Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, also called Soviet Kazakhstan, was one part of the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1991. It was in northern Central Asia and was made on 5 December 1936 from an earlier area called the Kazakh ASSR.

It shared borders with Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China.

It was the second-biggest part of the USSR, after the Russian SFSR. Its capital was Alma-Ata, now named Almaty. During this time, it had a strong economy, especially in mining and farming.

In 1990, leaders said the land would be self-governing. In April 1990, Nursultan Nazarbayev was elected president, a job he kept until 2019. In December 1991, it changed its name to the Republic of Kazakhstan and left the USSR on 16 December 1991. The Soviet Union ended on 26 December 1991. Kazakhstan joined the United Nations on 2 March 1992.

Name

The republic was named after the Kazakh people. They were a Turkic group from Central Asia. The Kazakhs were nomads who had a strong khanate before the Russian Empire took over.

History

The area that would become Kazakhstan started as the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1920, part of a larger Soviet state. It was renamed the Kazak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1925 and became a full republic in 1936, known as the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.

During this time, many changes happened. The government built railways and factories, and many people moved into the area. Some tough times included difficult farming that caused hunger, and many people were moved from other places. Education improved, and many new schools opened. During World War II, many people from Kazakhstan served bravely.

In the 1950s and 1960s, more people were encouraged to move to Kazakhstan to help grow food. New factories for chemicals and defense were built, and farming became very important. The famous Baikonur Cosmodrome was built, launching important space missions like Sputnik and the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin.

In 1986, a change in leadership caused protests in the capital city. In 1990, Kazakhstan held its first elections, and later that year declared sovereignty. In December 1991, Kazakhstan declared independence, becoming the last Soviet republic to do so. The Soviet Union officially ended on December 26, 1991, and Kazakhstan joined the new Commonwealth of Independent States.

Population dynamics

In 1897, most people in Kazakhstan were Kazakhs. They made up 81.7% of the population. Other groups included Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Uyghurs, Uzbeks, Moldovans, Dungans, Germans, Bashkirs, Jews, and Poles. Later, more people from groups like Belarusians, Koryo-saram, Chechens, and Kalmyks came to live there.

Famines

In the 1920s and 1930s, Kazakhstan had big problems with food shortages. Many people had a very hard time. The number of Kazakh people went down a lot between 1926 and 1939. People in Kazakhstan still remember this difficult period today.

Economy

Before the Soviet era, Kazakhstan had very little industry or large farms. Most people lived as nomads or moved their animals for food. The Soviet Union built many factories and farms in Kazakhstan. This helped grow Kazakhstan’s economy, but also caused problems because of rules from Moscow.

During World War II, many factories were moved to Kazakhstan to keep them safe. This helped the Soviet Union win the war and grow Kazakhstan’s economy. Later, a big project called the Virgin Lands Campaign tried to grow more food, but it didn’t work as well as hoped. Under leader Dinmukhamed Kunaev, Kazakhstan grew stronger economically. However, when changes in Soviet policy happened, the economy slowed down.

Soviet Union Central Asia Second World War Eastern Front (World War II) Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site Baikonur Cosmodrome Virgin Lands Campaign Nikita Khrushchev Dinmukhamed Kunaev Perestroika Glasnost

Culture

In the early days of the Soviet Union, leaders encouraged Kazakh culture to grow. The Kazakh language got a new way to write words, but later it changed again. During this time, many different people were moved to live in Kazakhstan.

Later, leaders tried to mix cultures more. Over time, local leaders helped bring back some traditions. The culture of Kazakhstan became a mix of its own traditions and ideas from the Soviet government. There were some early challenges between different groups of people, but these got better over time.