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A HISTORY OF INNER ASIA

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228 A history of Inner Asia<br />

adoption of the third constitution in 1978, as it is described in the Uzbek<br />

Sovet Entsiklopediyasi (Uzbek Soviet Encyclopaedia, Tashkent 1980, vol.<br />

14, pp.490–91):<br />

The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic is a socialist populist state (sotsialistik<br />

umumkhalq davlat) which expresses the will and interests of the republic’s workers,<br />

agriculturists, and intellectuals (ishchilar, dehqonlar, va ziyalilar), and of the toilers<br />

(mehnatkashlar) of all nationalities (millatlar) and ethnic groups (elatlar)....The<br />

UzSSR is a sovereign state (suveren davlat) with equal rights (teng huquqli) within<br />

the framework of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which firmly ties<br />

together all the nationalities and ethnic groups as a polity, the Soviet people,<br />

with the goal of together building communism (kommunizm qurish uchun).Its<br />

government functions on its own territory in an independent manner, except<br />

for those questions that pertain to the highest organs of the USSR; it has the<br />

right to freely leave the USSR (öz erki bilan SSSRdan chiqish huquqini saqlaydi)....<br />

The Uzbek SSR has the right to establish relations with foreign countries, to<br />

make treaties with them, to appoint diplomatic and consular representatives<br />

with them, to participate in the activities of international organizations.The<br />

sovereign rights of the Uzbek SSR are guaranteed by the USSR according to<br />

its own Constitution [that is, the Constitution of the Soviet Union]. ...The<br />

highest governmental organ is the unicameral Supreme Soviet [Russian<br />

“sovet,” literally, “council, advice” but here with the connotation of “parliament,<br />

congress”] of the Uzbek SSR (Uzbekiston SSR Oliy Soveti), elected for five<br />

years....During the periods of recess, its work is done by the Presidium of the<br />

Supreme Soviet.The highest executive and administrative organ is the Council<br />

of Ministers of the Uzbek SSR (Uzbekiston SSR Ministrlar Soveti).The organs of<br />

local government are the Soviets of people’s deputies from regions (oblast), districts<br />

(raion), towns (shahar), townships ( poselka), villages (qishloq), and encampments<br />

(ovul ), elected for two and a half years.Thirty-two deputies from<br />

Uzbekistan, and eleven deputies from Karakalpakistan are elected to the Soviet<br />

of Nationalities (Millatlar Soveti) of the Supreme Sovet of the USSR....The<br />

pivot (özak) of the republic’s governmental and social organisms is the guiding<br />

and leading force of Soviet society, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union<br />

and one of its advance platoons (avangard otryadlaridan biri), the Communist Party<br />

of Uzbekistan.<br />

We have emphasized two clauses in the quoted summary, because<br />

they stand out for their special importance.The first states that the<br />

government of Uzbekistan functions on its territory except in those<br />

matters that pertain to the whole USSR; the principal matters in question<br />

were defense, finance, communications and transportation, and<br />

foreign affairs, all of which were centrally directed from Moscow.This<br />

alone shows how purely theoretical was Uzbekistan’s freedom to leave<br />

the Soviet Union.The second clause, “The pivot of the republic’s<br />

governmental and social organisms is the guiding and leading force of

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