“Alash” movement and Kazakh national idea of the early ХХ century

Abstract

The beginning of the XX century in the history of Kazakhstan is a period saturated with various events and political changes. One of the key issues in the history of the national liberation movement is the formation of the “Alash” party, its historical foundations, political and social character and place in history. Kazakh intellectuals tried to create a political party during the first Russian Revolution. The “Alash” movement was a political force that took care of the people during the turbulent times in the country. In this regard, this article
explores the formation of Alash from a liberal-democratic party to autonomy. Covering the facts and events in the history of Alash, the author focuses on the actual problems of organizational-political, socio-economic, cultural activities of the leaders and structures of the movement from the inception to the final stage. The author of the article conducts a detailed historical analysis of all stages of the “Alash” movement, in parallel revealing the political situation in the country as a whole, noting the attitude of Alash figures to the ongoing
changes, their position. Attention is paid to the relationship between the leaders of the “Alash” movement and the Bolsheviks on the political reorganization of the country after the overthrow of tsarist power. Also, the article considers the role of the city of Semey, which gave a passionary impetus to the “Alash” movement. The author analyzes the history and reasons for the Alash leaders’ choice of Semey as the capital of the Alash autonomy