THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY

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THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND
sentative of the government, coordinating the work of the scientists
writing the Kazak history and was temporarily removed from his office
but maintained his salary. 9
Thus, Bekmakhanov was provided for the first scientifically written
history of Kazakhstan and had the opportunity to work with leading
historians of Russia as well. Russian and Kazakh historians began to
write together a book called “The History of the Kazakh SSR”. Bekmakhanov
was to write the volume of the book that dealt with Kenesary.
In this study, some important historians and writers of Kazakhstan
also participated, such as Alkey Margulan, Mukhtar Avezov, Esmagambet
Ismailov, and Beysembay Kenjegaliyev. The first 670 paged
history of Kazakh SSR, from the ancient times to the present, edited
by Pankratova and Muhammedzhan Abdihalykov, was published in the
summer 1943 in Almaty. This work was the first attempt to write a
comprehensive history of a country of the Soviet Union, besides those
written about Russia. 10 At the same time, it was the first comprehensive
Kazakh national history written in the modern sense.
Prof. Dr. Talas Omarbekov, a historian who emphasized that the work
was the basis for Kazakh scientific histories, said that Russification
policies of Tsarist Russia were openly criticized in this work in a way
no other publication before or after. 11 Histories of other Soviet republics
were to be written much later. For example, especially for Turkic
Soviet republics, Uzbekistan SSR History was published in 1955-1957,
Kyrgyzistan SSR History in 1956, Azerbaijan SSR History in 1958, and
Turkmenistan SSR History in 1959. 12
The History of the Kazakh SSR, published in 1943, had drawn all
attention in the Soviet Union since it was the first and because many
prominent historians from Moscow were among its writers. The book
was nominated for the Stalin prize and was also initially and positively
reviewed. For example, A. V. Piyakovskiy, a specialist on Central Asia,
said in review published in the a June 1943 edition of the newspaper
“Pravda” that the book was a major contribution to the Marxist-Le-
9 Sarseke, pp. 102-104.
10 Takenov, A., “Tariyhşı Ermukhan Bekmakhanov (Tariyhnamalıq Şoluv)”, Qazaqstan XIX
Gasırdıñ 20-40 Jıldarında, (E. Bekmakhanov), Almaty Sanat Publishing House 1994, p. 376.
(371-381); Bekmukhamedova, p. 6; Sarseke, pp. 105, 140-141.
11 Omarbekov, T. “Qazaq SSR-nın Ejelgi Davirden Büginge Deyingi Tariykhı” – Qazaqstannıñ
Ğılımıy Tariykhının Negizi”, Qazaq Elinin Tariykhı (Qazaq SSR-nın Ejelgi Davirden Büginge
Deyingi Tariykhı (Edition of 1943), Almaty, 2012, pp. 17.
12 Ağayev, pp. 97-98.