Category: Colonization and Imperialism
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History in 5ish Minutes: Frunze’s Strategy Against the Basmachi
Learn about the five tactics Red Army General Mikhail Frunze used against the Basmachi. If you enjoyed this episode, please donate to our Patreon Help Pakistan Page Help Puerto Rico Page Resources “The Basmachi or Freemen’s Revolt in Turkestan 1918-1924 by Martha B. Olcott “Revolution in the Borderlands: The Case of Central Asia in a […]
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Russian Colonialism in Central Asia 1860-1890
Russia and Central Asia have a long, intertwined history that altered between coexistence and conflict. The Russians didn’t start expanding eastwards until the 1500s and they didn’t ’t really consider invading the region until the 1700s and even then, it’s contained to the Steppe lands. We don’t really see engagements with major Central Asian powers […]
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Episode 42-The Russian Civil War: Frunze vs the Basmachi 1920-1921
After disbanding the Musburo and overthrowing the Emirs of Khiva and Bukhara, Frunze has one more enemy to eliminate before communism can take hold in Central Asia: the Basmachi. Learn how Frunze created an counter-insurgency strategy against the Basmachi while dealing with mountain warfare, a ragtag army, and a region wracked with famine and sectarian […]
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Russian Civil War: Central Power POWs, Indian Revolutionaries, and British Agents, Oh My!
Central Power POWs Before the Russian Revolution, Russia was at war with the Central Powers during WWI and by 1917, had captured approximately 2.4 million prisoners from its eastern front alone. When considering all of their fronts, it is estimated they captured 8 million prisoners in total. These prisoners were held all over the Russian […]
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The Russian Civil War: Enter Mikhail Frunze and the Fall of the Last Emirs in Central Asia 1920-1921
From 1917 to 1919, Central Asia was cut off from Moscow and the Red Army. This allowed events in the Steppe and Turkestan to take their own course with a regionalized flavor. Beginning in 1919, that all ended with the defeat of the White Army in the Kazakh Steppe, the absorption of the Alash Orda […]
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Episode 41-The Russian Civil War: Enter Mikhail Frunze and the Fall of the Last Emirs in Central Asia 1920-1921
General Mikhail Frunze has arrived in Turkestan and identified the Musburo and the two Emirs of Khiva and Bukhara as threats to Communism. But can he win a war with the Emirs when facing an insurgency and famine? If you enjoyed this episode, please donate to our Patreon Link to resources to Fight for Reproductive […]
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Episode 40-Russian Civil War: Central Power POWs , Indian Revolutionaries, and British Agents, Oh My!
Join us as we discuss the fate of Central POWs in Turkestan, what Indian Revolutionaries were doing in Tashkent, and how the British attempted to continue their Great Game spy adventures during the Russian Civil War. If you enjoyed this episode, please donate to our Patreon Transcript Stand with Ukraine Resource Page Help Trans People […]
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Episode 38-Turar Risqulov: A Kazakh Revolutionary Leader
Turar Risqulov: mighty intellectual, leader of the Musburo, and a powerful Kazakh member of the Soviet Union. He was betrayed by the very ideology he supported, and executed along with others like him because their nationalistic legacy threatened an insecure Stalin. Learn about how he tried to save Turkestan during a Russian Civil War, his […]
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Episode 37-the Russian Civil War the Musburo: Creating a Muslim Nationalist-Communist Cadre in Turkestan, 1919
Kobozev arrived in Turkestan in 1918 and tried to bring order to the region. Facing resistance from the Russian Settlers, he turned to the Muslim population and created different political and governmental opportunities for them. One such opportunity was the Central Bureau of Muslim Communist Organizations of Turkestan (the Musburo). However, when the Muslims start […]
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Episode 29-The Kokand Autonomy
In November 1917, the Muslim modernizers of Turkestan came together to create the Kokand Autonomy. But how can people with no governing experience govern a region racked by ethnic violence and famine while their neighbors, the Tashkent Soviet, are planning an all out assault? If you enjoyed this episode, please donate to our Patreon Donate […]
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The Russian Revolution and the Khivan Khanate
Introduction Last week we talked about the Russian Revolution and Central Asia, but we limited it to the urban areas of Turkestan and the Bukharan Emirate. Today, we’ll be discussing how Russia’s other protectorate, the Khiva Khanate, responded to the fall of the Tsars. Khiva Under Russian Rule 1880-1916 As we discussed in our episode […]
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The Basmachi
We’ve spent considerable time exploring how the Russian Revolution affected Central Asia from several different perspectives. So far, we’ve talked about the Russian Settlers, the Alash Orda, the Jadids, and the Bukharan and Khivan Emirs. You may be thinking, that’s plenty of peoples and we’re ready to move onto 1918, but we have one more […]
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The Russian Revolution and Central Asia-1917
When we last discussed Central Asia, they were in the midst of the 1916 Revolt, which is now seen as the harbinger of the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil Wars. Today we’ll discuss how the Russian Revolution affected Central Asia. Russian Revolution in Russia February Revolution 1917 is an odd year for Russia, because […]
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The Russian Revolution and the Alash Orda-1917
Listen to our episode above or read our blog post version of our episode below: It’s 1917 and Central Asia is adjusting to a Tsarless reality. To briefly recap, because a lot has already happened and it’s about to get even more complicated: Russian settlers created the Tashkent Soviet in the city, Tashkent. It is […]
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Book Review: Lost Enlightenment by S. Frederick Starr and Polymaths of Islam by James Pickett
Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane by S. Frederick Starr, published by Princeton University Press, 2013 Polymaths of Islam: Power and Networks of Knowledge in Central Asia by James Pickett, published by Cornell University Press, 2020 I enjoyed both books and would highly recommend them to anyone interested in […]
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Episode 25-The Russian Revolution and Central Asia
Did you ever wonder how the Russian Revolution affected Central Asia? This episode discusses how the various political factions in Central Asia-the Jadids, Alash Orda, the Ulama, and the Russian Settlers-responded to the fall of the Tsar and the rise of the Bolsheviks. If you enjoyed this episode, please donate to our Patreon If you […]
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History in 5ish Minutes 5 Tactics the Russians Used during the Central Asian Revolt of 1916
Today we take a deep dive into the tactics the Russians used to suppress the Central Asian Revolt of 1916, discussing the Urkun Exodus, the mass reallocation of Steppe lands, and Kuropatkin’s decision to use an scorch earth strategy. Transcript coming If you enjoyed this episode, please donate to our Ko-Fi If you want to […]
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History in 5ish Minutes: 5 Tactics the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz Peoples Used during the Central Asian Revolt of 1916
During this episode we revisit the Central Asian Revolt of 1916, this time focusing on the tactics used by the indigenous rebels, particularly the Kazakh and Kyrgyz peoples in the Steppe. We’ll discuss their use of hit and run tactics, the advantages the Steppe provided, and their targeted assaults on major infrastructure. Transcript coming If […]
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Episode 23-Interview with Dr. Adeeb Khalid
This is a very special episode as we discuss the Jadids with renowned scholar, Dr. Adeeb Khalid. The Jadids were an Islamic modernizing movement within Central Asia that would later find common cause with Bolsheviks and create modern day Uzbekistan. We’ll be discussing who the Jadids were, their doctrinal development, and how they fit within […]
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History in 5ish Minutes: 5 Facts about the Tsarist Administration in Central Asia 1890-1916
In this episode, we briefly discuss the Tsarist Administration in Central Asia, focusing on how the Russian administration created two societies one of the incoming Russian Settlers and one for the indigenous peoples. We also discuss the two biggest problems facing the Russian administration: land and the demand for political participation. Transcript coming If you […]
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Episode 22-the Central Asian Revolt of 1916
In this episode we discussed the Central Asian Revolt of 1916. Sparked by decades old administrative issues, the Russian settler’s “redistribution” of land and resources, and the Tsarist’s decision to conscription indigenous peoples (who up until that point that had been exemption of conscription), the revolution overtook most of Turkestan and lasted into 1917. In […]
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History in 5ish Minutes: the 1898 Andijan Uprising
In this episode, we discuss 5 facts abou the 1898 Andijan Uprising, discussing Madali Ishan’s revolt against Russian colonialism in Central Asia and stoking paranoid Islamophobia. Transcript coming If you enjoyed this episode, please donate to our Ko-Fi If you want to receive updates on our projects, join our newsletter
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Episode 21-Russian Colonialism in Central Asia 1860-1890
During this episode we will briefly discuss Russian colonialism in Central Asia from 1860-1890, focusing on the how and why. We’ll discuss the subsuming of Steppe Lands, the abolishment of the Kokand Khanate, the subjugation of the Bukharan and Khivan khanates, and the attacks on the Turkmen people of the Ferghana Valley. Transcript If you […]
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Episode 20-Interview with James Nagle
Today we have a very special episode where we spoke to James Nagle about what life was like for an average IRA recruit and a British soldier. If you enjoyed our big picture overview but want to dive deeper into what life was like for an IRA recruit on the run, a civilian having to […]
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The RICs, Auxiliaries, and the Black and Tans
During our podcast episodes on the Irish War for Independence, we focus on the IRA’s tactics and perspective. Today, we’ll be focusing on the British response and the different military and law enforcement groups they employed against the IRA and the Dail.
Sam's War Room 