From May 31 to June 1, 2019, the international symposium “The 1916 Uprising in Central Asia: academic integration, new approaches and knowledge”  took place in Karakol.

 

Panel 1: Historiography and sources for study of the uprising

Kazhet Andas. Reflection of the national and liberation movement of 1916 in media

 

Abstract: Ahmet Baitursynov, a talented son of the Kazakh people, has a saying: “The newspaper is the source of the people, its ear and tongue.” Therefore, the press worked diligently to show the world around us in every era, at every stage, in every situation. Unfortunately, the Soviet regime banned some Central Asian newspapers in the early twentieth century to use historical, educational, informational materials. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed and Central Asian states gained independence, things that had not been available to researchers for more than seventy years were revealed. After independence, it was possible to review and explore some mysteries of history. Historians and writers worked on the study of the national liberation movement rapidly on the national level. At the first stage, the influence of the heroic struggle of our ancestors to get an independence was revealed. Thus, the “Encyclopedia of the Kazakh Council” published comments on the national liberation uprising of 1916. Other secret pages of the story were also later discovered.

Meanwhile, representatives of the movement “Alash” were trying to protect people from deception. First of all, they believe that they are fully connected with the Kazakhs, who represented the main threat to Russia. Secondly, they truly tried to prevent the mobilization of the Kazakhs. Thirdly, when the war ended with the victory of Russia, the hopes of the Kazakhs intensified that national autonomy would be created. They tried to achieve these goals through the newspaper “Kazakh”.

If one compares Russian losses and Kazakh-Kyrgyz losses during the uprising, one sees clearly who suffered the most. The damaged country fell into a desperate state. Moreover, the Kazakh and Kyrgyz people lost a lot of good people. Many of the leaders died. Modern researchers discuss different names. However, the newspaper “Kazakh” already identified the leaders of the uprising a hundred years ago.

We are all convinced today that the role of Kazakhstan in the history of the twentieth century as a historical source of the Kazakh and other newspapers is remarkable, and its value is high.

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