Uzbek SSR

The Uzbek SSR or Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was the name given to Uzbekistan on October 27 1924.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1924, the borders of political units in Central Asia were changed along ethnic lines determined by Lenin?s Commissar for Nationalities, Joseph Stalin. The Turkestan ASSR, the Bukharan People's Republic, and the Khorezmian People's Republic were abolished and their territories were divided into eventually five separate Soviet Socialist Republics, one of which was the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR). The same year the Uzbek SSR became one of the republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Uzbek SSR included the Tajik ASSR until 1929, when the Tajik ASSR was upgraded to an equal status. In 1930, the Uzbek SSR capital was relocated from Samarqand to Toshkent. In 1936, the Uzbek SSR was enlarged with the addition of the Karakalpak ASSR taken from the Kazakh SSR. Further bits and pieces of territory were transferred several times between the Kazakh SSR and the Uzbek SSR after World War II.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1928, the Soviets ordered the forced collectivization of land into state farms. Basmachi rebels, largely put down by 1923, reappeared in some areas during the collectivization, and remained an issue in some areas to the 1940s.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1937-38, during the ?Great Purge?, a number of alleged nationalists were executed, including Faizullah Khojaev, the first prime minister.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During World War II, the Soviet authorities relocated many industries to the Uzbek SSR from vulnerable locations in western regions of the USSR to keep them from falling to the Nazis. Large numbers of Russians, Ukrainians and other nationalities accompanied the factories, altering the demographics of the republic. The demographics situation was further aggravated by Stalin?s relocation of entire ethnic groups suspected of collaboration with the Axis powers from other parts of the USSR to the Uzbek SSR. This included large numbers of ethnic Koreans, Crimean Tartars, and Chechens.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During the Soviet period, Islam became a focal point for the antireligious drives of Communist authorities. The government closed most mosques, and religious schools became antireligious museums. Uzbeks who remained practicing Muslims were deemed nationalist and often targeted for imprisonment or execution. On the positive side, was the virtual elimination of illiteracy, even in rural areas. Only a small percentage of the population was literate before 1917; this percentage increased to nearly 100 percent under the Soviets.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Another major development, one with future catastrophic impact, was the drive initiated in the early 1960s to substantially increase cotton yields in the republic. The drive led to overzealous irrigation withdrawals from the Amu Darya, and the subsequent Aral Sea ecological disaster.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Communist Party was the only legal party in the Uzbek SSR until 1990. The first secretary, or head, of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan was consistently an Uzbek. However, Uzbeks were underrepresented in the higher levels of the republic Communist Party organs, and even more underrepresented in the central organs of the party in Moscow.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Political corruption was rampant in the USSR, including in the Uzbek SSR. This was especially true during Sharaf Rashidov?s tenure as head of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan from 1959 to 1983.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Islam Karimov, successor to Rashidov as leader of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan and head of that party's reincarnation, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), became president of the Uzbek SSR in 1990.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On September 1 1991, the Uzbek SSR was renamed into Republic of Uzbekistan, formally remaining a part of the USSR until December 26 1991. With the final collapse of the Soviet Union , the Uzbek SSR became the independent nation of Uzbekistan.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Uzbekistan: The Republic of Uzbekistan is adoubly landlocked country in Central Asia. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....

October 27: October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining....

1924: 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar)....