75th Anniversary of Victory: What Contemporary Tajik Historians Write About War

Frontline and the Rear

Almost 300,000 people went to the frontline from the Tajik SSR, and more than a third of them did not return home.

PhD. in History, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Contemporary History, A. Donish Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan Abdullo Gafurov in his article “Tajikistan’s Contribution to the Great Victory” provides an insight into the state of affairs in the Republic in 1941–1945 and its participation in the war. Citizens of Tajikistan proved themselves in all main battles of the Great Patriotic War: during the defense of the Brest Fortress, in the battle for Moscow, in the battle of Stalingrad, during the defense of Leningrad, in the Battle of Kursk, etc.

Heroes

56,000 Tajik warriors were awarded military medals and orders.

History Doctor Namoz Hotamov in the article “Heroism of Tajik Envoys on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War” elaborated on the fates of the Soviet Union Heroes, artillerymen Hodi Kinzhaev and Ismail Hamzaliev. Both of them participated in the Battle of Kursk as commanders of anti-tank guns, both lost their combat crews, but managed to inflict damage to the enemy.

Tajiks in Resistance: Unknown Truth

Graduate student of the A. Donish Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan Dilnozai Rahimzoda in his article described the involvement of Tajikistan citizens in the resistance. Tajiks could get into the partisan units only after escaping from concentration camps, German labor battalions or Turkestan legion, for that reason some of them were put on trial at the end of the war.

Wartime Laws

Doctor of Law, professor Jurahon Majidzoda and PhD. in History, doctoral student of the A. Bahoviddinov Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Law of the Republic of Tajikistan Izatullo Muhammadiev highlighted the legal aspect of the life in the Tajik SSR during the war in the article “Supply of the Frontline with Necessary Resources and Some Issues of Fighting Crime During the Great Patriotic War in Tajikistan”. The authors elaborated on reorganization of the legal standards of the Republic, revealing the difficulties related to the evacuation of enterprises and civilians to Tajikistan.

When Weapon is Music

History Doctor Bahriniso Kabilova in the article “Wartime Musical Culture of Tajikistan” demonstrated that the cultural life of the Republic thrived through the artists from other regions.

Wartime Public Education

History Doctor, professor Nasrullo Ubaidullo in the article “Public Education of Tajikistan in the Years of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 (Historiography of the Problem)” features the study of public education during the war in Tajikistan. The analysis of the archive materials shows that the coverage of school-age children, especially from among local nationalities, and a steady decline in the number of students were the most pressing issues.

Hindsight – Vision for Future

Articles of the Tajik researchers show that the Republican science has achieved great success in studying Tajikistan’s contribution to the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany and the living conditions of the local population during the war. At the same time, many issues require further research: for example, the exact number of Soviet citizens evacuated to Tajikistan is still unknown. In addition, the fate of many Tajik partisans remains unclear.