On new approaches to the estimates of the motivation and social base of the Basmach movement in Turkestan in 1918-1920

The article is devoted to a complex and controversial issue related to the causes and the rapid development of the Basmach movement in the territory of Turkestan in 1918-1920. The study of the problem of this movement as a social phenomenon causes a lively scientific debate to the present. Based on recently identified and first submitted sources, the author shows that the reasons for the emergence and development of the Basmach movement in the region include, among others, the following: the ill-conceived policy of the Soviet leadership in inter-ethnic relations, ignoring the peculiarities of ethno-confessional nature, insulting and violating the customs and traditions of the indigenous population and, finally, violations of military discipline by the fighters and commanders of the Red Army. It was these factors that determined, firstly, the mass character of the Basmach movement and, secondly, the wide social representation of the indigenous population of Turkestan in its ranks. In this context, the claims of Soviet historiography that the social base of the movement was limited to members of the prosperous layers, clergy and religious fanatics seem groundless.