The Kyrgyz SSR is one of fifteen former Soviet republics. It is the forerunner of modern Kyrgyzstan. Like other republics, this state formation had its own characteristics related to history, culture, geographical location, economic conditions and ethnicity of the population. Let's find out in detail what the Kyrgyz SSR was like, its features and history.
Geographic location
First of all, let's find out the geographical location of this republic. The Kirghiz SSR was located in the south of the USSR, in the east of its Central Asian part. In the north, it bordered on the Kazakh SSR, in the west - on the Uzbek SSR, in the southwest and south - on the Tajik SSR, in the east the state border with the PRC passed. The total area of the republic was almost 200,000 square meters. km.
This state formation had no access to the sea, and most of the country's relief is mountain ranges. Even intermountain depressions, such as the Issyk-Kul, Ferghana and Dzhumgal pits, as well as the Talas Valley, are located at an altitude of at least 500 m above sea level. Basicmountain range of the country - Tien Shan. The highest peak is Pobeda Peak. In the south of Kyrgyzstan - the Pamir mountain system. Lenin Peak is located on the border with Tajikistan.
The largest body of water in Kyrgyzstan is Lake Issyk-Kul, located in the northeast.
Backstory
In ancient times, various Indo-European nomadic tribes lived on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, which were replaced by Turkic peoples in the early Middle Ages. Throughout the Middle Ages, separate groups of the Yenisei Kirghiz arrived here from southern Siberia, who, having mixed with the local population, formed the modern ethnic image of the country and gave the name to the whole people. This migration took place especially intensively starting from the 14th century.
The Kyrgyz had to fight for independence with strong Uzbek states, in particular with the Kokand Khanate. Its rulers subjugated a significant territory of Kyrgyzstan and in 1825 founded their own fortress - Pishpek (modern Bishkek). In the course of this struggle in the 19th century, individual tribes accepted Russian help and patronage, and then citizenship. Thus, it was the Kyrgyz who became the main supporters of Russian expansion into Central Asia among the local peoples.
In the 50-60s of the XIX century, the north of the future Kirghiz SSR was conquered by the Russian Empire from the Kokand Khanate. The first Russian fortified fort here was Przhevalsk (modern Karakol). On the lands of northern Kyrgyzstan and eastern Kazakhstan, as part of the Russian Empire, the Semirechensk region was formed in 1867 with the administrative center in the city of Verny (modernAlmaty). The region was divided into five counties, two of which - Pishpek (the main city of Pishpek) and Przhevalsky (the main city of Przhevalsk) - were Kyrgyz. Initially, Semirechye was subordinated to the Steppe General Government, but in 1898 it was transferred to the Turkestan General Government (Turkestan Territory).
In 1876, Russia completely defeated the Kokand Khanate and included its entire territory, including southern Kyrgyzstan. On these lands, the Fergana region was formed with the administrative center in Kokand. It, like the Semirechensk region, was an integral part of the Turkestan region. The Fergana region was divided into 5 counties, one of which was Osh (administrative center - the city of Osh), located on the Kyrgyz lands.
Formation of the Kirghiz SSR
Actually, the revolutionary events of 1917 can be considered the beginning of the long process of the formation of the Kyrgyz SSR. Almost 20 years have passed since the revolution until the moment when the Kirghiz SSR was formed.
In April 1918, on the territory of the Turkestan region, which included all the modern states of Central Asia and the southeast of Kazakhstan, the Bolsheviks created a large autonomous entity - the Turkestan ASSR, or the Turkestan Soviet Republic, which was part of the RSFSR. The Kyrgyz lands, as an integral part of the Semirechensk and Fergana regions, were also included in this formation.
In 1924, a large-scale plan for the national demarcation of Central Asia was implemented, during which all the major peoples inhabiting Turkestan, includingKyrgyz. From parts of the Semirechensk and Ferghana regions, as well as a small area of the Syrdarya region (north of present-day Kyrgyzstan), where the bulk of the population was Kyrgyz, the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous District was created with an administrative center in the city of Pishpek. This name was explained by the fact that at that time the Kyrgyz ASSR was called modern Kazakhstan, since the Kazakhs, according to the tradition of tsarist times, were mistakenly called Kaisak-Kyrgyz. However, already in May 1925, the territory of Kyrgyzstan began to be called the Kirghiz Autonomous Region, since Kazakhstan acquired the name of the Kazakh ASSR, and there was no more confusion. The autonomy was directly part of the RSFSR, and was not a separate Soviet republic.
In February 1926, another administrative transformation took place - the Kirghiz Autonomous Okrug became the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the RSFSR, which provided for the granting of greater autonomy rights. In the same year, the name of Pishpek, the administrative center of the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, was changed to the city of Frunze, after the famous Red Commander of the Civil War.
10 years later, in 1936, the Kirghiz ASSR was expelled from the RSFSR, like other republics of Central Asia, and became a full-fledged subject of the Soviet Union. The Kyrgyz SSR was formed.
Republican symbols
Like every Soviet republic, the Kyrgyz SSR had its own symbols, which consisted of a flag, emblem and anthem.
The flag of the Kyrgyz SSR was originally an absolutely red cloth, on which yellowthe name of the republic was written in block letters in Kyrgyz and Russian. In 1952, the appearance of the flag was significantly changed. Now in the middle of the red cloth there was a wide blue strip, which, in turn, was divided into two equal parts by a white one. In the upper left corner were depicted a hammer and sickle, as well as a five-pointed star. All inscriptions have been removed. So the flag of the Kyrgyz SSR remained until the very collapse of the country of the Soviets.
The anthem of the republic was a song to the words of Sydykbekov, Tokombaev, Malikov, Tokobaev and Abaildaev. The music was written by Maodybaev, Vlasov and Fere.
The coat of arms of the Kirghiz SSR was adopted in 1937 and was a complex image in a circle with an ornament. The coat of arms depicts mountains, the sun, ears of wheat and cotton branches intertwined with a red ribbon. The coat of arms was crowned with a five-pointed star. A ribbon was thrown over it with the inscription "Proletarians of all countries, unite!" in Kyrgyz and Russian. At the bottom of the coat of arms there is an inscription with the name of the republic in the national language.
Administrative divisions
Until 1938, Kyrgyzstan was divided into 47 regions. There were no larger administrative formations at that time in its composition. In 1938, the regions of the Kirghiz SSR united into four districts: Issyk-Kul, Tien Shan, Jalal-Abad and Osh. But some districts remained not under district subordination, but under republican subordination.
In 1939, all districts received the status of regions, and those districts that had not previously been subordinated to districts merged into the Frunze Region with a center inFrunze. The Kirghiz SSR was now to consist of five regions.
In 1944, the Talas region was allocated, but in 1956 it was liquidated. The remaining regions of the Kirghiz SSR, except for Osh, were abolished from 1959 to 1962. Thus, the republic consisted of one region, and the regions that were not included in it had direct republican subordination.
In subsequent years, the regions were either restored or abolished again. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, Kyrgyzstan consisted of six regions: Chui (former Frunze), Osh, Naryn (former Tien Shan), Talas, Issyk-Kul and Jalal-Abad.
Management
The actual control of the Kyrgyz SSR until October 1990 was in the hands of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, which, in turn, was subordinate to the CPSU. The supreme body of this organization was the Central Committee. It can be said that the First Secretary of the Central Committee was the de facto leader of Kyrgyzstan, although formally this was not the case.
The highest legislative institution of the Kirghiz SSR at that time was a parliamentary body - the Supreme Council, which consisted of one chamber. It met only for a few days a year, and the Presidium was a permanent body.
In 1990, the post of President was introduced in the KirSSR, the election of which took place by direct voting. From that moment on, the president became the official and de facto head of Kyrgyzstan.
Capital
The city of Frunze is the capital of the Kirghiz SSR. So it was throughout the existence of this Soviet republic.
Frunze, as mentioned earlier, was founded in 1825 as an outpost of the Kokand Khanate, and had the original name Pishpek. In the struggle against the khanate, the fortress was destroyed by Russian troops, but after a while a new village appeared here. Since 1878, the city has been the administrative center of the Pishpek district.
Since 1924, when the national delimitation of the peoples of Central Asia took place, Pishpek has alternately been the main city of the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region, the Kyrgyz Autonomous Region and the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1926 the city received a new name - Frunze. The Kirghiz SSR throughout its existence from 1936 to 1991 had a capital under this name. Pishpek was renamed in honor of the famous commander of the Red Army, Mikhail Frunze, who, although he was a Moldavian by nationality, was born in this Central Asian city.
As mentioned above, since 1936 Frunze has been the capital of the Kirghiz SSR. During the period of industrialization in the USSR, large factories and enterprises were built here. The city is constantly improving. Frunze became more and more beautiful. The Kirghiz SSR could be proud of such a capital. By the beginning of the 90s, the population of Frunze was approaching 620 thousand people.
In February 1991, the Supreme Council of the Kyrgyz SSR decided to rename the city to Bishkek, which corresponded to the national form of its historical name.
Cities of Kyrgyzstan
The largest cities of the Kirghiz SSR, after Frunze - Osh, Jalal-Abad, Przhevalsk (modern Karakol). But by all-Union standards, the number of inhabitantsthese settlements was not so great. The number of inhabitants in the largest of these cities, Osh, did not reach 220 thousand, and in the other two there were even less than 100 thousand.
In general, the Kyrgyz SSR remained one of the least urbanized republics of the USSR, so the rural population prevailed here over the number of urban residents. A similar situation persists in our time.
Economy of the Kyrgyz SSR
According to the proportions of the distribution of the population, the economy of the Kyrgyz SSR was of an agrarian-industrial nature.
The basis of agriculture was animal husbandry. In particular, sheep breeding was the most developed. The development of horse breeding and cattle breeding was at a high level.
Crop production also occupied a leading position in the economy of the republic. The Kirghiz SSR was famous for growing tobacco, grain, fodder, essential oil crops, potatoes, and especially cotton. A photo of cotton picking in one of the collective farms of the republic is located below.
Industrial areas were represented mainly by mining (coal, oil, gas), engineering, light and textile industries.
Military units
In Soviet times, military units in the Kirghiz SSR were located in a fairly dense grid. This was due to the sparsely populated region, as well as the important geopolitical position of the republic. On the one hand, Kyrgyzstan was close to Afghanistan and other countries of the Middle East, where the USSR had its own interests. With anotherOn the other hand, the republic bordered on China, with which the Soviet Union had rather tense relations at that time, and sometimes even turned into armed confrontation, although it did not come to an open war. Therefore, the borders with the PRC constantly demanded an increased presence of the Soviet military contingent.
Remarkably, the famous Ukrainian boxer and politician Vitali Klitschko was born exactly on the territory of the Kyrgyz SSR in the village of Belovodskoye, when his father, who was a professional military man, served there.
If you delve even further into history, you can find out that during the Great Patriotic War in 1941, three cavalry divisions were formed on the territory of the Kyrgyz SSR.
Liquidation of the Kirghiz SSR
At the end of the 80s, the time of change came in the USSR, which took the name of Perestroika. The peoples of the Soviet Union felt a noticeable relaxation in political terms, which, in turn, not only brought the democratization of society, but also launched centrifugal tendencies. Kyrgyzstan did not stand aside either.
In October 1990, a new official post was introduced in the republic - the President. Moreover, the head of the Kirghiz SSR was elected by direct vote. The election was won not by the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, Absamat Masaliev, but by the representative of the reformist movement, Askar Akaev. This was evidence that the people demanded change. Not the last role in this was played by the so-called "Osh massacre" - a bloody conflict that took place in the summer of 1990year in the city of Osh between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks. This greatly undermined the position of the communist elite.
On December 15, 1990, the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Kyrgyz SSR was adopted, proclaiming the supremacy of republican laws over all-Union ones.
On February 5, 1991, the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan adopted a resolution renaming the Kyrgyz SSR into the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. After the events of the August coup, Askar Akayev publicly condemned the attempted coup by representatives of the State Emergency Committee, and on August 31, Kyrgyzstan announced its secession from the USSR.
Thus ended the history of the Kyrgyz SSR, and began the history of a new country - the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.
