The Uyghur Revolutionary Union of Altishahri and Jungharian Workers, also known as the Uyghur Revsoyuz or Inqilawi Uyghur Itipaqi, was an organization of diaspora from China in Soviet Turkestan 1921–1922. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In early 1921 the Turkestan Bureau of the Communist International (Comintern) called for the holding of a Turkestan Congress of the Union of Chinese Workers. [4] Through the holding of this congress the Comintern hoped to promote the formation of workers soviets among Chinese subjects in Soviet Turkestan, and thus create a counterweight to the aqsaqals appointed by Chinese Xinjiang Province authorities in the diaspora communities. [4] The Comintern also tasked the congress to promote educational activity and increase inclusion of women in political activities. [4]
A three-member convening committee, led by Nazariants (an Armenian communist, in-charge of Kashgaria in the Turkestan Bureau). [4] The committee first met on March 1, 1921, and at this meeting it decided to disassociate itself from the Moscow-based Union of Chinese Workers. [4] The third meeting of the committee decided to adopt the name 'Union of Kashgari and Jungharian Workers' as the name of the proposed organization. [4] A Han Chinese member left the convening committee after its fourth meeting, and was replaced by the Kashgari Abdurahman Mahmudov. [4] Further west, the Council for Propaganda and Action of the Peoples of the East had organized a branch of the Union of Kashgari-Chinese Workers in Bukhara, with members among Kashgari soldiers of the Red Army in Kerki. [4] Whilst this group initially wanted to go its own way, it eventually joined the Tashkent congress initiative. [4]
Initially the congress was planned for April 15, 1921, but was postponed to June 1, 1921. [4] Eventually, on June 3, 1921, the First All-Turkestan Congress of the Union of Kashgari and Jungharian Workers was held in Tashkent. [4] [5] [1] The founding of the organization coincided with the launch of the newspaper Kambaghallar awazi ('Voice of the Poor'). [1] A total of 130 delegates had been selected to participate in the congress, but only 117 managed to arrive in Tashkent. [1] Two women were present among the delegates. [4] Among the attending delegates there were 83 Kashgaris, 13 Taranchis, 10 Dungans, 3 Han Chinese, 3 Tatars, 2 Kirghiz and 1 Turk (a former Ottoman officer and former prisoner of war). [4] Of the delegates in attendance at the congress, 50 were Communist Party members. [1] [4] At the congress the Taranchi leader Abdullah Rozibaqiev, who was elected to the congress presidium, declared his Semirechye Uyghur Club merged into the Union of Kashgari and Jungharian Workers. [4]
The Tashkent congress announced the establishment of the Uyghur Revolutionary Union of Altishahri and Jungharian Workers and nominated delegates to the 3rd World Congress of the Comintern. [5] The delegates nominated to attend the Comintern congress were Ismail Tairov (Taranchi), Abdurahman Mahmudov and the Dungan Red Army officer Magaza Masanchi. [4] The decision to add the word 'Uyghur' to the name of the organization was proposed by Rozibaqiev. [4] Moreover, on Rozibaqiev's suggestion the term 'Kashgari' was replaced with ' Altishahri'. [4] A Central Committee was elected, with Rozibaqiev as its secretary. [4] Among the members were Osman Khoja ( Jadidist from Bukhara), Galiev (Tatar) and Sabir Ahmed (the Turkish ex-POW), as well as an additional 4 Uyghurs, 2 Dungans, 1 Kirghiz and 1 Jew. [1] [4]
As of 1921, most of the Uyghur Revsoyuz membership was centered in Yettisu (2,500-3,000 members), but the organization also had branches in Ferghana, Andijan (220 members), Osh (35 members), Kokand (30 members), Margilan (65 members), Tashkent (265 members), Bukhara (40 members), Turkmenistan ( Bayram Ali, Merv, Kerki, 200 members) and China (107 members). [1] In Yettisu, the membership was predominately consisting of Russian-born Taranchis. [4] The Yettisu branch chairman was Qadir Haji. [4]
The Uyghur Revsoyuz is credited with having revived the 'Uyghur' ethnonym. [1] [2] However, the organization used the term to encompass multiple ethnic groups living in Xinyang. [1]
The Central Committee of Uyghur Revsoyuz was disbanded in 1921 by decision of the Communist Party of Turkestan, as a number of Central Committee members (such as Khoja, Ahmed and other) had sided with Enver Pasha and joined the counter-revolutionary basmachi rebels. [4] The sole branch of the Uyghur Revsoyuz that could continue to operate was the Yettisu branch. [4] At a 1922 conference, the Yettisu branch decided to disband itself as well. [4] At the conference Rozibaqiev argued in favour of liquidation, Qadir Haji being the sole opponent of the decision. [4] The Plowers' Union, headed by Qadir Haji, was founded as a successor organization. [1] [4]
The Uyghur Revolutionary Union of Altishahri and Jungharian Workers, also known as the Uyghur Revsoyuz or Inqilawi Uyghur Itipaqi, was an organization of diaspora from China in Soviet Turkestan 1921–1922. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In early 1921 the Turkestan Bureau of the Communist International (Comintern) called for the holding of a Turkestan Congress of the Union of Chinese Workers. [4] Through the holding of this congress the Comintern hoped to promote the formation of workers soviets among Chinese subjects in Soviet Turkestan, and thus create a counterweight to the aqsaqals appointed by Chinese Xinjiang Province authorities in the diaspora communities. [4] The Comintern also tasked the congress to promote educational activity and increase inclusion of women in political activities. [4]
A three-member convening committee, led by Nazariants (an Armenian communist, in-charge of Kashgaria in the Turkestan Bureau). [4] The committee first met on March 1, 1921, and at this meeting it decided to disassociate itself from the Moscow-based Union of Chinese Workers. [4] The third meeting of the committee decided to adopt the name 'Union of Kashgari and Jungharian Workers' as the name of the proposed organization. [4] A Han Chinese member left the convening committee after its fourth meeting, and was replaced by the Kashgari Abdurahman Mahmudov. [4] Further west, the Council for Propaganda and Action of the Peoples of the East had organized a branch of the Union of Kashgari-Chinese Workers in Bukhara, with members among Kashgari soldiers of the Red Army in Kerki. [4] Whilst this group initially wanted to go its own way, it eventually joined the Tashkent congress initiative. [4]
Initially the congress was planned for April 15, 1921, but was postponed to June 1, 1921. [4] Eventually, on June 3, 1921, the First All-Turkestan Congress of the Union of Kashgari and Jungharian Workers was held in Tashkent. [4] [5] [1] The founding of the organization coincided with the launch of the newspaper Kambaghallar awazi ('Voice of the Poor'). [1] A total of 130 delegates had been selected to participate in the congress, but only 117 managed to arrive in Tashkent. [1] Two women were present among the delegates. [4] Among the attending delegates there were 83 Kashgaris, 13 Taranchis, 10 Dungans, 3 Han Chinese, 3 Tatars, 2 Kirghiz and 1 Turk (a former Ottoman officer and former prisoner of war). [4] Of the delegates in attendance at the congress, 50 were Communist Party members. [1] [4] At the congress the Taranchi leader Abdullah Rozibaqiev, who was elected to the congress presidium, declared his Semirechye Uyghur Club merged into the Union of Kashgari and Jungharian Workers. [4]
The Tashkent congress announced the establishment of the Uyghur Revolutionary Union of Altishahri and Jungharian Workers and nominated delegates to the 3rd World Congress of the Comintern. [5] The delegates nominated to attend the Comintern congress were Ismail Tairov (Taranchi), Abdurahman Mahmudov and the Dungan Red Army officer Magaza Masanchi. [4] The decision to add the word 'Uyghur' to the name of the organization was proposed by Rozibaqiev. [4] Moreover, on Rozibaqiev's suggestion the term 'Kashgari' was replaced with ' Altishahri'. [4] A Central Committee was elected, with Rozibaqiev as its secretary. [4] Among the members were Osman Khoja ( Jadidist from Bukhara), Galiev (Tatar) and Sabir Ahmed (the Turkish ex-POW), as well as an additional 4 Uyghurs, 2 Dungans, 1 Kirghiz and 1 Jew. [1] [4]
As of 1921, most of the Uyghur Revsoyuz membership was centered in Yettisu (2,500-3,000 members), but the organization also had branches in Ferghana, Andijan (220 members), Osh (35 members), Kokand (30 members), Margilan (65 members), Tashkent (265 members), Bukhara (40 members), Turkmenistan ( Bayram Ali, Merv, Kerki, 200 members) and China (107 members). [1] In Yettisu, the membership was predominately consisting of Russian-born Taranchis. [4] The Yettisu branch chairman was Qadir Haji. [4]
The Uyghur Revsoyuz is credited with having revived the 'Uyghur' ethnonym. [1] [2] However, the organization used the term to encompass multiple ethnic groups living in Xinyang. [1]
The Central Committee of Uyghur Revsoyuz was disbanded in 1921 by decision of the Communist Party of Turkestan, as a number of Central Committee members (such as Khoja, Ahmed and other) had sided with Enver Pasha and joined the counter-revolutionary basmachi rebels. [4] The sole branch of the Uyghur Revsoyuz that could continue to operate was the Yettisu branch. [4] At a 1922 conference, the Yettisu branch decided to disband itself as well. [4] At the conference Rozibaqiev argued in favour of liquidation, Qadir Haji being the sole opponent of the decision. [4] The Plowers' Union, headed by Qadir Haji, was founded as a successor organization. [1] [4]