Dinmukhamed Akhmetuly "Dimash" Kunaev (also spelled Kunayev; kk, Дінмұхаммед (Димаш) Ахметұлы Қонаев, Dınmūhammed (Dimaş) Ahmetūly Qonaev, russian: Динмухаме́д Ахме́дович (Минлиахмедович) Куна́ев, Dinmukhamed Akhmedovich (Minliakhmedovich) Kunaev; – 22 August 1993) was a
Kazakh Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
communist politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
[Vronskaya, Jeanne (24 August 1993]
"Obituary: Dinmukhamed Kunayev"
''The Independent'' London, Gazette Section, p. 18. who served as the
First Secretary of the
Communist Party of Kazakhstan
The Communist Party of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Коммунистік партиясы, ''Qazaqstan Kommunistık Partiasy'', QKP; russian: Коммунистическая партия Казахстана) is a banned political pa ...
.
Early life
Origins
His grandfather was Zhumabai (kaz. Jumabai) (–1912). His father, Minliakhmed (Akhmed) Zhumabaievich (
kaz. Meŋlıahmed Jumabaiūly) (1886–1976), was literate, worked in
agricultural and
trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...
organizations of the
Alma-Ata oblast and could write in both
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and
Kazakh well. His mother, Zaure Baiyrovna Kunaeva (née Shynbolatova (Chimbulatova)) (
kaz. Zaure Baiypqyzy Qonaeva) (1888—1973), was born in a poor family in the
Shelek
Shelek ( kk, Шелек, ''Şelek''), formerly Chilik, is a town in Almaty Region of south-eastern Kazakhstan. Administrative center of Shelek rural district. It is located about 69 km north-east of the center of Esik. The KATO code is 19408 ...
aul
An aul (; ce, oil; russian: аул) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Central Asia.
The word itself is of Turkic origin and simply means ''village'' in many Turkic languages. Auyl ( kk, Ауы ...
,
Almaty oblast. They lived together for 70 years. There are claims that Kunaev might possibly come from the oiyq branch of the
Ysty tribe,
Senior juz
A ''zhuz'' ( kz, ٴجۇز , Жүз, translit=Jüz, , also translated as " horde") is one of the three main territorial and tribal divisions in the Kypchak Plain area that covers much of the contemporary Kazakhstan. It represents the main tribal d ...
. In his "From Stalin to Gorbachev" book, he mentioned that his "ancestors comes from the Baidıbek,
jigit
''Jigit'' (also spelled as ''Dzhigit'', ''yigit'', ''zhigit'' or ''igid'') is a word used in the North Caucasus and Central Asia to describe a skillful and brave equestrian, or a brave person in general. The word is of Turkic origin.Great Soviet ...
of the
Senior juz
A ''zhuz'' ( kz, ٴجۇز , Жүз, translit=Jüz, , also translated as " horde") is one of the three main territorial and tribal divisions in the Kypchak Plain area that covers much of the contemporary Kazakhstan. It represents the main tribal d ...
". According to the official biography, he is ethnically Kazakh and his ancestors were hunters, that lived on the coasts of
Ili (river)
The Ili ( ug, ئىلى دەرياسى, Ili deryasi, Ili dəryasi, 6=Или Дәряси; kk, Ile, ; russian: Или; zh, c=伊犁河, p=Yīlí Hé, dng, Йили хә, Xiao'erjing: اِلِ حْ; mn, Ил, literally "Bareness") is a river sit ...
and
Kürtı rivers of the
Balkhash District in the
aul
An aul (; ce, oil; russian: аул) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Central Asia.
The word itself is of Turkic origin and simply means ''village'' in many Turkic languages. Auyl ( kk, Ауы ...
Bakanas. Kunaev, the son of a Kazakh clerk, was born at Verny, now
Almaty, and grew up in a middle-income family.
Rise to power
After finishing the Almaty №14th secondary school in 1930, he studied in the Institute of Non-Ferrous and Fine Metallurgy in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
in 1936, which enabled him to become a machine operator. By 1939 he had become engineer-in-chief of the Pribalkhashatroi mine, and joined the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), a condition of the position.
Kunaev was deputy chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Kazakh SSR from April 1942 to 1946. In this post, during the years of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he conducted significant work on the deployment and commissioning of enterprises and factories evacuated to Kazakhstan from the front-line areas of the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, as well as mobilising and training the republic's human reserves and soldiers for the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
.
From 1946 to 1952, he was deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the
Kazakh SSR
; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы)
*1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы)
, linking_name = the ...
. In 1952, he was elected President of the
Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR, which under his leadership conducted scientific research with the aim of developing and improving industry and agriculture, and the more efficient use of Kazakhstan's natural resources.
He served in this post until 1955, when he became Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR.
Kunaev's rise in Communist Party ranks had been closely tied to that of
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and ...
's. In February 1954,
Khrushchev appointed
Panteleymon Ponomarenko as the first secretary of the
Communist Party of Kazakhstan
The Communist Party of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Коммунистік партиясы, ''Qazaqstan Kommunistık Partiasy'', QKP; russian: Коммунистическая партия Казахстана) is a banned political pa ...
, and Leonid Brezhnev as the second secretary. Soon, Kunaev and Brezhnev developed a close friendship which lasted until the death of Brezhnev.
Brezhnev soon became the first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1955 and a member of CPSU Politburo in 1956. When Brezhnev left Kazakhstan in 1956,
Ivan Iakovlev became the First Secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party (and was succeeded by
Nikolai Belyaev). On 19 January 1960, Kunaev was elected 1st Secretary of the
Communist Party of Kazakhstan
The Communist Party of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Коммунистік партиясы, ''Qazaqstan Kommunistık Partiasy'', QKP; russian: Коммунистическая партия Казахстана) is a banned political pa ...
.
First Secretary
As First Secretary, Kunaev was an ardent supporter of the
Virgin Lands campaign, which opened millions of hectares of lands in central Kazakhstan to agricultural development and caused a large influx of Russian immigrants into Kazakhstan. However, in 1962 he was dismissed from his position as he disagreed with Khrushchev's plans to incorporate some lands in Southern Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan.
Ismail Yusupov
Ismail Abdurasulovich Yusupov (Uyghur: ئىسمايىل يۈسۈپ, kk, Ысмайыл Юсупов: (12 May 1914 – 16 May 2005) was a member of the Uyghur minority and a Soviet Communist from 1962 to 1964 and in that era he was first secre ...
, a supporter of the plan, replaced Kunaev.
After his dismissal as First Secretary, he was Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR until 1964, when he became first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan again in 1964 when Khrushchev was ousted and replaced by Brezhnev. He kept his position for twenty-two more years.
[Drexel, John (1991) "Kunayev, Dinmukhamed Akhmedovich (1912– )" ''The Facts on File Encyclopedia of the Twentieth Century'' Facts on File, New York, ] He was an alternate member of the
Politburo from 1967, and a full member from 1971 to 1987.
During Kunaev's long rule, Kazakhs occupied prominent positions in the bureaucracy, economy and educational institutions. In 1984, Kunaev made
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. However, at the sixteenth session of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in January 1986, Nazarbayev criticized Askar Kunayev, President of the
Academy of Sciences
An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unit ...
for not reforming his department.
Dinmukhamed Kunayev, Nazarbayev's boss and Askar's brother, felt deeply angered and betrayed. Kunayev went to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
and demanded Nazarbayev's dismissal while Nazarbayev's supporters campaigned for Kunayev's dismissal and Nazarbayev's promotion.
However, this did not go well for Kunaev, who saw his brother dismissed as President of the
Academy of Sciences
An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unit ...
(and succeeded by
Murat Aitkhozhin), as well as seeing Nazarbaev keep his position as Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Soon D. A. Kunaev himself was dismissed, as he was removed from office under pressure from
Mikhail Gorbachev, who accused him of corruption.
["Memorial plaque put up in Alma-Ata for ex-communist boss" ''ITAR-TASS news agency: BBC Summary of World Broadcasts'' British Broadcasting Company (16 January 1995)] On 16 December 1986 the Politburo replaced him with
Gennady Kolbin
Gennady Vasilyevich Kolbin (; 7 May 1927 – 15 January 1998) was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR from 16 December 1986 to 22 June 1989.
Early life
Kolbin was born in 1927 in Nizhny Tagil. Fr ...
, who had never lived in the Kazakh SSR before. The decision set off three days of street rioting in Almaty, between 16 and 18 December 1986 – which were the first signs of ethnic strife during Gorbachev's tenure. In modern Kazakhstan, this revolt is called
Jeltoqsan
, partof = Dissolution of the Soviet Union
, image =
, caption =
, date = 16–19 December 1986
, place = Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
, coordinates =
, map_type =
, latitude =
, longitude =
, ...
(meaning December in
Kazakh).
In January 1987, D. A. Kunaev was removed from the
Politburo of the
Central Committee of the CPSU
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, – TsK KPSS was the executive leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, acting between sessions of Congress. According to party statutes, the committee directe ...
, and in June 1987 from the
Central Committee of the CPSU
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, – TsK KPSS was the executive leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, acting between sessions of Congress. According to party statutes, the committee directe ...
.
After the resignation, he lived in his hometown of Alma-Ata. He died in the evening of 22 August 1993 in the village of Akshi,
Alakol district
Alakol District ( kk, Алакөл ауданы, ) is a district of Jetisu Region in Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Usharal. Population:
The Tunkuruz Hydroelectric Power Plant is located in the district.
...
of Almaty region as a result of a heart attack. He was buried on 25 August 1993 at the Kensai cemetery in the city of Alma-Ata.
Positions of power
Leadership Positions
* Deputy chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Kazakh SSR (1942–46)
* Deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the
Kazakh SSR
; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы)
*1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы)
, linking_name = the ...
(1946–52)
* President of the
Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR (1952–55)
* Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR (1955–60, 1962–64)
* 1st Secretary of the
Communist Party of Kazakhstan
The Communist Party of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Коммунистік партиясы, ''Qazaqstan Kommunistık Partiasy'', QKP; russian: Коммунистическая партия Казахстана) is a banned political pa ...
(1960–62, 1964–86)
Political Positions
* Deputy of the
Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR of the 2nd–11th conventions (1947–89)
* Delegate to the
XIX-XXVII Congresses of the CPSU (1952–1986)
* Deputy of the
Supreme Soviet of the USSR
The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...
of the 4th–11th conventions (1954–89)
* Member of the
Central Committee of the CPSU
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, – TsK KPSS was the executive leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, acting between sessions of Congress. According to party statutes, the committee directe ...
(1956–87)
*
Candidate-Member of the 23rd Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU (1966–71)
*
Full Member of the 24th–27th Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU (1971–87)
Achievements
Under D. A. Kunaev, a significant economic upswing in Kazakh SSR was achieved, the industrial potential of the republic increased significantly (mainly due to the mining, raw materials industries and the energy sector serving them) and agriculture (the annual famous “billion pounds” of grain was produced many times). In his book "From Stalin to Gorbachev" (1994), Kunaev himself referred to the data of the USSR State Statistics Committee, and he describes in detail his contribution to the development of living standards and the rise of the economy of the Kazakh SSR. By the end of Kunaev's time in power, compared with 1955, the economic potential of the
Kazakh SSR
; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы)
*1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы)
, linking_name = the ...
increased by seven times, the standard of living, industry, production rose to a historic maximum, and the Kazakh SSR became the third largest economy in the Soviet Union (after the
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
and
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
). For great services to the development of the economy and the standard of living in the country, he was very popular among the Kazakh people and many still call the Kunaev era as the "Golden Age of Kazakhstan" to this day.
Awards
Soviet
Foreign
Legacy
Kunaev spent the last years of his life in charitable activity, establishing the 'Dinmukhamed Kunaev Foundation', one of whose purposes was the support of political reform in Kazakhstan.
* In
Almaty, a bust is installed in the square of his name. Also, his bust is in Taraz and in the village of Tortkol.
* Streets in a number of cities in Kazakhstan – in Almaty (
Kunaev street),
Taraz
Taraz ( kz, Тараз, تاراز, translit=Taraz ; known to Europeans as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the border with Kyrgyzs ...
,
Taldykorgan
Taldykorgan ( kk, Талдықорған/Taldyqorğan; russian: Талдыкорган), known as ''Taldy-Kurgan'' until 1993, is the capital (called an administrative center) of Zhetysu Region, Kazakhstan. According to the 2010 Kazakh Census Res ...
,
Ekibastuz
Ekibastuz ( kk, Екібастұз, translit=Ekıbastūz, , ەكئباستۇز; russian: Экибастуз) is a city in Pavlodar Region, northeastern Kazakhstan. The population was Ekibastuz is served by Ekibastuz Airport.
History
The history ...
and the central street in the new administrative center of
Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...
.
* In
Uralsk, a
microdistrict
Microdistrict, or microraion (russian: микрорайо́н, ''mikrorajón''), is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former Socialist st ...
is named after Kunaev.
* In
Shymkent
Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is one ...
, a boulevard (former Alma-Ata Avenue and former Stepnaya Street) is named after D. A. Kunaev.
* The main street and the square of the city of
Usharal is named after D. A. Kunaev. Also in the central square is a monument to D. A. Kunaev.
* The Eurasian Law Academy in Almaty is named after Kunaev.
* The
Kunaev Home Museum (117 Tulebaev St.), opened in 2002 to the 90th anniversary of D. A. Kunaev.
* In Almaty, the Institute of Mining bears his name.
* As of March 2022, city
Kapshagai
Konaev ( kk, Қонаев; russian: Конаев), previously known as Kapchagay ( kk, Қапчағай, links=no; russian: Капшагай, links=no or ), is a city with the Almaty Region of Kazakhstan. It is located on the Ili River, and h ...
is planned to be renamed after Kunaev.
* In May 2022, in the village of Bakanas, Almaty region of Kazakhstan, a monument to Kunaev was opened for the 110th anniversary.
* On May 20, 2022, a mural depicting statesman Dinmukhamed Kunaev appeared in Almaty. The author is Adilzhan Musa.
* On August 13, 2022, a monument to statesman Dinmukhamed Kunayev was unveiled in
Taraz
Taraz ( kz, Тараз, تاراز, translit=Taraz ; known to Europeans as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the border with Kyrgyzs ...
.
References
External links
''Kazakhstan: Seven Year Plan for Prosperity''by Dinmukhamed Kunayev
Commemorative Coin – 100 years anniversary of Konayev's birth*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunaev, Dinmukhamed
1912 births
1993 deaths
Heroes of Socialist Labour
Party leaders of the Soviet Union
People from Almaty
People from Semirechye Oblast
Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
First Secretaries of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan
Eleventh convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Tenth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Ninth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Eighth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Seventh convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Sixth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union
Fifth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
Fourth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of Georgi Dimitrov
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Recipients of the Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR"
Heads of government of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic