THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY

THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY 125
Zautis reported from the USSR Academy of Sciences, and S. İsmailov,
professors of history D. A. Baysov, A. P. Kauçkina, A. N. Bernştam, A.
F. Miller, M. P. Vyatkin, Doctor of Law S. L. Fuks, Doctor of Philology
B. Kenjebaev, the Artist N. T. Timofeyev, and candidates of doctor of
historical sciences A. F. Yakunin, A. A. Lurye, and E. Bekmakhanov joined
together to prepare the book. Famous researchers from Leningrad
to Moscow, and a small number of local researchers, together wrote
the history book from the ancient era to contemporary Kazakhstan
in 1943. 206 The reason why so few local scientists were included was
that there only a few were known and some were exiled by the Soviet
government in 1937-38 and forbidden to return and many were
fighting at various fronts during the war.
Bekmakhanov was in his twenties and had the ability for scientific
research. As a specialist, he helped the preeminent scholar of his time,
A. M. Pankratova. Despite the strict scrutiny received, the book was
critical as it related to the historical facts. According to some Kazakh
historians, during the book’s preparation process an argument about
the national struggle was released against the tsarist imperialist policy.
Bekmakhanov was commisioned to write about the 1837-1847 rebellion
under the leadership of Kenesarı Kasımov. This was his research
paper’s topic and accepted as the right person to undertake such a
study. 207 Bekmakhanov could not ignore the historical facts. He was
aware of the imperial exploitation and occupation policies explained
the reason behind the national struggle contributed to the Kazakh
population’s uprising. Kazakhs opposed the regime’s imperialistic
policies and that is why they supported Kenesarı’s rebellion, which
became Bekmakhanov’s argument in the monograph in his subsequent
works. However, this argument revealed Bekmakhanov as a bourgeois
nationalist and it stirred great debates about the subject.
Bekmakhanov started his education in the Tambov Higher, but later
registered in Voronezh Pedagogical Institute, where he met with
Halel Dosmuhamedov who was exiled from Kazakhstan to Voronezh
and was one of the leaders of Alash National Movement. 208 It seems
clear that Bekmakhanov’s meeting with H. Dosmuhammedov was
the starting point for him to investigate the Kenesarı incident and
to become a historian. Professor H. Dosmuhamedov produced a lot
206 Nurpeyisulu, K. “Tarihi Şındıktan Attap Öte Almagan”, Egemen Kazakistan, 8 April 1999;
İstoriya Kazahskoy SSR s Drevneyshikh Vremen Do Nashikh Dney, Editor. M. Abdıhalıkova
ve A.Pankratova. A-A, KazOGİZ, 1943. -671.
207 . Kazakistan Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanlık Arşivi. 141.fon, 1.liste, 1043 madde, 1 b.
208 KazUU Habarşısı. Tarih serisi, 2004. No2 (25). P. 6.