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 2. Regional specifics of the uprising

Tashmanbet Kenensariev: Review of the points of view on the reasons for the uprising of 1916: arguments and counter arguments

 

Abstract: The question of the reasons for the uprising of 1916 in Turkestan, including in Kyrgyzstan, is an important issue. Its relevance is enhanced by the fact that it is currently causing debate among researchers.

The causes of the uprising can be divided into the following types: Political reasons:a) the concentration of military and civilian power;b) numerous errors of management of the region; c) personnel chaos in Turkestan.Socio-economic reasons:a) land issues;b) conflicts between colonial authorities and the local population;c) conflicts between Russian immigrants and the local population, as well as between poor and wealthy strata of the local population;d) the difficult conditions of hired Kyrgyz labor on the farms of immigrants and Russian officials;e) provocations by colonial authorities, in order to seize as much land as possible for immigrants.Ideological and spiritual causes:a) Pan-Islamism and Pan-Turkism;b) the role of local religious adherents;c) the influence of the Dungans and Uighurs on the local population;d) rumors spread among the local population;e) the coincidence of mobilization work with the period of Ramadan (19.06-19.07) and the harvesting of crops.External factors as causes of uprising:a) the role of Turkish and German propaganda;b) the actions of the Chinese anarchists of the Gelao party; c) the situation at the front.

However, recent studies have made many corrections to explain the reasons for the uprising of 1916, especially of the socio-economic reasons, the role of external factors (the role of German and Turkish agents). Consequently, the historiography of the uprisings of 1916 requires a more in-depth study in general, and the reasons in particular.

 

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