republic · Central Asia and the Steppe

Alash Autonomy

1917 CE – 1920 CE · capital Semey

The Kazakh national government of the Alash party, which sought autonomy during the Russian Civil War and whose leaders were later killed in Stalin's purges.

Origins

The Alash party was founded by Kazakh intellectuals including Alikhan Bukeikhanov, Akhmet Baitursynov and Mirzhakip Dulatov. In December 1917 the Second All-Kazakh Congress in Orenburg proclaimed the Alash Autonomy and formed a government, the Alash Orda.

Rule and society

Alash Orda, led by Bukeikhanov, sought a Kazakh autonomy within a democratic Russian federation and governed from Semey (Semipalatinsk) with an eastern branch, while a western wing operated in Zhympity. It tried to build a militia and promoted Kazakh education and a reformed Arabic script. It allied with the Whites at times while negotiating with the Bolsheviks.

Decline and legacy

Disillusioned with the Whites, Alash leaders accepted Soviet power in 1919 and 1920, when the government was dissolved and the Kazakh lands became the Kirghiz, later Kazakh ASSR. Most of its leaders were executed in the purges of the 1930s; they were rehabilitated in the late Soviet period.

Lineage

Russian Republic 1917 CE – 1918 CEAlash AutonomyKazakh ASSR 1920 CE – 1936 CE

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Alash Autonomy. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alash-autonomy
MLA
“Alash Autonomy.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alash-autonomy. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Alash Autonomy.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alash-autonomy.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Alash Autonomy’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/alash-autonomy (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻