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Bashkiria (), also called Bashkortostan, Bashkurdistan, Lesser Bashkiria, or Autonomous Bashkiria, was a short-lived autonomous state which existed from 1917 to 1919, during the
Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
. Aligned with the
Russian State Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
, Bashkiria was attacked and later annexed by the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
, leading to its 1919 collapse and succession by the
Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, also historically known as Soviet Bashkiria or simply Bashkiria, was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR. ...
.


History

Following the
February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...
, nationalist sentiment began to foment within Bashkiria, leading to the creation of the in June 1917. The Bashkir Regional Bureau organised local councils, called ''shuros'', to ensure the expansion of Bashkir rights. Subsequently, in July and August 1917, the first and second were held in
Orenburg Orenburg (, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies in Eastern Europe, along the banks of the Ural River, being approximately southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is close to the ...
and Ufa, respectively, where a consensus was reached to create a "democratic republic on a national-territorial basis as part of federal Russia." Elected by the first and re-elected by the second All-Bashkir Qoroltay, the was established to organise a Bashkir delegation to the
Russian Constituent Assembly The All Russian Constituent Assembly () was a constituent assembly convened in Russia after the February Revolution of 1917. It met for 13 hours, from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m., , whereupon it was dissolved by the Bolshevik-led All-Russian Central Ex ...
. However, following the
October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...
, the process of establishing autonomy was significantly changed. On 11 November 1917, the Central Shuro confirmed the need for an autonomous Bashkiria. Four days later, Bashkir autonomy was declared by the Central Shuro. The declaration of autonomy was signed by Central Shuro chairman , deputy chairman
Zeki Velidi Togan Zeki Velidi Togan (, , ; 1890 – 1970 in Istanbul), was a Turkish- Bashkir historian, Turkologist, and leader of the Bashkir revolutionary and liberation movement, doctor of philosophy (1935), professor, honorary doctor of the University of Man ...
, and secretary
Shaikhzada Babich Shaikhzada Muhametzakirovich Babich (; ; 14 January 1895 – 28 March 1919) was a Bashkir poet, writer and playwright. He is considered a classic author of Bashkir national literature. He was a member of the Bashkir national liberation movemen ...
, as well as the heads of the Central Shuro's six departments. The resolution stated, "The Bashkir Regional Council declares the Bashkir territory of the
Orenburg Orenburg (, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies in Eastern Europe, along the banks of the Ural River, being approximately southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is close to the ...
, Ufa,
Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...
and
Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places * Perm, Russia, a city in Russia **Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 ** Perm Governorate, an administr ...
governorates from this 15 November an autonomous part of the Russian Republic." Local government, including railways, troops, and post offices, were taken over by the government of Bashkiria. According to the resolution of the All-Bashkir Qoroltay on 20 December 1917, an independent army, named simply the , was established under the leadership of Zeki Velidi Togan. An independent judiciary was also established in Bashkiria in accordance with the resolutions of the Qoroltay, with laws based on those of the Russian Republic. In cases evolving only Bashkirs, laws by the Central Shuro and , the legislature of Bashkiria, were to be used. The prospect of land reform was also considered, with the All-Bashkir Qoroltay declaring that all citizens of the region had a right to own land. The Main Department of Agriculture and Property was created as a state fund to manage land interests. In the village of
Yelpachikha Yelpachikha () is a rural locality (a selo) and the administrative center of Yelpachikhinskoye Rural Settlement, Bardymsky District, Perm Krai Perm Krai (, ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a Krais of Russia, kra ...
, a local Bashkir council was formed, only for its members to be killed by
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
forces shortly after its establishment. Relations continued to decline between the Bashkirs and Bolsheviks, despite a statement by
Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...
describing the Bashkir movement as "not counter-revolutionary" and "quite natural and very necessary." Following the capture of Orenburg by the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
, the Central Shuro at first chose to work with the Bolsheviks, declaring neutrality in the Russian Civil War, and adopted its own constitution, the , which declared, among other things, the status of the
Bashkir language Bashkir ( , ) or Bashkort (, ) is a Turkic languages, Turkic language belonging to the Kipchak languages, Kipchak branch. It is official language#Political alternatives, co-official with Russian language, Russian in Bashkortostan. Bashkir has ap ...
as the sole official language. On 26 February 1918, the Bashkir government declared to work alongside the Bolsheviks. Tensions, however, remained high. Following the arrests of several government members by the Bolsheviks, a group of Bashkir youth from the formed their own government body, the , submitted a resolution "On the Autonomy of Bashkiria", and submitted it to the
People's Commissariat for Nationalities The People's Commissariat of Nationalities of the RSFSR (, ''Narodny komissariat po delam natsional'nostey RSFSR''), abbreviated NKNats () or Narkomnats (), an organization functioning from 1917 to 1924 in the early Soviet period of Russian and So ...
for approval. At first, it was approved, and the publishing of Bashkir-language texts began. However, only shortly after its establishment, the PRCB was abolished by Orenburg Oblast Executive Committee following condemnations of national autonomy, with the PRCB being explicitly compared to the Central Shuro. By March 1918, the situation had reached a breaking point. Independent Bashkir regiments had begun clashing with the Red Army, and two members of the government (Gabdulla Idebayev and Gimran Magazov) were executed by the Bolsheviks. The
Red Guards The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...
actively conducted attacks on Bashkirs and seized weapons. On 3–4 April 1918, Bashkir military commander , with assistance from
Orenburg Cossacks The Orenburg Cossack Host () was a part of the Cossack population in pre-revolutionary Russia, located in the Orenburg province (today's Orenburg Oblast, part of the Chelyabinsk Oblast and Bashkortostan). History After having constructed for ...
, besieged the prison where the Bashkir government was held, leading to their release. Four days later, in Soviet-controlled Ufa, a secret meeting of Bashkir leaders was held at which it was determined to fight the Bolsheviks. By late May 1918, the autonomy of Bashkiria had been completely restored with the assistance of the
Czechoslovak Legion The Czechoslovak Legion ( Czech: ''Československé legie''; Slovak: ''Československé légie'') were volunteer armed forces consisting predominantly of Czechs and Slovaks fighting on the side of the Entente powers during World War I and the ...
. On 1 June 1918, a letter, titled "Appeal of the Bashkir government to the people", was published, calling for armed resistance to the Red Army. was elected as interim chairman of the Central Shuro. Links were established with the government of the
Russian State Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
, Provisional Siberian Government,
Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly The Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly () was an anti-Bolshevik government that operated in Samara, Russia, during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It formed on June 8, 1918, after the Czechoslovak Legion had occupied the cit ...
(Komuch), and the Orenburg Cossacks. Among their most prominent supporters was
Alexander Dutov Alexander Ilyich Dutov (; – 7 February 1921) was a Russian Cossack ataman and lieutenant general who led the Orenburg Cossacks in a revolt against the Bolsheviks. Biography Dutov was born in Kazalinsk in Syr-Darya Oblast (now Kazaly ...
, ataman of the Orenburg Cossacks. From 15 to 17 May 1918, a meeting of representatives from Bashkiria and the
Alash Autonomy The Alash Autonomy, also known as Alash Orda, was an unrecognized Kazakh proto-state located in Central Asia and was part of the Russian Republic, and then Soviet Russia. The Alash Autonomy was founded in 1917 by Kazakh elites, and disestabli ...
was held in the city of
Kostanay Kostanay or Qostanai (, , rus, Костанай, p=kəstɐˈnaj) is a city located on the Tobol River in northern Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of the Kostanay Region. As of 24 March 2022, the city's governor is Marat Zhundubay ...
, where discussions of forming a joint movement against the Bolsheviks were held. In a subsequent meeting in Samara, which also included Central Asian governments, it was decided to establish a Federation of Southeastern Muslim Regions, as part of a "Union of Eastern Russia" including Central Asia, the Alash Autonomy, Bashkiria, Siberia, Komuch, and the Orenburg and
Ural Cossacks The Ural Cossack Host was a cossack host formed from the Ural Cossacks – those Eurasian cossacks settled by the Ural River. Their alternative name, Yaik Cossacks, comes from the old name of the river. They were also known by the names: * ...
. It was additionally planned to unite the militaries of the Alash Autonomy and Bashkiria in a single army. However, these agreements were never implemented. From 8 to 23 September 1918, a
State Meeting in Ufa The State Conference in Ufa (also known as the Ufa State Conference, the Ufa Conference) which took place on September 8–23, 1918, in the city of Ufa in southern Russia (now the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia) was the mos ...
was held, where members of the Bashkir movement met with other anti-Bolshevik forces as part of the Russian State. However, subsequent moves by
Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...
, including the forcible dissolution of the Bashkir Army and the transfer of its units to the Orenburg Cossacks, obliged the government of Bashkiria to engage in negotiates with Bolshevik forces. A 16 February 1919 resolution by the Central Shuro affirmed the willingness of the government to work with the Bolsheviks, furthermore declaring war on the Russian State, the Orenburg Cossacks, and "all world imperialists." Additional negotiations followed, leading to the agreement between the Soviet and Bashkir governments on autonomy on 20 March 1919. Bashkiria became the
Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, also historically known as Soviet Bashkiria or simply Bashkiria, was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR. ...
, with recognition granted to the 1917–1919 government of Bashkiria as a historical entity.


Government


Legislature

The legislature of Bashkiria was the (). Qualifications for membership were that candidates were at least 22 years old, and the ability for both men and women, as well as non-
Bashkirs The Bashkirs ( , ) or Bashkorts (, ; , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Russia. They are concentrated in Bashkortostan, a Republics of Russia, republic of the Russian Federation and in the broader historical region of B ...
to hold office, was clearly laid out. The term of office for members of the Kese Qoroltay was three years. The first session of the Kese Qoroltay was chosen by the All-Bashkir Qoroltays, and consisted of 22 members (one member per 100,000 people).


Executive

The executive branch of the government was represented by the
government of Bashkiria The Bashkir Government (Government of Bashkiria, Government of Bashkurdistan) was the supreme executive authority of Bashkiria (1917–1919), Bashkiria.Salavat KasimovBashkir Government // Bashkir Encyclopedia / Editor-in-Chief Marat Ilgamov – U ...
and the Bashkir Central Shuro. Both the government of Bashkiria and the Kese Qoroltay were originally headquartered in the
Orenburg Caravanserai The Orenburg Caravanserai () is a mosque, historical and architectural complex in Orenburg. It is a cultural monument of the Bashkir people. The caravanserai was built in 1837–1846 with donations as a place for the Office of the Bashkir-mesher ...
. As fighting intensified in Bashkiria, however, Bashkir forces were forced to withdraw to
Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk; , is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, seventh-largest city in Russia, with a population ...
, held by the Czechoslovak Legion.


Administrative-territorial division

The administrative-territorial division of Bashkurdistan was determined at the II All-Bashkir Constituent Kurultai (Congress), which was held in Orenburg on December 8-20, 1917, considered the borders of autonomous Bashkurdistan and approved autonomy. the representative kurultai decided to approve autonomy within the borders of Little Bashkiria, and 9 cantons were created on its territory instead of counties — Burzyan-Tangaurovsky, Jitirovsky, Baryn-Tabynsky, Ichkin-Kataysky, Kipchak, Kuvakan, Tamyan-Kataysky, Tok-Churansky, Usergansky, which were divided into 75 volosts 758]. During the occupation by the Whites, Little Bashkiria was formally considered an autonomy and consisted of 13 cantons. In fact, the territory was governed not only by the Bashkir, but also by the Siberian government, the Commander and ataman Dutov, with the help of the former system of county administrations, consisting of Russian officials


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bashkiria (1917-1919) 1917 establishments in Russia 1919 disestablishments in Russia History of Bashkortostan Post–Russian Empire states States and territories established in 1917 States and territories disestablished in 1919 History of Chelyabinsk Oblast History of Orenburg Oblast History of Perm Krai History of Samara Oblast