Basmachi Movement and Its Supporters in Reports by Party Leaders and Red Army Commanders in Soviet Turkestan, 1918–1924

Abstract

The Basmachi movement was the struggle of Turkestan indigenous population against the Soviet power, and it remains one of the least studied aspects of the Civil War. Soviet historians explained the reasons behind the movement and its mass character as follows: the local tribal aristocracy, young bourgeoisie, and imams strove to maintain their status, wealth, and privileges. When the former Soviet Central Asian republics became independent, the Basmachi movement and its causes were reconsidered by local historians and, to some extent, by Russian scientists. Now Basmachism is most often viewed as a form of national liberation movement by indigenous peoples of Turkestan. Presumably, it was a reaction to the attempts of the Soviet government to break local traditions, economy, and spiritual life. However, the post-Soviet assessments of the Basmachi movement can hardly claim any novelty. As early as during the Basmachi conflict, some high-ranking party figures and Red Army commanders openly stated that the Soviet government was mistaken in its aggressive internal regional policy and failed to understand the religious foundations that resulted in the Basmachi movement and its mass support. The article relies on some newly-found archival sources, monographs, and memoirs.

Keywords

• basmachi movement
• muslim population
• struggle
• party members
• red army command
• turkestan