking people formed.

The invasion of Mongol tribes led by Genghis Khan occurred at the beginning of the 13th century. The Mongols conquered major cities: Bukhara, Samarkand, Termez. The cities suffered severe destruction, the inhabitants were devastated. After the death of the Mongol Khan, his huge empire was divided into several states, ruled by his children and grandchildren. Khorezm then became part of the Golden Horde, which was part of the Jochi ulus.

The end of the 14th century is the most important period in the formation of the history of Uzbekistan. This is the beginning of the reign of the Temurids, which was founded by a native of the Turkic tribes - Temur-leng. People called him “lame,” and in Europe the name Tamerlane stuck to him. Temur founded a large empire, and made the city of Samarkand its capital. His state began from the borders of China to the Middle East. During his reign, culture and religion developed highly. Most of the great architectural ensembles were built precisely in the Timurid era. After the death of the great ruler, in 1405, his heirs began to divide power, which caused many unrest that undermined the authority of the mighty empire.

Nomadic Turkic-speaking tribes, called Uzbeks, invaded Transoxiana from the north. They settled here and mixed with the indigenous population. This happened after the death of the great scientist Ulugbek, who was Temur’s grandson. The leader of the Uzbeks was Sheibanikhan. He managed to establish his power in the state, and by 1510 he expelled all the Timurids from these lands.

In the 16th century, two khanates were formed here. Bukhara was the capital of the largest of the khanates, which controlled the south, east, and also the center of the territory where Uzbekistan is now located. The capital of the second Khanate was Khorezm. In the 18th century, another Khanate appeared - the Kokand Khanate. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, there was much infighting between the three khanates, which led to its decline.

In the 17th century, Russia influenced the political affairs of Central Asian countries. In 1870, the Russians entered Maveranahr, and a little later they subjugated the Kokand Khanate. The Turkestan Governorate General was formed, the center of which was the city of Tashkent. The other two khanates - Bukhara and Khiva, had vassal dependence.

At first, the Russians did not influence the spiritual life of the people. However, as the economy grew, changes were gradually introduced. The industry developed due to the cultivation of cotton. Cotton occupied the main place in agriculture, while practically no attention was paid to other crops. The railroad that connected this region with Russia made a huge contribution to the development of Central Asia.

By the end of the 19th century, popular unrest began in the khanates located on the territory of modern Uzbekistan, and uprisings broke out one after another. A popular group known as the Jadids fought against ignorance, illiteracy and backwardness. The Russian government responded to this with strict control and began to interfere in matters of culture and religion of the local people. After a major mass uprising, it was decided to send men from Central Asia to work on the home front during the First World War.

The events of 1917 also affected Turkestan. The Basmachi opposed the Bolsheviks. In the spring of 1918, the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed, the former rulers in Bukhara and Khiva were removed, and both republics were also part of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

After the administrative units were changed in 1924, the UzSSR emerged. From that moment until '29, Tajikistan was also part of the UzSSR. Initially, Samarkand was chosen as the capital, and in 1930, Tashkent. Karakalpakstan joined the UzSSR in 1936. In 1932, collective farms were formed and the Cyrillic alphabet was introduced. The formation of the Communist Party continued the development of Uzbekistan. Fayzulla Khojaev, a native of Bukhara, was elected chairman of the government.

In 1989, Uzbekistan was experiencing a turning point in its economy. In the spring of 1990, Islam Karimov was elected president. On August 31, 1991, the independence of our republic was proclaimed.

Primitive communal system

Paleolithic

The early periods of activity on the territory of Uzbekistan date back to the Middle Paleolithic (see Mousterian time), which are represented by the found dwellings in the Baysun-Tau mountains and labor tools in Samarkand. In the Quaternary period, when the climate was more moderate and the average temperature was three degrees lower, mammoths, primitive bulls and horses, beavers, peat deer and other animals lived. Less dramatic climate fluctuations contributed to wider human settlement, traces of which were found in the Kara-Kum and Kyzyl-Kum deserts.

In 1931-1948. An expedition with the participation of G.V. Parfenov and A.P. Okladnikov discovered a Neanderthal skeleton in the Surkhandarya region. In 1937-1947 The expedition of Tolstov S.P. and Gulyamov Ya.G. discovered sites of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages that had common features with the settlements of southeastern Europe and western Siberia.

Neanderthals lived here in the Late Paleolithic; their burial, discovered in the Teshik-Tash grotto, belongs to the Mousterian culture. In particular, the burial of a person aged 8-9 years was discovered, which gives grounds to talk about the most ancient ritual of human burial in the CIS. The child's body was placed in a hole lined with mountain goat bones. Findings at the excavation site suggest that people at that time obtained food by hunting and gathering. Primitive tools (mainly for cutting up carcasses) were made of stone, although tools made of wood (burnt spearheads of which were used in hunting) and bones (for sharpening tools) have also been found, which suggests the first attempts of ancient people to cope with the new material.

On the territory of Uzbekistan, monuments of the middle stage of wildness have not yet been studied.

Mesolithic and Neolithic

15-12 thousand years ago the transition to the Mesolithic began. Typical monuments are the primitive site in Samarkand, the upper layers of the soil of the Machay cave in the Baysun region, rock carvings in the Shibad region, etc.

To process stone tools during this period, people began to use the “squeezing technique”, the principle of which is described in the works of a Spanish writer of the 17th century. Torquemada and the English explorer of the 19th century. Edward Belcher. The bow began to be used as a hunting weapon, and the bone arrowheads and hooks found indicate the emergence of fishing as a full-fledged economic sector.

An idea of the living conditions on the plains was given by a site discovered in Samarkand on the slope of the Ivanovskaya gully, on which traces of fire pits, stone hearths and an artificially created dugout were found. Almost all labor tools were made of flint stone, but round granite pebbles were also found as throwing weapons, which were also used to make bolas. Meadow and steppe species of animals were mainly used as food, among which the wild horse was common. Tools and sites typical of a society of the highest level of savagery are found in the central part of the Kyzyl-Kum, in the northern part of the Kara-Kum of Turkmenistan and the Kara-Tau desert in Kazakhstan and other desert and semi-desert areas.

The developed Neolithic is characterized by a transition to a lower stage of barbarism, as evidenced by the site on the western outskirts of Kyzyl-Kum near the banks of the Amu Darya River, the site along Uzgun in the northern part of the Karakum Desert, cave shelters in the Surkhandarya region and individual finds in the Tashkent, Fergana, Samarkand and Surkhandarya regions. The peculiarity of these sites is the presence of the so-called. "notched weapon". Tools take the form of microliths. Primitive pottery making, mountain herding and weaving are developing. These facts indicate connections between Khorezm and the steppe cultures of Kazakhstan, southeastern Europe, and southern cultures like Anau.

The inhabitants of the lower stage of barbarism were characterized by a sedentary lifestyle, as evidenced by the composition of the faunal remains of food waste and the location of sites along the banks of reservoirs. During the large Khorezm expedition of 1939 under the leadership of S.P. Tolstov, the existence of a sedentary lifestyle is confirmed by the discovery of an ancient dwelling at the Dzhanbas-kala site, which is an ellipse 24 by 17 meters and built of wood with reed ceilings. In the middle of the room there was a large fireplace for religious purposes, around which there were small hearths for household purposes. The number of inhabitants of this dwelling was approximately estimated at 100/125 people. This period was determined by S.P. Tolstoy as the "Kelteminar culture", dating from the end of the 4th - beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The finds found here give some idea of the degree of development of the economy among the inhabitants of Southern Uzbekistan. Individual finds characteristic of the period of lower barbarism were also found in the ancient settlement of Termez, the caves of Shirabad and the areas of Tashkent, Samarkand and Chust.

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age in the history of Uzbekistan covers the 3rd millennium - the early centuries of the 1st millennium BC.

During this period, the so-called ethnogenetic problem of Uzbekistan, which is still relevant today. The monuments of this era are very similar to the monuments of the Bronze Age in the Volga region, Ukraine and Western Siberia, and there is no similarity with the previously mentioned Anaut culture. In terms of technique, ornament and forms of making pottery from the Bronze Age, it is very close to the monuments of the Andronovo, Srubno-Khvalynsk and Catacomb cultures of the Bronze Age in the CIS. A crouched burial mound dating back to this era dates back to ca. Yangi-Yulya in the Tashkent region, which, according to the burial ritual, is closest to the burials of the Srubno-Khvalynsk culture of the Southern Volga region.

First half of the 1st millennium BC is a transitional period characterized by the development of tools made of iron. This period is illuminated not only from material monuments, but also from ancient written sources from China, Iran, Greece, etc. The peoples of Central Asia during this period had lively connections with the peoples of Southeast Europe, Southern Siberia, Iran and Western Asia.

Bactrian-Margiana culture

Head of a priestess or goddess, probably the goddess Nana, marble and chlorite, Bactrian-Margiana culture, circa 2000-1750 BC.

Cultural traditions on the example of seals from the Bronze Age of Margiana.

Approximate area of the Margiana civilization.

The Bactrian-Margiana culture is one of the Bronze Age civilizations that existed in the territory of southern Uzbekistan, eastern Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan and western Tajikistan from the 23rd to the 18th centuries. BC e. - at the same time with the Indus civilization in Pakistan and the Ancient Babylonian kingdom in Mesopotamia. The thesis about the existence of such a civilization was made in 1976 by the Soviet-Greek archaeologist Victor Sarianidi. The Bactrian-Margiana culture is now considered as a local pre-Indo-European culture. It is characterized by unpainted pottery, two-tiered pottery forges, copper and bronze cast items (knives, daggers, mirrors), clay models of carts, and the remains of multi-room houses separated by narrow streets. Highly developed ceramics and jewelry indicate the presence of a large number of artisans in the cities. The seals and other artifacts discovered in the area where the supposed civilization existed belong to an artistic system that is completely different from the civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. In addition, pictograms on one of the seals may indicate the presence of a special writing system in the settlements of the Margiana civilization. As for the Indo-Europeans, apparently the Indo-Iranian ethnos occupied the territory north of the oases of the Margiana civilization and may have had active contact with its carriers. There is also an assumption about the influence of the Jiroft civilization on the Bactrian-Margiana culture. In 2 thousand BC. e. Indo-Iranian (Aryan) tribes invaded the territory of present-day Uzbekistan from the west, destroying the culture of the people who previously lived there. However, after several centuries, cultural development resumed.

Sogd, Khorezm, Bactria, Chach and Fergana during the Archaic period

According to al-Biruni, ancient Khorezmian chronology systems began counting years from the 13th century. BC e. At the beginning of 1 thousand BC. e. Several cultural centers emerged. South of the Aral Sea, along the river. Amu Darya in the 9th-8th centuries. BC e. the Khorezm civilization arose, which had developed irrigation. There are reports from ancient authors about the contacts of the inhabitants of Khorezm with the peoples of Colchis on trade routes along the Amu Darya and the Caspian Sea, along which Central Asian and Indian goods went to the Caucasian possessions through the Euxine Pontus (Εὔξενος Πόντος - the other Greek name for the Black Sea). This is confirmed by material culture, elements of which are found in excavations of ancient monuments in the Central Asian Mesopotamia and the Caucasus.

Only one thing can be said: the connections of the peoples of Central Asia with the Western Asian ethnographic world go back to deep, pre-Indo-European antiquity, and without taking into account the role of the Central Asian tribes, the question of the origin of the Japhetic peoples of ancient Western Asia and the states they created can hardly be fully resolved. - Whatever the direction of these connections, Khorezm - “Land of Khwarri (Harri)” cannot but be taken into account in resolving the Khurri problem in its entirety.

S.P. Tolstoy. In the footsteps of the ancient Khorezmian civilization. Part II. Ch. V

The Archaic period in Central Asia ranges from the 6th to the 4th centuries. BC.

agricultural system and ethnic composition of settlements

The division into nomadic and sedentary populations is of great importance in the settlement of Central Asia. Strabo considered the main Scythian tribes to be the Dai (Dakhi), who lived beyond the Caspian Sea (now Southern Turkmenistan), and those who lived to the east - the Massagetae and Saka. The affiliation of the latter tribes with the Scythians is also found in Diodorus Siculus. Characteristically, the term “Scythian” is not used in Achaemenid cuneiform inscriptions: the Persians called these peoples “Sakas,” who were divided into three. Greek historians call the Central Asian peoples Scythians and distinguish among them the Massagetae, Saks and Dais. According to Herodotus, the Massagetae occupied a significant part of the plain in the northern Karakum, the lower reaches of the Amu Darya and, possibly, as far as the lower reaches of the Syr Darya. The Massagetae most likely were not a single people, but a union of different tribes with a common name. After Strabo and Arrian, the Massagetae are no longer mentioned - this tribal union, which according to legend included five nations, split into the western tribes of the Aorsi and Alans, and the eastern ones, which are the ancestors of modern Turkmens.

Fragment of a Khorezm fresco from the 6th-3rd centuries BC. e.

The Khorezmians grew wheat, barley, millet, and raised sheep, cattle and horses. In the 7th-6th centuries. BC e. they headed a large alliance of Saka-Massaget tribes (“Greater Khorezm”), which controlled almost all of Central Asia and part of Eastern Iran. Another center was the region in the basins of the Zeravshan and Kashkadarya rivers, called Sogd (Sogdiana).

The oldest state association of Central Asia is also the Ancient Bactrian kingdom (written sources called it Bakhdi in the Avesta, Baktrish in the Behistun inscription, Bactriana among ancient authors, a kingdom whose origins go far into the past), which had connections with Assyria, New Babylon, Media and Indian principalities. According to ancient historiography, during the period of Assyrian hegemony, in the 9th-7th centuries. BC. there was an "Assyrian campaign" in Bactria to establish control over lapis lazuli. According to Ctesias of Cnidus, who lived at the court of Artaxerxes II (404 - 359 BC), already in the 8th century. BC. There was a large Bactrian kingdom, which was attacked by Assyrian troops led by King Nin, the husband of the legendary Semiramis, and even became part of Assyria. One of the documents says that King Ashurbanipal called troops from Bactria and Sogd for help. Xenophon reports about the siege of Bactria by the Assyrian king. According to Ctesias, during the war between Media and Assyria, the Bactrians first acted as allies of the Assyrians, and then went over to the side of Media. In the 7th-6th centuries. BC. The ancient Bactrian kingdom covered the territories of the valleys of Surkhan, Kashkadarya and Zarafshan, and included Margiana and Sogd. The products of Bactrian craftsmen made of gold, stone and bronze gained fame in China, Persia, and Europe. The largest cities were located on the site of Kyzyltepa, Yer-Kurgan, Uzunkir and Afrasiab. Quintus Curtius Rufus writes: “The nature of Bactria is rich and varied. In some places, trees and vineyards produce an abundance of juicy fruits, the rich soil is irrigated by numerous springs. Where the soil is soft, grain is sown there, and the rest of the land is left for pasture.” The main occupation of the population was irrigated agriculture. Crafts and trade played an important role in the life of society. In the 6th century. BC e. The troops of the Persian Achaemenid power invaded Central Asia.

The Achaemenid Empire in its heyday.

The resistance of the inhabitants of Central Asia was broken. Under kings Cyrus II and Darius I, Khorezm and Sogd became part of the Persian state, supplying the treasury with silver, precious stones and soldiers for the Persian army. There is information that a long and stubborn struggle with Bactria ended with the Bactrians recognizing the power of the Achaemenids. After annexing the main sedentary oases, the Persians directly faced the second military-political force - the union of nomadic tribes. At the head of this union was a woman, Tomiris, and the tribes themselves, according to one of the versions telling about these events, were called Massagetae. The Massagetae also had heavy cavalry, and bronze armor was also worn on war horses. Cyrus's army crossed in 530 BC. e. across a large river, most likely through the Amu Darya, and here the Persians initially managed to lure into a trap and destroy part of the enemy army. However, then the troops of Tomiris, after a fierce battle, completely defeated the enemy, and Cyrus himself died. There is even a story that the leader of the nomads ordered to cut off the head of the dead Cyrus and immerse it in a skin filled with blood in order to saturate the bloodthirsty enemy with it. In the 6th century BC. The territory of the city of Marakanda, as well as most of the entire Central Asia, after a long and stubborn struggle, was captured by the Persians, under the leadership of the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great. Before the Persians managed to capture the legendary city, the struggle between the two warring camps continued for almost 200 years. Devotedly defending their right to freedom, the local population was an excellent example of courage and heroism. The ancient writer Polienus talks about this time in his historical work. The shabby pages of his work told the world the story of the feat of a shepherd named Shirak from the Sak tribe. He took it upon himself to lead the Persian detachment of King Darius I through secret routes to the rear of the rebel tribesmen. For seven days, the brave shepherd led a detachment of unsuspecting enemies through the desert, leading them further and further with the goal that they would never be able to return back to the civilized world. The cunning, but disastrous plan for Chirac himself was certainly a success. After a week's journey, dying of thirst and heat, the Persians realized the shepherd's true plan. They threatened to kill him if he did not lead them back, but for Chirac there was no way back. His enemies killed him. However, this did not save them from death. Thus, Chirac sacrificed his own life for the small victory that he brought to his people. This legend formed the basis of the wonderful novel by writer Yavdat Ilyasov, “The Path of Wrath.”

The Age of Hellenism and the Great Kushana

Goddess Hwaninda. Bactrian relief. Silver with gilding. Diameter 12 cm. First half of the 2nd century. BC e. Leningrad. Hermitage Museum.

In the 4th century. BC e. the Persian power weakened and then collapsed under the blows of the army of Alexander the Great. In BC e. Alexander entered Sogdiana and occupied its capital - Marakanda (modern Samarkand). But the leader of the local population, Spitaman (Spitamen), raised a rebellion against the Macedonians, which the conquerors, despite cruel punitive measures, could not cope with until the murder of Spitamen by nomads in 328 BC. e. In an effort to consolidate his power over Sogd, Alexander built new cities and restored old ones, populating them with a mixed Greek-Sogdian population. Khorezm gained independence: its king Pharasman (Phrataphernes) led it in 328 BC. e. negotiations with Alexander the Great. In subsequent centuries, Khorezm experienced prosperity: irrigation systems expanded, new cities of Bazar-kala and Dzhanbas-kala, religious centers were built, crafts and art developed. In the II century. BC e. the country came under the supreme power of the nomadic state of Kangyuy.

Kushan bronze coin.

Under the rule of Mongol rulers

In 1219-1222 Central Asia was captured by the armies of the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan. The state of the Khorezmshahs quickly collapsed, most cities surrendered (like Bukhara and Samarkand) or were taken (like Urgench), the inhabitants were exterminated or driven into slavery. Many blooming oases were completely destroyed and abandoned. The catastrophe was accompanied by a complete decline of the economy and culture. Before his death in 1227, Genghis Khan divided his vast possessions among his heirs. Khorezm was included in the Jochi ulus (later the Golden Horde). Only in the second half of the 14th century. the Khorezmian lands recovered from the crushing defeat, and majestic buildings reappeared in Urgench. The rest of the territory of modern Uzbekistan became part of the Dzhagatai ulus. The Mongol rulers, constantly fighting among themselves, appointed Muslim merchants as governors of Transoxiana and forced the population to pay heavy taxes. Uprisings (for example, under the leadership of Mahmud Tarabi in Bukhara in 1238) were brutally suppressed. In 1251, a coalition of khans led by the ruler of the Golden Horde, Batu, expelled the descendants of Jaghatai from Transoxiana, but in the 1260s they returned their possessions. During the wars in 1272, Bukhara was destroyed and for a time almost completely depopulated. Some Mongol rulers, seeking to find support among the local population, and Kebek Khan (1318-1326) carried out administrative and financial reforms. But this caused resistance from the nomadic aristocracy, and Kebek’s successor Tarmashirin (1326-1334) died. Transoxiana essentially disintegrated into small possessions competing with each other.

Reign of Timur and Timurids

The warlike conqueror Timur acted as the unifier of the Central Asian territories. In 1370, he took possession of Samarkand, which he turned into the capital of a huge empire that stretched all the way to Asia Minor. Among the devastating campaigns of Tamerlane's armies there were 5 invasions of Khorezm. In 1388, Urgench was captured and completely destroyed, and its inhabitants were resettled in Transoxiana. But the “metropolis” of the power around Samarkand flourished during the reign of Tamerlane. By order of the ruler, the best craftsmen moved to the capital, numerous mosques and mausoleums were built, which are still considered a masterpiece of world architecture. The state created by Tamerlane turned out to be unstable and after his death in 1405 it began to crumble. In the year his grandson, the son of Miran Shah, Khalil Sultan, came to power in Maverannahr. Timur's youngest son Shahrukh (1409-1447) managed to save Khorasan, Afghanistan and Transoxiana. He moved the capital to Herat, and appointed his son Ulugbek, a prominent scientist who caused discontent in the circles of the conservative clergy, as ruler in Samarkand. In 1447, after the death of his father, Ulugbek became the head of the ruling dynasty, but was killed by his son Abd al Latif (-). The following rulers Abu Said (-) and Sultan Ahmed Mirza (-) enjoyed the patronage of the clergy led by the head of the Naqshbandi order, Sheikh Khoja Ahrar. Khorasan (Herat) was ruled by Sultan Hussein Bayqara (-), who patronized culture. At his court, the outstanding poet Alisher Navoi was the vizier.

Uzbek Khanate (-)

Khanate of Khiva (1511-1920)

According to local legends, the famous Sultan Babur, a descendant of Tamerlane, was heading from Samarkand to India through Fergana, where one of his wives gave birth to a boy on the road between Khojent and Kanibadam; the child, nicknamed Altun-bashik (d. in), was sheltered by the Uzbek family of Ming, which was nomadic there (hence the name of the dynasty), and when his origin was revealed, Altun-bashik was proclaimed bey and settled in Askhi. The title of biy became hereditary in his descendants. One of the descendants of Altun-bashik, Abdurakhim-biy, settled in the village of Dikan-Toda, but subsequently his main place of residence became the city of Kokand, which he founded around 1732 and which was originally called Iski-Kurgan or Kala-i-Raim-bai ( after the name of its founder). Abdurakhim-biy, taking advantage of the interregnum in Bukhara, undertook a campaign against this khanate, allegedly occupied Samarkand, Kattakurgan, and reached Shakhrisabz, but limited himself only to making peace with the local ruler and marrying his niece, after which he returned to Khojent, where he was killed by his entourage (around 1740). Abdurahim's brother and successor, Abdukarim-biy, finally settled in Iski-Kurgan, which from that time (1740) received the name Kokand (In fact, Kokand is a city incomparably more ancient. Arab travelers of the 10th century, Istakhri and Ibn-Haukal , they mention the city of Khovakend or Khokand, which, in terms of distance from the Shash River (Syr Darya) and from Asha, corresponds to the present-day Kokand; therefore, one must think that in the 18th century all the activities of the “founders” of this city consisted in the construction of an urda (palace) and the construction of city walls; .).

Abdukarim-biy and Narbuta Beg expanded their possession. However, both Abdukarimbiy and Narbutabiy were forced to pay tribute to China in -1798 (this is the basis for periodic Chinese territorial claims to the states of Central Asia).

Uzbekistan within the USSR

On November 27, 1917, at the IV Extraordinary All-Muslim Congress, held in Kokand, the creation of the Turkestan Autonomy (Turkestan Mukhtariat) was announced, headed by the Turkestan Provisional Council, which was headed by Mukhamedzhan Tynyshpayev. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was headed by Mustafa Shokai, but soon due to the departure of Tynyshpayev due to internal disagreements, he became chairman of the government. The Kokand government announced its intention to convene its parliament on March 20, 1918 on the basis of universal direct, equal and secret suffrage. Two-thirds of the seats in parliament were allocated to Muslim deputies, and one-third to representatives of the non-Muslim population. The existence of such a parliament was supposed to be the first step towards the democratization of Turkestan. By the way, in the government of the Turkestan Soviet Republic (TASSR) formed at the same time in Tashkent, out of its 14 members there was not a single person from indigenous peoples. In January 1918, in response to an ultimatum presented by the Soviets, Shokai refused to recognize their power. To destroy the Turkestan Autonomy, 11 trains with troops and artillery arrived from Moscow to Tashkent; the punitive detachment included Red Army soldiers from the Tashkent garrison and Armenian Dashnaks. On February 6, 1918, the Bolsheviks launched an assault on Kokand and in three days completely destroyed the ancient city. The response to the defeat of the Turkestan autonomy was a powerful national liberation partisan movement, called Basmachism by the Bolsheviks and liquidated by Soviet power only in the 1930s.

On the night of November 7–8, 1917, the October Revolution took place in Petrograd. On the same day (night), the Russian Soviet Socialist Federative Republic - RSFSR - arose with its capital in Petrograd. In March 1918, the Turkestan General Government was transformed into the Turkestan Autonomous SSR within the RSFSR. The lands of the Kokand Khanate (including Tashkent), which became part of the Fergana region of the Turkestan General Government back in March 1876, also formally became part of the RSFSR. Vassals of the Russian Empire - the Khanate of Khiva and the Emirate of Bukhara remained for a short time officially independent from Russia, which was being reformed by the Bolsheviks.

During the civil war, part of the population supported the Red Army, which by 1920 occupied Kokand, Bukhara and Khiva. The other part, mainly feudal-Bai elements and the Muslim clergy, formed an armed nationalist movement (“Basmachi”), supported by foreign circles (primarily Turkey). The main forces of the Basmachi were defeated by the Red Army with the support of the population in 1922; individual detachments finally surrendered in 1933.

In February 1920, the Khanate of Khiva and the Emirate of Bukhara were captured by the Red Army and the Khorezm and Emirates were formed in their place.

On August 26, 1920, the Syr-Darya and Semirechensk parts of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, inhabited by Kazakhs, were included in the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR.

In September 1924, the Khorezm and Bukhara People's Soviet Republics were transformed into socialist republics, but a month later they were disbanded due to joining the Uzbek and Turkmen SSR.

On October 14, 1924, the Tajik ASSR was formed as part of the Bukhara SSR, and the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region (present-day Kyrgyzstan) was allocated as part of the Kirghiz ASSR (present-day Kazakhstan).

On October 27, 1924, the Uzbek SSR and the Turkmen SSR were formed according to national-state delimitation. The Uzbek SSR included the Bukhara SSR along with the Tajik ASSR and one of the three regions into which the Khorezm SSR was divided. The other third of the Khorezm SSR was transformed into the Karakalpak Autonomous Okrug as part of the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. And the remaining third was transformed into the Turkmen SSR.

The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was created on October 27, 1924 (by decision of a session of the USSR Central Executive Committee). It included several counties and volosts of the Samarkand, Syrdarya and Fergana regions, as well as some parts of the Khorezm and Bukhara NSR. Until 1929, the Uzbek SSR included the Tajik ASSR.

The formation of the Uzbek SSR was confirmed by the corresponding declaration of the First Constituent Congress of Soviets of the Republic (February 13-17, 1925), which elected the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee and approved the composition of the Council of People's Commissars of the Uzbek SSR. In May 1925, the Uzbek SSR became part of the USSR as a union republic.

In the second half of the 1920s - 1930s, rapid industrialization of Uzbekistan was carried out. The stratum of national workers and employees expanded, and there was a struggle against illiteracy and Islamic traditionalism. Collectivization was carried out. The republic became the main supplier of cotton to the USSR. In 1936, the Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic became part of the Uzbek SSR. In February 1937, the Extraordinary Sixth Congress of Soviets of the Uzbek SSR adopted the constitution of the republic, according to which the highest body of state power was the unicameral Supreme Council. In the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Uzbekistan was represented by 32 deputies. The Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic received independent representation in this body of 11 deputies.

During the Great Patriotic War, about a hundred enterprises and more than 1 million citizens were evacuated to the territory of Uzbekistan from areas of the USSR affected by the fighting. Due to newly built and evacuated enterprises and the intensification of mining (including coal and oil), the industrial base of the republic has sharply increased.

In the post-war period, the policy of industrialization of Uzbekistan was continued. At the same time, the scale of cotton growing was increased, which required the creation of a high-capacity irrigation system and the use of pesticides. The diversion of river waters led to an environmental disaster with severe social consequences - shallowing and poisoning of the Aral Sea and Central Asian rivers.

The peculiarities of the organization of governance in the USSR and, in particular, in its Central Asian republics contributed to the growth of corruption (in the form of codicils, bribery, nepotism) and the emergence of organized crime (“mafia”), the fight against which intensified in Uzbekistan in 1983 after the death of the first secretary of the Central Committee Republican Communist Party of Sh. Rashidov (held this post for more than 20 years). The most famous anti-corruption investigation in the USSR, called the “cotton case” (also known as the “Uzbek case”), was carried out by an investigative team led by T. Gdlyan and N. Ivanov until the end of the 1980s, leading to the arrest and conviction of a number of high-ranking Soviet and party leaders of Uzbekistan and revealed the systemic nature of corruption in the republic.

In the second half of the 1980s, Uzbekistan experienced a rise under the influence of the liberalization of the Soviet regime and the restructuring of Islamic identity. In 1988, the opposition People's Movement of Uzbekistan “Birlik” (“Unity”) was formed, which accused the USSR of colonialism and crimes against the Uzbek people; in April 1990, the opposition Democratic Party “Erk” (“Freedom”) was formed. .

In May-June 1989, mass pogroms took place against the Meskhetian Turks in the Fergana Valley (its poorest and most densely populated part), some of whom were evacuated to Russia.

- Uzbekistan within the USSR

After the suppression of the insurgency in Turkestan, the bodies of Soviet power, led by the Bolshevik Party, began to implement their plans in this region. Since the 20s of the XX century. In Turkestan, a national policy was pursued according to the principle of “Divide and Rule.” Soviet nationality policy was essentially no different from the chauvinistic policy of tsarism carried out in this country. Only its external form has changed.

In order to discredit the idea of a “united Turkestan,” Soviet leaders gave the people tempting promises, which in reality were only declarations.

At that time, the territory of present-day Uzbekistan included the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the Bukhara and Khorezm republics within the RSFSR. The Soviets sought to strengthen their influence in these republics.

The “Declaration of the Working People and the Exploited People”, “Appeal to all Working Muslims of Russia and the East” proclaimed the basic principles of the national policy of the Soviet government: 1. Equality of all peoples of Russia; 2. The right of national republics to self-determination; 3. Abolition of all national and national-religious benefits and restrictions; 4. Free development of small ethnic groups living on the territory of the Soviet state.

The appeal of the Soviet government to the peoples of the remote outskirts said: “... From now on, your fate is in your hands, your religious traditions and customs, national and cultural institutions are free and inviolable.” In reality, a chauvinistic policy was pursued. The slogan “Freedom and Independence” turned out to be an empty declaration and a lie.

The peoples of Turkestan sought to develop their national statehood. At the V regional conference of the Turkestan Communist Party held in January 1920, the Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic T. Ryskulov spoke, who put forward the idea of a united Turkestan, represented mainly by the Turkic peoples, and proposed to rename the Turkestan Autonomous Republic to the Turkic Soviet Republic, the Turkestan Communist Party to the Communist Party Turkic peoples. These proposals gave rise to numerous discussions at conferences, as well as in the socio-political life of the country, in the Central Committee of the RCP (b), in its Politburo, and among members of the Soviet government. In this regard, in March-June 1920, the “Turkestan question” was the subject of repeated discussion at meetings of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) in Moscow. Although the Center showed interest in resolving the “Turkestan issue,” it did not set itself the goal of granting independence to Turkestan.

On June 13, 1920, a delegation of the peoples of Turkestan led by T. Ryskulov and N. Khodzhaev with their proposals were at a reception with the leader of the Soviet country V.I. Lenin. This meeting was their last hope. But neither the Soviet leadership nor the meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) on July 29, 1920 satisfied the request of the Turkestan delegation. On the contrary, the Soviet government and party leadership, considering it necessary to “correct” the situation in the country, urgently adopted a series of resolutions “On the main tasks of the RCP (b) in Turkestan.” In particular, the special resolution “On the creation of the government of Turkestan” noted the need to establish in Turkestan a permanent representation of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR and the Central Committee of the RCP (b). This resolution served to strengthen control over the country and strengthen Soviet power.

Thus, the attempt at self-determination of Turkestan was once again rejected. Having failed to achieve the goal he had set for himself, the Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic T. Ryskulov was soon forced to resign. The reason was that the Russian government was not interested in the independent development of Turkestan and sought to ensure that it was constantly under control, and its hardworking people, natural and mineral resources were subordinated to the Center. The Turkic Commission, the Central Asian Bureau, the Central Asian Economic Council and other bodies created on the initiative of the Center were called upon to implement this policy.

The establishment of a new form of colonialism - union states within the USSR - could not but have a negative impact on the life of the population of Turkestan.

The Bolshevik government did not set itself the goal of dividing the territory of the former tsarist empire into parts. The main goal was, using all forms and methods of ideological influence, to unite all peoples, rally the former colonies around the RSFSR and build a powerful union state.

As a result of the First World War (1914-1918) and civil wars, the young republics experienced all the difficulties of restoring socio-economic life. The Bolshevik government, in order to preserve the territory of the empire, in 1918-1922. exerted its influence on the diplomatic, socio-economic, military and financial situation of the young republics.

Despite the proclamation of equal rights for the future republics of the Soviet Union, the leaders of individual republics opposed the unification. For example, secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine H.R. Rakovsky and D.L. Pyatakov advocated the idea of a “confederation” without the creation of an all-Union government body. The Georgian national intelligentsia linked the entry of their republic into the union with the liquidation of the TSFSR. At meetings of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), at party congresses and plenums, as well as in Soviet organizations, a wide discussion of this issue took place. Thus, one of the prominent Soviet leaders I.V. Stalin put forward the idea of “autonomization” - the introduction of republics into the RSFSR with autonomous rights. Naturally, this proposal might not be supported by the national republics. Then Lenin made a proposal that the new union would be higher than the RSFSR and that the RSFSR and other national republics would enter it as equals.

Finally, a number of local propaganda events carried out under the leadership of the RCP(b) and the obligations they imposed yielded results. Congresses of Soviets of Ukraine, Belarus, and the Communist Party of the Transcaucasian Federation declared support for the proposal of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) “On the creation of the USSR.”

On December 26, 1922, the X All-Russian Congress of Soviets decided to unite all Soviet republics into a single Soviet state. The Congress instructed the delegations of the Ukrainian SSR, BSSR and ZSFSR to jointly prepare drafts of the Declaration on the Creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Union Treaty.

On December 29, 1922, a conference of delegates from four republics was held in Moscow, which discussed and approved the draft Declaration and Treaty on the Creation of the USSR, approved by the plenum of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). On December 30, authorized delegates from the four republics signed these documents.

On December 30, 1922, the First All-Union Congress of Soviets was held in Moscow, which approved the Declaration and the Union Treaty.

The Congress elected the highest body of the USSR - the Central Executive Committee and the government. The following were elected as Chairmen of the USSR Central Executive Committee: from the RSFSR - M.I. Kalinin, from Ukraine - G.I. Petrovsky, from Belarus - A.G. Chervyakov, from the Trans-SFSR - N.N. Narimanov. IN AND. Lenin was approved as chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR.

Thus, on December 30, 1922, the USSR was formed. Its founders were the governments of the RSFSR, BSSR, Ukrainian SSR, and ZSFSR. In the 30s - early 40s of the XX century. the composition of this state union expanded to include new republics, the number of which reached 15. Thus, a new power appeared on 1/6 of the planet.

Despite the fact that equality and brotherhood were proclaimed in all the main program documents, this union played the role of a trap for all the peoples of the union republics and was aimed at their complete subordination to the power of the central government.

National-territorial delimitation of borders and its consequences

Since ancient times, the territory of Central Asia has been inhabited by related peoples close in language, religion, history, culture, and traditions: Uzbeks, Turkmens, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Karakalpaks. They were connected by a common historical past, common roots, and a common territory. They always considered themselves brothers, drank water from the same rivers, grazed cattle in the same pastures. As our President Islam Karimov states, “we have the same grandfathers and great-grandfathers.”

Soviet leaders, in order to strengthen the power of the Center, sought to separate related peoples in order to deprive them of the opportunity to jointly fight for their independence. Therefore, taking into account the national specifics of Turkestan, the idea of demarcation along national-territorial lines was put forward. For these purposes, a special commission was created to resolve the Turkestan issue - the Turkic Commission, which was entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out national-territorial delimitation and, on its basis, creating several Soviet republics. The solution to this issue was entrusted to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) Ya.E. Ruzutaka. Leading representatives of the intelligentsia of Turkestan, clearly understanding the essence of the upcoming transformations, sought to prevent the separation of peoples. However, the Bolsheviks, who concentrated the government of the country in their hands, did not take their opinion into account. In addition, the Bolsheviks accused the patriots from among the national intelligentsia, who put forward the idea of the unity and independence of Turkestan, of nationalism, pan-Turkism, Islamism and declared them opponents of Soviet power.

The issue of national-territorial demarcation and the creation of several republics was discussed in the Center, in Turkestan, in the Bukhara and Khorezm republics, at the plenums of their communist parties, as well as the body coordinating their activities - the Central Asian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b).

On April 5, 1924, the issue of national-territorial demarcation was considered at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), on May 11 - by the commission of the Central Asian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). A special commission was created to prepare the demarcation project. The project was reviewed and generally approved by the Central Asian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) on June 2, 1924.

Dissatisfied with these actions, a group of leaders of the Khorezm Republic - Secretary of the Central Committee of the KhKP Odinaev, Minister of Internal Affairs Abdusalomov; Representatives of Turkestan and Bukhara: Sultanbek Khuzhanov, Sanzhar Asfandiyarov and others - expressed protest. To preserve the unity of the peoples of Turkestan, they made a proposal to create a Central Asian Federation. On May 8, 1924, the Central Committee of the RCP(b) received a letter “On the solution of the national question in Khorezm.” It emphasized that the division of the Khorezm Republic was inappropriate. However, the requests and demands of the indigenous peoples were not taken into account. On the contrary, on June 12, 1924, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) returned to consider the issue “On the delimitation of the borders of the Central Asian republics” and decided to implement it. Due to heated discussions on the issue of national-territorial demarcation of the Khorezm Republic, it was decided to temporarily suspend it. Meanwhile, increased pressure began to be exerted on the leaders of the Khorezm Communist Party and government. Many of them were relieved of their positions, the rest were forced to join the party's decision. As a result, on June 26, 1924, the leaders of the Khorezm Republic “recognized” the need for national delimitation of the borders of Khorezm. On July 15, 1924, the Central Asian Bureau came to a final decision on the need to prepare a national delimitation project and, in October 1924, on the need to implement it. For this purpose, the Central Territorial Commission was created, and local propaganda work was intensified. By the beginning of September 1924, the Commission had largely completed its work.

On September 25, 1924, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), on October 9 and 11, the Central Committee of the RCP (b), having considered this issue, considered it expedient to formalize this process. This decision was approved on October 14 at the Joint National Executive Committee (UNEC) of the USSR. Thus, the implementation among the peoples of Central Asia by the Soviet government, the Central Committee of the RCP (b) and their local bodies was completed during 1920-1924. propaganda and practical work to implement the “Leninist national policy”. Behind this was the destruction of a territorially integral, historically formed state with its own national specificity. The last point in the work on dividing its territory was set on October 24, 1924 at the plenum of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). And finally, on October 27, 1924, at the II session of the USSR ONIK, measures were approved to carry out the national-territorial delimitation of Central Asia.

This is how the political geography of Central Asia was artificially and violently changed. The centuries-old history of national statehood ended on this territory. Both the Bukhara and Khorezm states ceased to exist. Instead of the three states that existed before that time - the Turkestan ASSR, the Bukhara and Khorezm republics - the Uzbek SSR, the Turkmen SSR, and the Tajik ASSR were now established as part of the Uzbek SSR. The territory where the Kyrgyz lived was transformed into the Karakirghiz (Kyrgyzstan) Autonomous Region within the RSFSR, and the areas where the Kazakhs lived in Turkmenistan were transferred to the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The territories inhabited by the Karakalpaks were united into the Karakalpak Autonomous Region and included in the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Five national-state associations were created in the country. As a result, the peoples of united Turkestan were artificially separated from each other. This created great opportunities for strengthening the power of the Center.

Formation of the Uzbek SSR

The Uzbek SSR was formed as a result of national delimitation. The following territories were included in its composition:

The Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic includes 9 districts, 133 districts and 7 village districts;
- from the Bukhara Republic - 9 regions;
- from the Khorezm Republic - 23 districts.

By the time the Uzbek SSR was formed, its territory was 312,394 square meters. km, population - 4 million 447 thousand 55 people. According to official data for 1926, Uzbeks made up 74.2% of the population, the rest were representatives of other nationalities.

In April 1925, Samarkand became the capital of the Uzbek SSR. At the end of 1939, the capital was moved to Tashkent. Before the establishment of the Soviets of the Uzbek SSR, all power was transferred to the Provisional Revolutionary Committee. The Chairman of the Government of the Bukhara Republic, the famous statesman Fayzulla Khojaev, was approved as Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of the Uzbek SSR.

On December 5, 1924, the Revolutionary Committee issued an appeal to the people of Uzbekistan about the formation of the Uzbek SSR, which included the Tajik ASSR.

Along with national demarcation, economic division was also carried out. All wealth that previously belonged to the Turkestan, Bukhara and Khorezm republics was redistributed among the newly formed republics. This was carried out under the leadership of the Central Asian Liquidation Commission, specially created by the Soviet government.

On February 13, 1925, the First All-Uzbek Congress of Soviets opened in the People's House of Bukhara. The congress adopted the Declaration on the creation of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. The highest state power structures were approved at it. Fergana farmer, one of the leaders of the Kushchi society, Yuldash Akhunbabaev, was elected Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of the Uzbek SSR. Fayzulla Khojaev was approved as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Uzbek SSR. During the period of national demarcation, a number of changes were made to the composition of party, Komsomol and economic bodies. The Turkestan, Bukhara and Khorezm communist parties, the Komsomol and economic bodies, and trade union associations were disbanded.

On February 6-12, 1925, the First Founding Congress of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan was held in Bukhara, at which the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Uzbekistan was formed. Its Central Committee was elected. IN AND. Ivanov and Akmal Ikramov (from 1927 - first secretary) were elected executive secretaries. In the same year, the governing bodies of the Komsomol of Uzbekistan (VLKSM Uz) and the republican association of trade unions were elected. They became the supporting organizations of the Center and the Soviet government.

The Soviet government, having created its own party, councils, Komsomol and economic bodies in Uzbekistan, gradually strengthened its political and economic power. This made it possible to carry out Bolshevik policies on a large scale.

In May 1925, Uzbekistan became part of the USSR. The Constitution of the USSR, its basic laws and provisions began to operate directly on the territory of the Uzbek SSR. The first and second Constitutions of the Uzbek SSR, adopted in 1927 and 1937, were actually copies of the current Constitution of the USSR.

Uzbekistan was only a “sovereign” republic on paper, but in reality it became one of the outlying territories dependent on the Center. Without the consent of the Center, the republic could not independently resolve a single vital issue that protected national interests. All issues of domestic and foreign policy were resolved only by the will of the ruling Center. Even administrative and territorial issues were under the jurisdiction of the union government. For example, in 1929, without the consent of the people and government of Uzbekistan, the Tajik ASSR was withdrawn from the Uzbek SSR and transformed into the Tajik SSR and became part of the USSR.