☰ Contents · History of Uzbekistan

The Jizzakh uprising and the consequences of the events of 1916

Lessons 30–31 · 2 lessons · S. Tillaboyev, A. Zamonov. O‘zbekiston tarixi (History of Uzbekistan, second half of the 19th – early 20th century), Grade 9, 3rd edition. “Sharq” Publishing House, Tashkent, 2019
31

Consequences and significance of the events of 1916 in Turkestan

Textbook: pp. 108–110
GoalAnalyse the consequences and significance of the 1916 uprisings and the disputed aspects of figures on losses.
New words
consequence, result · oqibatconfiscation of property by the authorities · musodaraloss, casualties and damage · talafotassessment, evaluation · baho
Explanation

According to the textbook, the 1916 uprising was by character a national-liberation movement because its main force was the mass of the people; one Russian official assessed the situation as “a new Turkestan front has been added to the war fronts”. The rebels were mostly peasants and craftsmen fighting with ordinary tools; their defeat was caused by lack of military knowledge, tactical and strategic inexperience and insufficient unity. Consequences: villages around Jizzakh were burned and many were left homeless; because it was summer, crops and food reserves perished; there were victims among the population. The textbook writes that, “according to some data”, 673 thousand people were killed and over 300 thousand residents left for abroad. Such overall figures are disputed among historians: different sources assess differently, so they should be treated as one estimate and not as established fact. The uprising alarmed the tsarist government and made it grant some relief. The Jizzakh events were named the “Jizzakh tragedy” and are reflected in the epic “The Jizzakh Uprising” by Fozil Yoldosh oglu.

Worked examples
Because crops were lost in summer, food reserves for the winter of 1916–1917 fell: the uprising had economic consequences as well.
When a historian sees a figure like “673 thousand” they check its source, method of counting and agreement with other sources.
Class activity

Make a table: type of consequence (population, economy, politics), example, source. Mark figures as “needs verification”.

Practice
1
Name three consequences of the 1916 uprising according to the textbook.
2
Why does the textbook give losses as “according to some data”?
3
What name did the Jizzakh events receive in history?
4
Write one similarity and one difference between the 1916 uprisings and those of the late 19th century.