55
especially Russian Moslems inside the borders of Russia. “The years 1904 and 1905
were exceptionally difficult for the Russian empire. In 1904 the empire, apparently
strong and victorious, was defeated by Japan. This defeat was significant not only for
Russia, but also the world: it was the first time for many centuries that a conquering
power the Christian West had collapsed before a non-white people”.
140
The idea of
independence awakened among Russian Muslims after that defeat. For them,
defeating
Russia became possible now, even by an eastern nation. The cult of
Russian glory and superiority ceased, and this situation was a forerunner of difficult
days for Tsardom. Nikolai Petrovich Ostroumov
141
(1846-1930) an educationalist in
Turkestan and editor of Turkistan Wilayatining Gazeti from 1883 – 1917, Central
Asian students had visited Russia to see the imperial glory and power, but the visits
ceased suddenly just after the defeat against Japan. The defeat of Russia by an
eastern power encouraged Central Asian Muslims to escape from Russian
domination. Russia lost its efficiency and glory in the eyes of Muslim communities.
Moreover, 1905 Revolution encouraged the increase of national consciousness
more
.
142
The second important event in Russia was 1905
Revolution, as a result, its
spreading influence in Central Asia. The Revolution of 1905
brought constitutional
monarchy, establishment of the State Duma, a multiparty system and declaration of
Russian constitution of 1906 to Tsarist Russia. The Monarchy’s mandates and power
were restrained. Although there were not local regional partners of 1905
Revolutionists in both Turkestan and Bukhara, this was an important occasion which
140
Carrere D’Encausse, Hèlene, trans.,
Islam and the Russian Empire Reform and Revolution in
Central Asia
, (London: I.B.Tauris-Co Ltd, 1966), 71.
141
Nikolai Petrovich Ostroumov was an educationalist in Central Asia. He studied Arabic, Turkic
languages and Islam. He arrived in Tashkent in 1877 as an inspector of Russian schools in Central
Asia. He served as a director of Turkestan Teacher’s College. Then he was appointed as the editor of
Turkistan Wilayatining Gazeti by General Kaufman. He served in his new job under the governorate
general of Kaufman and Charniev till 1917.
142
Allworth, Edward et al.,
Central Asia: A Century of Russian Rule
, ed. Edward Allworth, (New
York: Columbia University Press, 1967), 178-179.
56
would display its effects in the next period. “The indigenous Turkestani population
took no part in the revolutionary unrest of the years 1905-7, though in the guberniya
this took the form of extremely violent clashes. In Turkestan, revolutionary
developments were helped by the presence of deported Russian social democrats”.
143
These
social democrats, being exiled in Turkestan by Tsarist administration,
organized the Russian railroad workers in the region and enabled the revolution to
spread to the whole empire. Although Russian 1905 Revolution did not influence
Turkestani reformists to move, 1906 Revolution in Persia and especially 1908
Revolution in Turkey had more influence upon them. The importance of 1905
Revolution and Russian defeat in war of 1904 caused the weakness of Tsarist
administration thus power vacuum in both Turkestan and Bukhara.
These factors
reflected in the region as revolts of peasants and increase of Jadids’ activities and
reform demands.
Firstly, the indigenous peasants, who lost their lands and water rights to
Russian settlers and were disturbed about being used as cheap labor, and the nomadic
Turkic tribes revolted against Russian administration in 1916
on the eve of the
Revolutions. Although this revolt did not have any nationalist tendency, instead,
included economic reasons; it was important to be the most effective one among
other revolts since the 1868, especially regarding the size of the peasant, villager and
nomadic rebellions increased after 1905. The great revolt of 1916 was caused by
Tsarist policies in terms of economy and military. The Turkestani people, who had
been exempted from military service for years, were forced to
attend as workers in
fronts. “The immediate cause of the great rebellion of 1916 was the Imperial Decree
of June 25 calling up non-Russians for labour duties in rear of the Russian forces
143
Carrere D’Encausse, Hèlene, trans.,
Islam and the Russian Empire Reform and Revolution in
Central Asia,
(London: I.B.Tauris-Co Ltd, 1966), 72
57
engaged in the First World War. The quotas set were 250.000 workers from
Turkistan and 243.000 from the four oblasts of the Steppe Region”.
144
Besides,
enforcing the peasants and villagers to specialize in only cotton agriculture against
grain caused Central Asians to suffer from starvation and scarcity during the war
period. These economic factors became basic reasons for revolts. Secondly, the
reformists, conducting their
secret activities underground, began emerging to the
arena and had more nationalist feeling than peasant revolts. The reform winds from
Persia and Turkey were successful examples and guides for their aims. These two
movements combined after the 1917 Revolutions and especially the expansion of
Soviet rule in the whole region. It was possible to see this in the cooperation of
Basmachi forces and Bukharan Jadids in the early 1920s. For that reason, the two
events, 1904 defeat and 1905 Revolution, were milestones on the way of national
awakening of local people and Young Bukharans’ struggle.
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