When the Soviet Union attempted to push their ways on the Kasakh population, they struggled with the lack of work ethic and the general ability to do the jobs they forced them to do. Industrialization was not something that had occurred within Kazakhstan yet, and so the Soviet Union believed they were “saving” the Kasakh people from their “primitive ways”. However, this proved to be a struggle for the Soviet Union, who thought that the Kazakh people were being ungrateful. Why do you think that Soviet officials wanted to force these people, who for centuries were farmers and nomads, to be industrial workers when there was still a high demand for farmers? Would it not have been easier to use their skills to provide higher amounts of food for the Union?
Cultural Construction in the Soviet Empire (HIS315 F20)
National in Form, Socialist in Content!
While the demand for farmers may have been high, the Soviet government, from the beginning, was concerned with industrializing the nation. While agriculture was an essential piece of the Soviet economy, industrialization was part of the key to gaining economic success and international recognition. I know I have beaten this into the ground this semester, but the Soviets are almost always concerned about the big picture. While we may think it would make more sense to allow the Kazakh people to do what they do best, the Soviets saw them as a malleable group that could be used to accomplish industrialization.
I think the Soviets forced the Kazakh into doing industrial work because it is a strenuous job that reaped very little pay and was back-breaking. Working such a tenuous job would require those working to stay stationary, which is the complete opposite of the nomadic, always on-the-go lifestyle the Kazakhs were used to. While farmers were needed, allowing Kazakhs to become farmers would allow them to have the slight chance to earn a decent wage and practice normal customs that were common to the Kazakh culture , which would defeat the goal the Soviets were trying to reach.