THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY

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THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND
be discussed openly after the Glasnost era. Ermukhan Bekmakhanov’s
work about the Kazak history during the 1820s-1840s appeared first
in 1947. The second edition of the book in Russian appeared in 1992. A
Kazak translation of the book appeared only in 1994 in Almaty by the
“Sanat” publishing house. Many of the formerly suppressed matters
related to the national consciousness of the Kazak people began to
be shared with the public in the republic. The national tone in the
history writing and understanding as well as interpreting history became
stronger in the newly independent republic after the collapse
of the Soviet empire.
During the studying process of the work and life of Ermukhan Bekmakhanov
as a historian, it is important to pay attention to the Kazak
understanding and Kazak notion of public administration as well. An
evaluation of Bekmakhanov’s works solely from the Marxist theoretical
view point would not be a fair attempt to the culture, tradition, and
historical memory of the Kazak society. Bekmakhanov was conscious
of the dilemmas of Kazak society of the nineteenth century when he
wrote about the struggle of the late Khan of the Kazaks, Kenesary
Kasimuly. Principles of liberating the toiling masses and with the
propaganda of fraternity and equality of the oppressed people of the
earth according to the Soviet ideology had to go side-by-side with
the Kazak struggle of the nineteenth century against the imperialist
tsarist rule. There were many opposing points in existence within
the genuine principles of Kenesary Khan’s national spirit vis-à-vis
the above policies. Kenesary Khan was the symbolizing figure in the
unfortunate struggle of the Kazaks losing their ancestral land to the
landless Russian masses. 232 The legacy of Kenesary Khan was regarded
as a symbol of the Kazak national spirit not only for the Sovietized
Kazaks within the Soviet borders, but rather as a crusading effort for
Kazaks living outside the borders of Soviet Union. Kenesary Khan’s
struggle is also a proof for encountering those claims that ‘the Kazaks
did not have a state tradition’ in their history. It is rather a historic
obligation of Kenesary Khan, who was a genetic descendant of Chingis
Khan ruling the Kazak people for generations. He served to display
the Central Asian state tradition in the Kazak steppes.
According to Turkkaya Ataov, the famous historians Arnold Toynbee
in his study of history suggested that:
… (Toynbee) attests the ability to make real history to “creative
personalities,” the “geniuses”, the “superman,” the “superhuman” or
232 Sabol, Steven. “Kazak Resistance to Russian colonization: Interpreting the Kenesary
Kasymov Revolt (1837-1847), Central Asian Survey, Vol.22(2/3), (June/September 2003),
pp.231-252.