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Basmachi Revolt
Date 1916-1931
Location Central Asia
Result Soviet victory
Belligerents
  Russian Empire
  Russian SFSR
  Khorezm SSR
  Bukharan People's Soviet Republic		   Basmachi rebels
Commanders
Mikhail Frunze Enver Pasha

The Basmachi Revolt (Russian: Восстание басмачей), or Basmachestvo (Басмачество), was a largely Turkic uprising against Russian Empire and Soviet Russia rule in Central Asia. Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Khorezm People's Soviet Republic (Хорезмская Народная Советская Республика was created as the successor to the Khanate of Khiva in The Bukharan People's Soviet Republic (Бухарская Народная Советская Республика was the name of Uzbekistan from 1920 to 1925 Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze ( Russian: Михаил Васильевич Фрунзе Romanian: Mihail Frunză; also known as Арсений Трифоныч– İsmail Enver ( Ottoman Turkish: اسماعيل انور ( November 22, 1881 in Constantinople - August 4 Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south

The movement started in 1916 during the First World War as an anti-tsarist and anti-Russian revolt and it developed into a long-time civil war against the Soviets. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Contents

The Basmachi Movement

Soviet sources portray it as a movement of Islamic traditionalists, together with common thugs and rabble-rousers as well as Islamic radicals. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The rebels who started the revolt were called Basmachi, or 'Bandits', a deliberately pejorative term. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt Other historians would argue that many ordinary peasants and nomads who opposed the cultural imperialism of Russia, and perhaps more importantly objected to Soviet harsh policies and requisitioning of food and livestock, were an important component of the rebel base, also taking into account that Soviet authorities continued the colonization politics of the tsarist regime. Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting distinguishing separating or artificially injecting the Culture or language of one nation into another However, Muslim traditionalism and Pan-Turanism were two important components of the movement and common bandits were also present. Turanism, or Pan-Turanism is a political movement for the union of all Turanian peoples

Against the Russian Empire, 1916

The rebellion started in the summer of 1916, when the Russian Empire government ended its exemption of Muslims from military service; under these circumstances, Central Asians rose in a general revolt against Russian rule. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya The confiscation of grazing land by the Tsarist authorities already had created animosity among the indigenous population. The revolt resulted in a series of clashes and in brutal massacres committed by both sides.

The first phase of the Basmachi Revolt, 1918-1920

Mohammed Alim Khan (1880-1944), the last Emir of Bukhara. Picture taken by Prokudin-Gorski in 1911.
Mohammed Alim Khan (1880-1944), the last Emir of Bukhara. Emir Mohammed Alim Khan ( January 3 1880 &ndash April 28 1944) was the last Emir of the Manghit Dynasty, Picture taken by Prokudin-Gorski in 1911. Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky ( August 31, 1863, Murom  &ndash September 27, 1944, Paris) was a Russian

After the October Revolution, some local leaders, like Faizullah Khojaev, allied with the Soviet Russia and assisted the Red Army in the capture of Bukhara and Khiva; other leaders, like the former Emir of Bukhara, Mohammed Alim Khan, joined the Basmachi movement against the Russians with two of his generals raising a militia of over 30. The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution Faizullah Ubaidullaevich Khojaev (Fayzulla Ubaydulloyevich Xo‘jayev Файзулла Убайдуллаевич Ходжаев فائض الله خؤاجه The Emirate of Bukhara ( Buxoro Amirligi; Аморати Бухоро was a Central Asian state that existed from 1785 to 1920 The Khanate of Khiva (Xiva Xonligi was the name of a Central Asian state that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm from 1515 to 1920 except Persian occupation by Emir Mohammed Alim Khan ( January 3 1880 &ndash April 28 1944) was the last Emir of the Manghit Dynasty, The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service 000 men. By the summer of 1920, the Basmachi gained popular backing in a sizeable part of the Fergana Valley, a traditional bastion of conservative Islam. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar The Fergana Valley or Farghana Valley (Farg‘ona vodiysi Kyrgyz: Фергана өрөөнү Tajik: водии Фaрғонa Ферганская долина For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The Basmachi had soon spread and multiplied across most of Turkestan. Turkestan (literally meaning "Land of the Turks" is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic peoples. Much of Turkestan at the time was, ironically, not actually under the Soviet Russia against which the Basmachi were rebelling, but under other regimes (Khorezm SSR and Bukharan People's Soviet Republic), albeit regimes that were allied with Soviet Russia. Khorezm People's Soviet Republic (Хорезмская Народная Советская Республика was created as the successor to the Khanate of Khiva in The Bukharan People's Soviet Republic (Бухарская Народная Советская Республика was the name of Uzbekistan from 1920 to 1925 The Red Army forces included Tatars and Central Asians, who enabled the invading force to appear at least partly indigenous. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Tatars ( Tatar: Tatarlar/Татарлар sometimes spelled Tartars, are a Turkic -speaking ethnic group or multiple ethnic groups Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south It has to be noticed that, unlike the anti-Bolshevik White Army, the Basmachi were not considered as allies by the Western Powers and did not receive any outside help. The White movement (Beloie Dvijenie Белое движение whose military arm is known as the White Army (Belaia Armia Белая Армия or White Guard The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings The Entente saw the Basmachi as potential enemies due to the Pan-Turkist or Pan-Islamist ideologies of some of their leaders. The Entente Powers (from Triple Entente) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. Pan-Turkism is a political movement aiming to unite the various Turkic peoples into a modern political State, a Confederation, or an economic union closely Pan-Islamism ( اتّحاد الاسلام) is a Political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic state or a Caliphate However, some Basmachi groups received support from British and Turkish intelligence services and in order to contrast this outside help, special military detachments of the Red Army were masqueraded as Basmachi forces and successfully intercepted these supplies. By the early 1920s, the Basmachi Revolt had become so widespread that the Soviet government realized they risked losing their Turkestani territory. However, infighting among the Basmachi meanwhile made them weaker compared to the Soviet political establishment (who, by comparison, had a common purpose and single vision, in addition to greater military power). Lenin's government made conciliations to national sentiment in order to quell the Turkestanis' objections to being politically a part of the Soviet Union (conciliatory measures included grants of food, tax relief, the promise of land reform, the reversal of anti-Islamic policies launched during the Civil War and the promise of an end to agricultural controls). The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed Altogether these measures diminished the appeal of the Basmachi movement and enabled the Red Army to overpower the Basmachi led by the former Emir of Bukhara.

The second phase of the Basmachi Revolt, 1921-1923

Enver Pasha
Enver Pasha

In November 1921, General İsmail Enver, former Turkish war minister, arrived in the region with the task to conciliate the warring parties but instead of doing so, he joined the Basmachi leaders and rose against his former supporters, the Soviets, under the slogans of pan-Turkism and pan-lslamism with the aim of creating a single Islamic state in the region. İsmail Enver ( Ottoman Turkish: اسماعيل انور ( November 22, 1881 in Constantinople - August 4 Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar İsmail Enver ( Ottoman Turkish: اسماعيل انور ( November 22, 1881 in Constantinople - August 4 Pan-Turkism is a political movement aiming to unite the various Turkic peoples into a modern political State, a Confederation, or an economic union closely He managed to transform the Basmachi militiamen into a professional army of 16000 men; by early 1922, a considerable part of the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic was under Basmachi control. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Bukharan People's Soviet Republic (Бухарская Народная Советская Республика was the name of Uzbekistan from 1920 to 1925

Again the Soviet authorities adopted a double strategy to crush the rebellion: political and economic reconciliation with the creation of a voluntary militia composed by indigent Muslim peasants called the Red Sticks and the engagement of regular Muslim soldiers to fight the Basmachi. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion This Soviets strategy was successful once again and when, in May 1922, Enver Pasha rejected a peace offer and issued an ultimatum demanding that all Red Army troops be withdrawn from Turkestan within fifteen days, Moscow was well prepared for a confrontation. In June 1922, Soviet units led by General Kakurin, defeated the Basmachi forces in the Battle of Kafrun where Enver Pasha suffered his first major defeat. The Red Army began to drive the rebels eastwards and took back most of the towns and villages captured by the Basmachi. Enver himself was killed in a failed last-ditch cavalry charge on August 4, 1922, near Baldzhuan in Turkestan (present-day Tajikistan). The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Turkestan (literally meaning "Land of the Turks" is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic peoples. Tajikistan (təˈdʒɪkɨstæn or /təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/ Тоҷикистон tɔʤikɪsˈtɔn or, Persian تاجیکستان‎ taajikestaan officially the Republic of

Another Basmachi commander, Selim Pasha, continued the struggle but finally fled to Afghanistan in 1923. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Other Basmachi retreated to the Ferghana Valley (1923-1924) and were directed by Sher Muhammad Bek (Kurshermat). The Fergana Valley or Farghana Valley (Farg‘ona vodiysi Kyrgyz: Фергана өрөөнү Tajik: водии Фaрғонa Ферганская долина British intelligence reported (according to [1]) Sher Mohammed had forces of 5,000-6,000 men. In addition several thousand Basmachi gradually turned into pure bandits who terrorized countryside (same British report).

Intermittent Basmachi operations and defeat of the revolt, 1923-1931

Mikhail Frunze, the Bolshevik leader who crushed the revolt
Mikhail Frunze, the Bolshevik leader who crushed the revolt

After losing their best commanders and many men, the Basmachi movement was destroyed as a political and military force and the few rebels remained decided to hide on the mountains and to start a guerrilla warfare that consisted in terrorist acts, hostage taking, sabotage, blackmails and brutal raids. Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze ( Russian: Михаил Васильевич Фрунзе Romanian: Mihail Frunză; also known as Арсений Трифоныч– Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion A hostage crisis develops when one or more Terrorists or Criminals hold people against their will and try to hold off the Authorities by force Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening an enemy oppressor or employer through subversion obstruction disruption and/or destruction This kind of warfare and the conciliatory measures of the Soviet Government caused them the loss of the support of the local population who began to see the Basmachi as purely criminal elements. The Basmachi revolt had largely died out by 1926; however, skirmishes and occasional fighting continued until 1931 when the Soviets captured the Basmachi leader Ibrahim Beg. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the area of present-day Kyrgyzstan, the last seats of the Basmachi were destroyed in 1934. Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Aftermath

Flag of Uzbek SSR
Flag of Uzbek SSR

The indigenous leaders started to cooperate with Soviet authorities and large numbers of Central Asians joined the Communist Party, many of them gaining high positions in the government of the Uzbek SSR, a republic established in 1924 that included present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Ўзбекистон Совет Социалистик Республикаси O`zbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasi; Узбекская The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Ўзбекистон Совет Социалистик Республикаси O`zbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasi; Узбекская Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly Tajikistan (təˈdʒɪkɨstæn or /təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/ Тоҷикистон tɔʤikɪsˈtɔn or, Persian تاجیکستان‎ taajikestaan officially the Republic of During the Soviet period, Islam became a focal point for the antireligious drives of Communist authorities. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The government closed most mosques, and religious schools became antireligious museums. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger Uzbeks who remained practicing Muslims were deemed nationalist and often targeted for imprisonment or execution. On the positive side were the emancipation of women, industrialization, a higher standard of living and the virtual elimination of illiteracy, even in rural areas. is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write or the ability to use Language to read, write, listen, Only a small percentage of the population was literate before 1917; this percentage increased to nearly 100 percent under the Soviets.

The Red Army took 1,441 casualties during its operations against the Basmachi, of which 516 were killed in action or died from wounds. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya [2]

"Red Westerns" about Basmachi Revolt

The rebellion was a popular subject for Red Westerns, and featured as a central part of the plot of the films White Sun of the Desert (Белое Солнце Пустыни), The Seventh Bullet (Седьмая Пуля) and Telokhranitel (Телохранитель - The Bodyguard). "Ostern" is also an alternative spelling of Ostara and German for Easter White sun of the desert ( Белое солнце пустыни; Beloye solntse pustyni) ( 1969) a classic 'Eastern' or Ostern The Seventh Bullet (Sedmaya Pulya/Седьмая Пуля is a Soviet Ostern film of 1972 directed by Ali Khamraev. Telokhranitel (Телохранитель or The Bodyguard in its English title is a 1979 Soviet film released by

References and further reading

  1. ^ Yılmaz Şuhnaz, "An Ottoman Warrior Abroad: Enver Paşa as an Expatriate. " Middle Eastern Studies 35, no. Middle Eastern studies, a subset of Asian studies, is a name given to a number of academic programs associated with the study of the Culture, Politics, 4 (1999), pp. 47-30
  2. ^ Krivosheev, Grigori (Ed. ), Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the Twentieth Century, p. 43, London: Greenhill Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85367-280-7.

External links

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